So. I figured out why I was feeling better on Saturday. I always knew that I felt better, but I didn't want to post anything until I figured out why I felt better. And now I know, and it's pretty cool. And I'm convinced that I'm right on this; it's not the kind of thing where you're feeling bad, so you make excuses to make yourself feel better. I'm better, and I know why, so now I'm going to tell you why I was sad, and where the disconnect was and all that. But first, I'll tell you what happened after my walk on Saturday.
About 5 minutes after I got home from my walk, Mom and Megan came back home with Mighty Taco, and Dad finished the lawn, and all 4 of us ate dinner together. Mighty Taco, luckily, tasted the same as always, which is great. Then the doorbell rang and it was Topan-, I mean, Emily! She had previously told me that she couldn't come that day, but she could all along! She surprised me and brought me cookies and it was fantastic.
After I got over the shock, the two of us went to surprise Grandma Hahn, who just happened to be at Aunt Laurie's. So we drove there and got to see Grandma, Aunt Laurie, Robyn, Sarah, and Hannah. We only stayed for about 15 minutes, but it was so good to see them. After that, we went to visit Mrs. Graczyk and Hayden (Christina was out somewhere). Hayden has learned how to say "Uncle Dan" on the phone, which basically made my life, and I was hoping to hear him say it in real person. But alas, I forgot that I had a beard, and Hayden isn't a fan of guys in beards. Also, Emily was with me, and she looks a lot like his mother. So I basically never had a chance. He shyed away from me and kept going for Emily, but it was still so good to see him. He's getting really big. And I got to see him walk for the first time, so that was awesome. Next time I see him, I'll try to remember to shave.
After the Graczyks, we went back home, and from there we went to Houghton. It was Emily's first time at Houghton, and I was so happy to have her there and to show her my dorm and the quad and all that stuff. Plus, Emily and my family got to meet all my friends, which was awesome. I've got great friends at college. The 5 of us ate dinner together at this one restaurant that Mom, Dad, and I have been to before, then we came back to my room and watched a couple Looney Tunes. I love sharing my cartoons with people. The best was sharing them with Megan, because we watched a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon that me and her used to watch all the time at Grandma Hahn's house and she remembered it. That made me happy. After that, we basically just played UNO and then they left.
So that's what happened. Now, I'm going to explain why I felt so good after feeling so bad, which will also explain what exactly "home" means to me. Yesterday and Sunday, I wracked my brain trying to figure out what went wrong. I mean, everyone knows how nostalgic I am, so my first visit home should've felt like heaven, and it didn't. I went back to my journal and studied what happened and when, and the general timeline of when I felt bad, and the first moment I felt good after that. I discovered that the first time I came out of my funk was when we all had Mighty Taco. So then I decided, "ok, home is where the food is." And like 10 seconds later, I was like, "no, that's dumb." So then I looked closer at the Mighty Taco meal, and then I got it. The Mighty Taco meal made me happy not because it tasted good, but because I was with my parents and sister! And then I thought about it some more. When I first got home, I saw my family for like 10 minutes. Then Dad went out to cut the grass, and Megan and Mom went out. And then I was totally alone in my house, and it was awful. And then, they came back, and I was fine! So then I came to this conclusion, and it is totally valid and true and gives me peace:
Home is where the people you love are.
Think about it: The only time I felt bad and foreign was when I was wandering through the house by myself. That was the only time I was alone. After that, my family came back, and I was good. Then Emily came, and I was even better. Then I went to my aunt's house and saw her, my grandma, and my cousins and I felt even better. Then I saw Mrs. Graczyk and Hayden and felt even better! That's because I was with people, and it felt like home. It felt like home to be sitting at the dining room table with my family, because that's what we always did. It felt like home to see Grandma Hahn, Aunt Lauire, and Robyn because they've been part of my life since I was born, and it felt like home to be with Sarah and Hannah, because even though I'm much older than them, they're an integral part of my extended family, and they're currently the future of my mom's side of the family. Strangely enough, it felt more like home standing in Christina's driveway with her mother and son than it did to lie in my bed in my own room! But Mrs. Graczyk has always been like an aunt to me. So that's that. Home isn't made by buildings and rooms, but by people. I didn't feel at home when I was in my house, but I felt completely at home when I was surrounded with the people I love, the people who I left behind. And that is the answer to the problem, and now there's no problem whatsoever. Phew. And for a moment there, I actually was afraid I'd have to let go of something and move on. Well, I got by that one, and now Friz Freleng and I are going to go and celebrate!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
"A Sort of Homecoming"
This is my latest entry from the journal that Aunt Jayne gave me before I left. I'm posting it because it has to do with the first part of my first return trip to Williamsville this past Saturday. I will post the rest either Monday or Tuesday, whenever I write it. I know this entry sucks and ends really sadly, but things got a lot better really quickly, and I'll be reflecting that in my next post. I'll also be contemplating what this entry means to me and what went wrong. Peace.
Yesterday marked my first visit back home since I left for Houghton a little over a month ago. That morning, our FYI groups went to Buffalo to pick up trash under the highway. We drove through the city, passing Dunn Tire Park and HSBC Arena. It felt good to be back in the city. As a kid and teenage, Buffalo wasn't "home". It was close, yes, but it was always somewhere we went to. We would go to a Sabres game, and then we would come home to Williamsville. But yesterday, Buffalo truly felt like home for the first time in my life, and I know it'll always feel like that. I was born in the city, after all.
Anyways, we stopped at an American Legion post, which instantly brough memories of Sugar and Jazz flooding into my mind. At the post, we had doughnuts and orange juice from Wegmans. The doughnuts tasted great, just like they used to, and the orange juice reminded me of when I was in Dairy. When we were done with the trash-collecting, Dad picked me up and brought me home for a bit before all 4 of us would return to Houghton. Mom was waiting outside for me. It was so good to see the two of them and Megan. It was the longest I've gone without seeing any of them, and I missed them more than I thought I would. By all accounts, the visit should've been perfect. Me, the change-resisting, nostalgic kid-at-heart, finally returns to the place where he grew up after a month-long absense. And in many ways, it was good. But it was not nearly as relaxing or peacful or nostalgic as I had dreamed about.
Shortly after I arrived, Dad went out to cut the grass and Megan and Mom left to go get food, leaving me alone to wander through the house that used to be mine. I felt like a stranger, a foreigner. An intruder. My bedroom was just as I had left it, but not as I had lived in it. For one thing, all the windows were open, filling my empty room with the sun and making it feel bigger than it should be. For another thing, it was spotless. No homework from South cluttering my desk. No clothes from the previous day littering the floor. Nothing. It felt like a museum. I lay down on my bed, expecting it to feel like it always did, as if only one day had passed since I'd slept in it. But it felt firm and unyielding...and too high!
Troubled and confused, I used the upstairs bathroom. But the lighting was wrong, all wrong! It felt harsh and grey, and the corner of the shower wall and woodwork on the walls seemed sharp and bright. It looked like a room in one of those 18th century houses that you can walk through as long as you don't touch anything. Don't ask how I got that, I just know. Next I went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. The food and drinks within were not there when I had left. I was surprised to see half of a jug of apple cider. I was also surprised to be surprised by that. Normally, I would be the one to start a jug of cider, and I would open the fridge knowing that it was there, knowing how much was left, and I'd drink some. But I was uncomfortably surprised by it being there. I had a glass, of course, but even that felt weird, like I should've asked my parents if I could have their cider. I felt like I was stealing. Then I noticed the calendar hanging on the fridge. When I was in high school, we'd draw a horizontal line through each day. Megan's events and activities would be written in pink marker on the upper half, and mine would go on the bottom half in blue. But for September, there was no blue, only pink! There wasn't even a line; Megan just had the whole day to herself! It was as if I had died and been erased.
I wandered around the house some more. I went in the den and was surprised to see the VCR sitting in the middle of the room, hooked up to the TV. I knew that it didn't need to be there, that the TV's built-in VCR worked fine, so I was infuriated at the sight of the VCR sitting there, because it never went there, never even needed to go there, and putting it there was just unnecessary change and confusion that I couldn't handle. I went into the family room and was scared of the silence. Mom always had the TV on, even if she wasn't watching anything. I turned on the TV, but that didn't help, because I was the one to turn it on, not Mom, so I turned it back on. I was relieved to see a pile of papers on the ottomon. At least Mom didn't become organized in my absense. But then I noticed an old, yellowed photo from a newspaper. It was of Don Trautman, Don Noell, and Donna Noell, from like the 1980's. It made me miss Mr. Noell and Mr. Trautman, the latter of which died while I was at Houghton. I didn't even get to go to the funeral or say goodbye or tell him how much I loved seeing his Looney Tunes ties every Sunday. Nothing.
By now, I felt sad and strange and jittery. I had to get out of the house. So I grabbed my iPod and walked out. I had been looking forward to coming home since I had left in August, and now that I was back, I wanted to leave again! I needed something familiar, something safe, and I hoped to find it by walking around the block. I walked down my old paper route, trying to remember my former customers' house numbers. Luckily, I got most of them right. I came to the crabapple tree at the corner of Arend and Edward. Usually, this tree's rotting apples meant that it was fall. I always associated the stench of this tree's dying fruit with the onset of fall, and school, and leaves changing, and all that. It was always one of my strongest olfactory memories. But yesterday, standing among fallen, decaying apples, I smelled nothing. They were rotten alright, it was plain to see, and I wasn't sick or stuffed up, but I couldn't smell them. I even picked up some particularly soft brown ones and held them right under my nose. Nothing.
Panic set in. This wasn't right. I was home, but only in the most techincal sense. Everything had changed in my absense of only a month. And the worst part? Not all of the change occured at home. Remember, my room remained the same way as when I had left it. No furniture in the house was rearranged; the crabapple tree was still there. No, things had changed in me, in me, in how I looked at things that should've felt familiar and safe. Could this be what "moving on" is? Was I so comfortable at Houghton that Williamsville no longer felt like home? If this truly is what "accepting change" is, then I don't like it, and I will continue to fight it tooth and nail, just like I did before I came to Houghton. I lost something yesterday, and I don't even know what it is. But it's gone. I didn't return to my home that day; I only returned to my house. And I've only been at Houghton for one month, so that can't possibly be home either. But if neither of those places is home, what is? Do I even have a home anymore? So many questions. I wish I had never returned to Williamsville. I want to go home. DS
Yesterday marked my first visit back home since I left for Houghton a little over a month ago. That morning, our FYI groups went to Buffalo to pick up trash under the highway. We drove through the city, passing Dunn Tire Park and HSBC Arena. It felt good to be back in the city. As a kid and teenage, Buffalo wasn't "home". It was close, yes, but it was always somewhere we went to. We would go to a Sabres game, and then we would come home to Williamsville. But yesterday, Buffalo truly felt like home for the first time in my life, and I know it'll always feel like that. I was born in the city, after all.
Anyways, we stopped at an American Legion post, which instantly brough memories of Sugar and Jazz flooding into my mind. At the post, we had doughnuts and orange juice from Wegmans. The doughnuts tasted great, just like they used to, and the orange juice reminded me of when I was in Dairy. When we were done with the trash-collecting, Dad picked me up and brought me home for a bit before all 4 of us would return to Houghton. Mom was waiting outside for me. It was so good to see the two of them and Megan. It was the longest I've gone without seeing any of them, and I missed them more than I thought I would. By all accounts, the visit should've been perfect. Me, the change-resisting, nostalgic kid-at-heart, finally returns to the place where he grew up after a month-long absense. And in many ways, it was good. But it was not nearly as relaxing or peacful or nostalgic as I had dreamed about.
Shortly after I arrived, Dad went out to cut the grass and Megan and Mom left to go get food, leaving me alone to wander through the house that used to be mine. I felt like a stranger, a foreigner. An intruder. My bedroom was just as I had left it, but not as I had lived in it. For one thing, all the windows were open, filling my empty room with the sun and making it feel bigger than it should be. For another thing, it was spotless. No homework from South cluttering my desk. No clothes from the previous day littering the floor. Nothing. It felt like a museum. I lay down on my bed, expecting it to feel like it always did, as if only one day had passed since I'd slept in it. But it felt firm and unyielding...and too high!
Troubled and confused, I used the upstairs bathroom. But the lighting was wrong, all wrong! It felt harsh and grey, and the corner of the shower wall and woodwork on the walls seemed sharp and bright. It looked like a room in one of those 18th century houses that you can walk through as long as you don't touch anything. Don't ask how I got that, I just know. Next I went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. The food and drinks within were not there when I had left. I was surprised to see half of a jug of apple cider. I was also surprised to be surprised by that. Normally, I would be the one to start a jug of cider, and I would open the fridge knowing that it was there, knowing how much was left, and I'd drink some. But I was uncomfortably surprised by it being there. I had a glass, of course, but even that felt weird, like I should've asked my parents if I could have their cider. I felt like I was stealing. Then I noticed the calendar hanging on the fridge. When I was in high school, we'd draw a horizontal line through each day. Megan's events and activities would be written in pink marker on the upper half, and mine would go on the bottom half in blue. But for September, there was no blue, only pink! There wasn't even a line; Megan just had the whole day to herself! It was as if I had died and been erased.
I wandered around the house some more. I went in the den and was surprised to see the VCR sitting in the middle of the room, hooked up to the TV. I knew that it didn't need to be there, that the TV's built-in VCR worked fine, so I was infuriated at the sight of the VCR sitting there, because it never went there, never even needed to go there, and putting it there was just unnecessary change and confusion that I couldn't handle. I went into the family room and was scared of the silence. Mom always had the TV on, even if she wasn't watching anything. I turned on the TV, but that didn't help, because I was the one to turn it on, not Mom, so I turned it back on. I was relieved to see a pile of papers on the ottomon. At least Mom didn't become organized in my absense. But then I noticed an old, yellowed photo from a newspaper. It was of Don Trautman, Don Noell, and Donna Noell, from like the 1980's. It made me miss Mr. Noell and Mr. Trautman, the latter of which died while I was at Houghton. I didn't even get to go to the funeral or say goodbye or tell him how much I loved seeing his Looney Tunes ties every Sunday. Nothing.
By now, I felt sad and strange and jittery. I had to get out of the house. So I grabbed my iPod and walked out. I had been looking forward to coming home since I had left in August, and now that I was back, I wanted to leave again! I needed something familiar, something safe, and I hoped to find it by walking around the block. I walked down my old paper route, trying to remember my former customers' house numbers. Luckily, I got most of them right. I came to the crabapple tree at the corner of Arend and Edward. Usually, this tree's rotting apples meant that it was fall. I always associated the stench of this tree's dying fruit with the onset of fall, and school, and leaves changing, and all that. It was always one of my strongest olfactory memories. But yesterday, standing among fallen, decaying apples, I smelled nothing. They were rotten alright, it was plain to see, and I wasn't sick or stuffed up, but I couldn't smell them. I even picked up some particularly soft brown ones and held them right under my nose. Nothing.
Panic set in. This wasn't right. I was home, but only in the most techincal sense. Everything had changed in my absense of only a month. And the worst part? Not all of the change occured at home. Remember, my room remained the same way as when I had left it. No furniture in the house was rearranged; the crabapple tree was still there. No, things had changed in me, in me, in how I looked at things that should've felt familiar and safe. Could this be what "moving on" is? Was I so comfortable at Houghton that Williamsville no longer felt like home? If this truly is what "accepting change" is, then I don't like it, and I will continue to fight it tooth and nail, just like I did before I came to Houghton. I lost something yesterday, and I don't even know what it is. But it's gone. I didn't return to my home that day; I only returned to my house. And I've only been at Houghton for one month, so that can't possibly be home either. But if neither of those places is home, what is? Do I even have a home anymore? So many questions. I wish I had never returned to Williamsville. I want to go home. DS
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Birthday Post!
Today and tomorrow mark two very important birthdays. First, today (16th) is the 59th birthday of the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote! Anyone who has known me for more than 10 minutes knows that I love Looney Tunes, and anyone who has known me for more than 10 years knows that it all started with these two. As a kid, I'd watch them all the time at Grandma Hahn's house on Patrice Terrace, and back when there was a WB Store, my mom bought a few of their tapes for me. (This was, of course, before I started collecting all Looney Tunes shorts.) I'm proud to say that I've got every Road Runner and Wile E. cartoon that Chuck Jones ever made, and I plan on watching a bunch today (after diligently finishing all of my homework, of course). If you have the chance, you should definately watch "Fast and Furry-ous". It's their debut cartoon, released theatrically on September 16, 1949.
Even more important than that is Dad's 47th birthday tomorrow. It's going to be weird, because I think that this is his first birthday where I won't get to see him, but such is college, I guess. People always say that we look the same, and I honestly never really saw it, but I found a picture from this past year where it's actually really obvious:
Yeah. That's pretty freaky. Last month, we went on an overnight camping trip where we recreated "Dad's 'n' Lads", a father-son camping trip that we did a long time ago through Camp Findley. Using our canoe, my new tent from Steve and Stacy Taylor, my new stove and beef stew from Aaron Pavlock, and after Shawn Blakslee pointed us where we wanted to go, we drove to the lake and canoed to where we used to camp. Here are some pictures of Dad during that trip.
This is the drive down to the lake. You can't see it, but we were on a huge bridge with an awesome view.
Dad and our loaded canoe, right before we head out to the other side of the lake to set up camp. Notice how Dad is not wearing a life jacket.
This is when we were picked up by the Coast Guard and ticketed because we didn't have life jackets, and that's apparently illegal in Pennsylvania. Not that we didn't know this beforehand: Andy Martin warned Dad before we left, but Dad didn't listen and got charged 95 bucks. You should've seen Andy when he found out. I hadn't seen him so happy since Katie was born.
This is when we went to Wal-Mart (yes, Emily, I know) to get life jackets. It worked out nicely for me though, because I got a new Star Wars book while we were there. Score.
Here's our campsite. This is what we got to see when we woke up in the morning. It was awesome. The tent from Steve and Stacy worked out great. I'm a fan of it.
So we finally get this going, and like 10 minutes later, it started raining. This is Dad looking sad and dejected. I thought it was pretty funny, actually.
Here's Dad at our creek. When I was a kid, we'd come here and play around, finding crayfish and rearranging rocks and making dams and new waterfalls and stuff. We did that again on our recent trip, and it was a lot of fun. I even recognized some of the twists and turns! We wandered along the creek for hours, until my hands hurt and my fingers were stuck in the position of being curled around an imaginary rock. But it was a lot of fun.
Make sure you wish Road Runner, Wile E., and Dad a very happy birthday! All three of them have played important roles in my life (the last one particularly) and have shaped me into who I am today. And if you're reading this and haven't watched "Fast and Furry-ous", jump on that. You've got 7 minutes to spare, I guarantee it.
Happy birthday to all and to all a good night.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Friends
Well, right now it's 2:10 AM. Yeah, I'm in college. I just got back from watching "Braveheart" with my friends. It was very cool: we had my TV and iPod speakers up in the dining hall. We were the only people there, and all the lights were out except for one back row. We moved tables around and had this big clear spot. So we start this thing at like 9:30, and there's about 10 of us. Somehow, the word got out, and by the time the movie was over, there were 23 of us watching it! It was so much fun, and now I'm going to introduce you guys to my friends at Houghton. There are two different groups of people that I associate myself with, and divide my time between: Goldenberries and Algenes. The Goldenberries are my small group from Highlander. I'll talk about them when I go back to talking about the rest of Highlander, which will be this week. But tonight, I'm going to tell you about the Algenes.
This is what she looked like when everyone yelled "surprise" at her surprise party. Joyce is a lot of fun. She's funny and gullible, which makes her even more funny. Like, when I brought her to her surprise party, for the split second between when she saw everyone crouching down under the table to when they all yelled "surprise", she was like, "ooh, is this like a game?" It was great. She's very friendly, and nice to talk to. And this is Steve. Since he forgot the picture, I get to post an awkward picture of him:
Yessir. There he is. This is when we were setting up Joyce's party. He's wearing a blue streamer as a necklace, and is also wearing a tiara and beads that Kaylee brought for Joyce. Steve is cool. He's going to London with me. The thing that he's known for is that his last name is Corell. It's spelled differently than the guy pictured below, but pronounced the same way. It's awesome.
Me, Brian, and Garrett flipping a couch that Elisa was sitting in. We flipped it all the way back, and she fell out. Lindsay tried to save her (second pic), but failed miserably. Good times.
Kaylee wowed everybody at karaoke night. We all saw her perform before we "met" her, so she was like a mini-celebrity when she joined our merry band of outlaws.
Elisa doing homework in the campus center. Note the intense concentration.
Brian doing homework at Big Al's. Note the intense pain.
Originally, this was the photo that we were going to give to Joyce. Actually, that's not true at all. It's just Josh testing the lighting. But we look ridiculous.
Brian and Joyce laying out on the quad, and Garret, who looks way too casual as he heads right for them...
Adam: Zeke, why are you in a tree?
Steve being seductive. Or something like that.
Joyce while we were singing. I can't tell if this is an "oh my god i'm so surprised" expression, or if we just sucked at singing and she was covering her ears.
Elisa, Mark, and me setting up the party.
The name 'Algenes' is a combination of two things. 'Nalgene' is the brand of water bottle that we all used on Highlander. It's also part of my nickname: Dan Nalgene, because Joyce and I met on Highlander during Nalgene Gold (the capture the flag game). Also, Big Al's is the restaurant in the basement of the campus center where we've hung out a lot. We also had Joyce's birthday party there. So Algene comes frome Nalgene and Al. Below is a picture of us that was Joyce's birthday present from the group:
(Left to right) 4th Row: Josh, Mark. 3rd row: Zeke, Garrett. 2nd Row: Adam, Brian, Elisa. 1st Row: Me, Kaylee, Lindsay. Not pictured: Steve, Joyce
Josh is the top-left guy who's got his arm around Mark. He's a really tech-savvy guy: he took this picture and made it look awesome. He also composes music on his computer. It's really good. He was the most recent person to join our group. Next to him is Mark. Mark has a sweet laugh and a car. The two of us went to the dollar store that day to get stuff for Joyce's party. He also wears a ring that he made of Starburst wrappers, and made one for me and one for Kaylee.
Josh is leaning on Zeke's shoulder. Zeke is a pretty nice guy. He's going to London with me, along with Adam, Lindsay, and Steve. He says some pretty awkward things, and is "that guy" a lot of the time, but hey, we're all "that guy" at one point or another. Next to him is Garrett. Garrett is nice too, except he's got bad ideas sometimes. But sometimes he's got good ideas, like last week, when we all watched "Silence of the Lambs" on Lindsay's laptop. In the middle of the soccer field. I say that Garrett was smart, because he wasn't there! It truly was terrifying, but I had fun. Garrett watched "Braveheart" with us tonight, and sat next to me, and that was very nice.
The guy sitting above me is Adam. He's my room mate. He's very nice. A little socially awkward, but he is homeschooled. (Actually, I shouldn't really go after homeschooled kids, just because there's so many of them!) But I do like Adam, and we've been getting along great. Next to Adam, smack in the middle of everyone is Brian. Brian is the one who gave me the nickname Dan Nalgene. He's a really funny guy, and he's got such a heart for the Lord, which is awesome. He's also a music major. Yeah, one of those guys. The girl with the hat is Elisa. She's Joyce's room mate, and we have two very cool things in common. First off, she loves Calvin and Hobbes. So I was sold there. Secondly, we discovered that we both play and know big band music! It was so weird to run into someone my age who wasn't in Sugar and Jazz, but knew Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, and the rest. We talked about songs and styles all the time. She is very fun and witty.
In the bottom corner is me. You know me, or at least I hope you do, because if you're reading this and you don't know me, then that's weird. Stop reading this. Next to me is Kaylee. She has a sick nasty (that means good) singing voice, and can yodel!!! She's very nice as well. Next to her is Lindsay. Her last name is Houghton, but that has nothing to do with Houghton college at all. Nevertheless, we call her Houghton Girl, or H.G. Lindsay, Adam, and Elisa are in my Advanced Composition class.
Not pictured are Joyce and Steve. Joyce isn't pictured, because this was a surprise gift for her. Steve isn't pictured because he's lame and forgot to meet us. So here they are! First is Joyce:
This is what she looked like when everyone yelled "surprise" at her surprise party. Joyce is a lot of fun. She's funny and gullible, which makes her even more funny. Like, when I brought her to her surprise party, for the split second between when she saw everyone crouching down under the table to when they all yelled "surprise", she was like, "ooh, is this like a game?" It was great. She's very friendly, and nice to talk to. And this is Steve. Since he forgot the picture, I get to post an awkward picture of him: Yessir. There he is. This is when we were setting up Joyce's party. He's wearing a blue streamer as a necklace, and is also wearing a tiara and beads that Kaylee brought for Joyce. Steve is cool. He's going to London with me. The thing that he's known for is that his last name is Corell. It's spelled differently than the guy pictured below, but pronounced the same way. It's awesome."Ian, would you like to go to the party in my pants?"
And now, here are some pictures of us doing stuff, because that's what I feel like showing you, because we're intense. All of these were taken by Josh and Adam. Next post, I'll get back to Highlander, including pictures. Peace.
Me, Brian, and Garrett flipping a couch that Elisa was sitting in. We flipped it all the way back, and she fell out. Lindsay tried to save her (second pic), but failed miserably. Good times.Kaylee wowed everybody at karaoke night. We all saw her perform before we "met" her, so she was like a mini-celebrity when she joined our merry band of outlaws.Elisa doing homework in the campus center. Note the intense concentration.Brian doing homework at Big Al's. Note the intense pain.Originally, this was the photo that we were going to give to Joyce. Actually, that's not true at all. It's just Josh testing the lighting. But we look ridiculous.Brian and Joyce laying out on the quad, and Garret, who looks way too casual as he heads right for them...Adam: Zeke, why are you in a tree?Zeke: I'm the ultimate defender of Houghton!
Adam: Ah.
Steve being seductive. Or something like that.Joyce while we were singing. I can't tell if this is an "oh my god i'm so surprised" expression, or if we just sucked at singing and she was covering her ears.Elisa, Mark, and me setting up the party.Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Fellowship of the Ring, Chapters I-VI
So I'm rereading the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and just in the first six chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring, I've found five passages that really relate to my life and how I'm feeling right now. So I'm going to write them down because I think they're sweet. If I stumble across any more passages applicable to my life, or anyones that I just like in general, I'll put them down too. I also got my photos from Highlander, so expect to see some of those start to go up in the next few days. Peace.
'There is only one way: to find the Cracks of Doom in the depths of Orodruin, the Fire-mountain, and cast the Ring in there, if you really wish to destroy it, to put it beyond the grasp of the Enemy for ever.'
'I do really wish to destroy it!' cried Frodo. 'Or, well, to have it destroyed. I am not made for perilous quests. I wish I had never seen the Ring! Why did it come to me? Why was I chosen?'
'Such questions cannot be answered,' said Gandalf. 'You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do no possess: not for power or wisdom, at any rate. But you have been chosen, and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.'
'I feel that as long as the Shire lies behind, safe and comfortable, I shall find wandering more bearable: I shall know that somewhere there is a firm foothold, even if my feet cannot stand there again.' (Frodo)
'I cannot imagine what information could be more terrifying than your hints and warnings,' exclaimed Frodo. 'I knew that danger lay ahead, of course; but I did not expect to meet it in our own Shire. Can't a hobbit walk from the Water to the River in peace?'
'But it is not your own Shire,' said Gildor. 'Others dwelt here before hobbits were; and others will dwell here again when hobbits are no more. The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.'
'I know-and yet it has always seemed so safe and familiar. What can I do now? My plan was to leave the Shire secretly, and make my way to Rivendell; but now my footsteps are dogged, before I ever get to Buckland.'
'I think you should still follow that plan,' said Gildor. 'I do not think the Road will prove too hard for your courage.'
'Yes, sir!' said Sam. 'Begging your pardon, sir! But I meant no wrong to you, Mr. Frodo, nor to Mr. Gandalf for that matter. He has some sense, mind you; and when you said go alone, he said no! take someone as you can trust.'
'But it does not seem that I can trust anyone,' said Frodo.
Sam looked at him unhappily. 'It all depends on what you want,' put in Merry. 'You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin-to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours-closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo.
O! Wanderers in the shadowed land
despair not! For though dark they stand,
all woods there be must end at last,
and see the open sun go past:
the setting sun, the rising sun,
the day's end, or the day begun.
for east or west all woods must fail...
'There is only one way: to find the Cracks of Doom in the depths of Orodruin, the Fire-mountain, and cast the Ring in there, if you really wish to destroy it, to put it beyond the grasp of the Enemy for ever.'
'I do really wish to destroy it!' cried Frodo. 'Or, well, to have it destroyed. I am not made for perilous quests. I wish I had never seen the Ring! Why did it come to me? Why was I chosen?'
'Such questions cannot be answered,' said Gandalf. 'You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do no possess: not for power or wisdom, at any rate. But you have been chosen, and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.'
'I feel that as long as the Shire lies behind, safe and comfortable, I shall find wandering more bearable: I shall know that somewhere there is a firm foothold, even if my feet cannot stand there again.' (Frodo)
'I cannot imagine what information could be more terrifying than your hints and warnings,' exclaimed Frodo. 'I knew that danger lay ahead, of course; but I did not expect to meet it in our own Shire. Can't a hobbit walk from the Water to the River in peace?'
'But it is not your own Shire,' said Gildor. 'Others dwelt here before hobbits were; and others will dwell here again when hobbits are no more. The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.'
'I know-and yet it has always seemed so safe and familiar. What can I do now? My plan was to leave the Shire secretly, and make my way to Rivendell; but now my footsteps are dogged, before I ever get to Buckland.'
'I think you should still follow that plan,' said Gildor. 'I do not think the Road will prove too hard for your courage.'
'Yes, sir!' said Sam. 'Begging your pardon, sir! But I meant no wrong to you, Mr. Frodo, nor to Mr. Gandalf for that matter. He has some sense, mind you; and when you said go alone, he said no! take someone as you can trust.'
'But it does not seem that I can trust anyone,' said Frodo.
Sam looked at him unhappily. 'It all depends on what you want,' put in Merry. 'You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin-to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours-closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo.
O! Wanderers in the shadowed land
despair not! For though dark they stand,
all woods there be must end at last,
and see the open sun go past:
the setting sun, the rising sun,
the day's end, or the day begun.
for east or west all woods must fail...
Thursday, September 4, 2008
My first week
It's been one week since I got back from Highander, and so far, college is going pretty smoothly. I'm taking Biblical Literature, College Math, American History Survey, and Spanish 103 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'm also taking Advanced Composition: Writing About Literature and First Year Introduction on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So far, I've been able to do a pretty good job of balancing classes, homework/studying, hanging out with friends, and keeping in touch with my family and Emily. I could use some improvement, but I've only been here for a week and have a lot of kinks to work out.
Today hasn't been all that exciting. I had breakfast with Lindsay and Joyce, then went to Adv. Comp. and FYI. Then I had lunch with Adam, Joyce, Brian, Garrett, Lindsay, Steve, and a whole bunch of others. We ended up putting two tables together. After that, I checked out the poster sale in the Campus Center and bought a poster that lists the "101 Greatest Movie Quotes". "Star Wars" is represented by "May the Force be with you", which is #8. The #1 spot goes to "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" from "Gone With The Wind". Then I talked to Emily, Mom, and Megan, and then I did my homework for American History. Then I took a half hour nap and watched a Looney Tunes cartoon that I actually don't think I've seen before.
Tonight, I'm eating dinner with my friends at Big Al's a really cool restaurant located in the basement of the Campus Center. We've been there a few times before. Also, Rothenbuhler Hall (my residence hall) is hosting a bonfire at 8, so that'll be fun. Tomorrow, the Goldenberries from Highlander are getting together at Bethany's house, and there's also a thing called "Sinatra Under the Stars", where they're apparently going to play a lot of Frank Sinatra and other "big band" music. I'm going to go check it out because I seriously doubt they know what they're talking about by "big band". So if I go and it turns out that they don't even know what big band really is, then I get to silently make fun of them. If it turns out that the music really IS big band, then I get to listen to some sweet music that I know. Win-win situation.
Alrighty, this post is dedicated to three people. First off, Steve and Stacy Taylor are celebrating their 15th anniversary tomorrow (Friday)! For those of you who don't know them, they are the deans of Tent Camp, and they have been very good friends of mine since 2002. They've got two great kids: Ben and Abby. Steve's mother is Wilma Taylor and his father was Ray. If you want to know the story of how Steve and Stacy got married, ask Ray Stevens or go to Tent Camp. Happy anniversary guys! I love you!
Also, Bill Melendez died on Tuesday at the age of 91. I promise you that none of you know who he is. He was an animator, and animated Looney Tunes cartoons under the direction of Bob Clampett and Art Davis in the mid to late 1940's. He also animated for Walt Disney in the 30's, but he's probably best known for being the sole animator to animate the Peanuts cartoons. (He also did the voice of Snoopy, apparently. Like when he's yowling and crying and stuff). I know that 91 is an awesome age to die, but it still sucks because he was one of the last surviving members of the Golden Age of Animation. He also had a sweet mustache. Below is one of the last Looney Tunes cartoons he ever animated: "Riff Raffy Daffy" from 1948, directed by Art Davis. If you've got seven minutes to spare and you haven't seen Porky or Daffy for a while, honor Bill and watch this cartoon. I wish I could tell you exactly which scenes Bill (real name is Jose Cuauhtemoc) animated, but I'm not really familiar with his style. RIP, Bill.
Today hasn't been all that exciting. I had breakfast with Lindsay and Joyce, then went to Adv. Comp. and FYI. Then I had lunch with Adam, Joyce, Brian, Garrett, Lindsay, Steve, and a whole bunch of others. We ended up putting two tables together. After that, I checked out the poster sale in the Campus Center and bought a poster that lists the "101 Greatest Movie Quotes". "Star Wars" is represented by "May the Force be with you", which is #8. The #1 spot goes to "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" from "Gone With The Wind". Then I talked to Emily, Mom, and Megan, and then I did my homework for American History. Then I took a half hour nap and watched a Looney Tunes cartoon that I actually don't think I've seen before.
Tonight, I'm eating dinner with my friends at Big Al's a really cool restaurant located in the basement of the Campus Center. We've been there a few times before. Also, Rothenbuhler Hall (my residence hall) is hosting a bonfire at 8, so that'll be fun. Tomorrow, the Goldenberries from Highlander are getting together at Bethany's house, and there's also a thing called "Sinatra Under the Stars", where they're apparently going to play a lot of Frank Sinatra and other "big band" music. I'm going to go check it out because I seriously doubt they know what they're talking about by "big band". So if I go and it turns out that they don't even know what big band really is, then I get to silently make fun of them. If it turns out that the music really IS big band, then I get to listen to some sweet music that I know. Win-win situation.
Alrighty, this post is dedicated to three people. First off, Steve and Stacy Taylor are celebrating their 15th anniversary tomorrow (Friday)! For those of you who don't know them, they are the deans of Tent Camp, and they have been very good friends of mine since 2002. They've got two great kids: Ben and Abby. Steve's mother is Wilma Taylor and his father was Ray. If you want to know the story of how Steve and Stacy got married, ask Ray Stevens or go to Tent Camp. Happy anniversary guys! I love you!
Also, Bill Melendez died on Tuesday at the age of 91. I promise you that none of you know who he is. He was an animator, and animated Looney Tunes cartoons under the direction of Bob Clampett and Art Davis in the mid to late 1940's. He also animated for Walt Disney in the 30's, but he's probably best known for being the sole animator to animate the Peanuts cartoons. (He also did the voice of Snoopy, apparently. Like when he's yowling and crying and stuff). I know that 91 is an awesome age to die, but it still sucks because he was one of the last surviving members of the Golden Age of Animation. He also had a sweet mustache. Below is one of the last Looney Tunes cartoons he ever animated: "Riff Raffy Daffy" from 1948, directed by Art Davis. If you've got seven minutes to spare and you haven't seen Porky or Daffy for a while, honor Bill and watch this cartoon. I wish I could tell you exactly which scenes Bill (real name is Jose Cuauhtemoc) animated, but I'm not really familiar with his style. RIP, Bill.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
My dorm room pt 1
So I figured I'd add some pictures of my half of the room, because I can. This post is going to be just pictures of my desk area. Later on I'll show you my bed area and closet. But for now, this is all of my side of the room.
Here's what it looks like when you're standing in the doorway. You can see my Star Wars poster and bed, which is actually very comfortable. I've also got one of those "motivational" posters with a sweet sunset and railroad tracks in a field...yeah, it looks cool. Then there's my desk area and my printer/copier/scanner/fax/mini-fridge.
Here's the top of my desk. Note the awesome iPod speakers hooked up to the awesome TV playing an awesome show with an awesome Han Solo action figure. Yeah. I'm awesome. Under the top shelf is a cool but slightly unnecessary desk lamp, a few Christian trinkets that I like a lot, and Melvin. Yeah, I took my light-up, color-changing duck to college with me. First off, he's sick-nasty. Second-off, he's the first present Emily ever gave me, back before we were a we. Third-off, I can take a shower with all the lights off in the bathroom (aka the Room of Rest), and still see everything. You know you're jealous.
Better picture of the stuff on my second shelf, as well as the main desk-area. On the desk, I've got my external hard drive, my laptop, a few books that have now been moved to my bed area, my remote, and my sub-woofer. I'm a fan of my sound system. There's Melvin again. Still cool.
This one's for you, Erin. Look at how chill Han is. He's just sort of lounging out next to my speaker. He's got his gun. He's even got an earpiece with the white wire that makes it look like he's listening to an iPod. Maybe he is. He's Han Solo, he can listen to an iPod if he wants.
Here's that poster I got. It says "Opprotunity: All those who have achieved great things have been great dreamers." Isn't that cute. Forget the fortune cookie, check out that picture! Dig those colors in the sky, and the clouds and the fields! And you can't go wrong with train tracks. You know me.
There you have it. Me in all my glory and/or lack thereof. I like my little desk area. It's right next to the fridge, so that's convenient for when I want a drink. Well, it's 5:16 and I'm going to go eat disgusting amounts of great food because I can. Peace.
Highlander Adventure: Day 5
This has been the single most physically challenging day of my life. After our run and breakfast, we packed up camp and hiked. And hiked. And hiked. Uphill, downhill, past houses, past rivers, past trees. Through streams, mud, clearings, forests, thorns, and a town, hiking for hours and hours for the entire day. Early on, Morgan felt sick, so we all had to take turns carrying her pack in addition to our own. It was hard. At the end of the day, my shoulders had huge knots in them. We had left right after breakfast, ate lunch on the trail, and stopped hiking in the evening to set up camp and have dinner. We hiked about 11 miles that day.
Now I will say this-I didn't decide to go on Highlander to have fun, even though I've been having lots of it. I did it because I wanted a challenge in my nice, easy, comfortable, American life. So today was as fufilling as it was painful. Ususally, if something is causing me pain or discomfort, I've been able to stop whatever I'm doing and relax or do something different. Not so today. I was tired and hurting, and had no choice but to continue walking. To get through it, I daydreamed about Lord of the Rings and thought about my friends and family. I joked and chatted with the others. I stayed hydrated and enjoyed the scenery.
2/3 of the way there, we took a break in a town called Wanakena. Zac and Bethany treated us to ice cream! Refreshed, I caught my second wind and continued on the path in better spirits, smiling and humming to myself as I went. Eventually we made it to a campsite on the lake. After a great spaghetti dinner, Bethany had another surprise for us: she had brought The Silver Chair, the penultimate book in The Chronicles of Narnia. She read the first chapter out loud to us, complete with British accents for the voices. After that, we went to bed, but not before we admired the stars above the lake and mountains. It rivalled Camp Findley on it's best night. I slept well that night.
This was the first half of the Highlander trip. I'm going to take a break from that for a little bit. The next few posts will be about my first days at Houghton: my friends, my classes, my dorm, and my general feelings about the place. I'll finish the rest of Highlander later. Peace.
Now I will say this-I didn't decide to go on Highlander to have fun, even though I've been having lots of it. I did it because I wanted a challenge in my nice, easy, comfortable, American life. So today was as fufilling as it was painful. Ususally, if something is causing me pain or discomfort, I've been able to stop whatever I'm doing and relax or do something different. Not so today. I was tired and hurting, and had no choice but to continue walking. To get through it, I daydreamed about Lord of the Rings and thought about my friends and family. I joked and chatted with the others. I stayed hydrated and enjoyed the scenery.
2/3 of the way there, we took a break in a town called Wanakena. Zac and Bethany treated us to ice cream! Refreshed, I caught my second wind and continued on the path in better spirits, smiling and humming to myself as I went. Eventually we made it to a campsite on the lake. After a great spaghetti dinner, Bethany had another surprise for us: she had brought The Silver Chair, the penultimate book in The Chronicles of Narnia. She read the first chapter out loud to us, complete with British accents for the voices. After that, we went to bed, but not before we admired the stars above the lake and mountains. It rivalled Camp Findley on it's best night. I slept well that night.
This was the first half of the Highlander trip. I'm going to take a break from that for a little bit. The next few posts will be about my first days at Houghton: my friends, my classes, my dorm, and my general feelings about the place. I'll finish the rest of Highlander later. Peace.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Highlander Adventure: Day 4
Today was rock-climbing and rappelling. Both were a lot of fun. The rock was huge and wet. Needless to say, I didn't get far. I spent the rest of the activity belaying, beestinging, and spotting. It made me think-not everyone is meant to climb. If everyone was, then no one could climb, because no one would be belaying or spotting. Some people are meant to support and encourage those who climb, and I'm one of those people, and I'm totally fine with it. Quite a few people made it to the top, which was nice.
Rappelling was scary. I was on my own. No one else was around me. I had to let myself down the side of a mountain all by myself. As I went down, I remembered Phillippians 4:13-"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". It helped a lot, and I finally made it to the bottom. Today was scary, but fun. I got to help my friends and conquer my own fears. I know those two things will repeat themselves.
Rappelling was scary. I was on my own. No one else was around me. I had to let myself down the side of a mountain all by myself. As I went down, I remembered Phillippians 4:13-"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". It helped a lot, and I finally made it to the bottom. Today was scary, but fun. I got to help my friends and conquer my own fears. I know those two things will repeat themselves.
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