Personal Blog

Oh Wheeeeeeeeere is my Hairbrush?

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I have misplaced my hairbrush, and thus have not brushed my hair in three days. Things are getting out of control.

In other news, today there was a large, inflato-bouncy slide erected on the lawn in front of our dining hall. It was significantly large, inflated, and bouncy (not to mention great fun). I think more colleges need large, inflato-bouncy slides on campus. If there were a permanent inflato-bouncy slide on campus, I believe student morale would skyrocket.

No word yet on the reason behind the presence of the structure, but who needs a reason! Too bad it was just for today.

Personal Blog

“And they, since they were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.”

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I whine a lot about how I’ve never been West, and how I’d like to go out there hiking and camping and seeing the sights and whatnot. However, I recently decided that I have no right to whine, because there are plenty of cool places in Kentucky that I’ve never visited.

Today, Jen and I drove out to Natural Bridge to do some hiking. It was a lovely day for it, cool and overcast, and the rain held off save a mild drizzle at the end of the day. The forest was gorgeous, there were many different ferns and mosses about, and I felt like a dinosaur, hehe. The bridge itself was very neat, and we listened to a lady give a schpeel about how it was weathered and wind eroded. Very interesting.

I took a few photos, but as I am impatient, I’ll provide a few I found on the net.

There were many other equally fascinating rock formations, with incredible slopes and patterns due to erosion. Jen commented how interesting it was the formations seemed the result of some violent action, when in fact it had taken a few bizillion years to create them.

We pondered going to Red River Gorge afterwards, but were pretty tired, so decided to save that for another day (the area is surprisingly close to my college). Next adventure we’ll probably go to Mammoth Cave. Seeing all those rock formations reminded me of how much I love caves, and how long it’s been since I’ve been in one.

Personal Blog

I saw a dead person today…

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My dad was late picking me up to go home for fall break. He was held up by a terrible accident, an SUV toppled and completely flattened, the firemen scrambling to get the survivors out. “How horrible!” I thought idley, as one does.

When we were driving back we approached the accident site, the traffic creeping along due to downed power lines. My dad, keeping his eyes on the road, commented “It was right over there, it was horrible, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone died.”

“Oh..there’s a dead person right there..” I stammered before I realized how silly that sounded, my eyes locked on the site as we rolled past. Logic had tried hopelessly at first,ah, it’s just someone sitting there, because you don’t see dead bodies, you just don’t. But it was fleeting, as my eyes floated on the corpse with a puzzled sort of strain, the same sort of gaze the police and ambulance crew had as they stood there, one of them taking photos.

It could’ve very well been an old man fallen asleep in an easy chair, his head lulled back in a gruesome sort of snore, except for the more graphic parts, I suppose. They had to cut away the entire car to get to him, so he was sprawled there in the seat with a ravaged carcass of metal twisted behind him.

We rolled past, slowly.

“Someone won’t be coming home from work tonight,” my dad sighed solemnly.
“Mmm.” I agreed, unable to rip my eyes from the dead man until we were well out of range.

I turned back with a shudder, my mind full and numb. I still have that icy chill in the pit of my stomach. Such is mortality and the things we take for granted.

Personal Blog

Falling for the first time..

I don’t like finishing tests first. It’s almost as bad as finishing tests last x_x

I’m sitting down in the basement of Olin, 30 minutes before Comp Sci lab starts, mulling about how bad I feel for dashing out of that Calculus test so early. I know how it feels to be right in the middle of a fairly difficult test, working away, when someone gets up and turns theirs in. Panic! I must be doing something wrong! I’ll never finish in time! AHHH!!! I have no desire to make anyone feel like that.

So when I finish a test early I sit and wait and kick my legs, and do some checking (which is a good way to stifle my impatience and catch those ridiculous mistakes I make). Generally, I wait for someone else to turn in their test first, because turning in a test second isn’t so bad ^_^ But I am terribly fidgety and impatient, so up and off I went.

..but I didn’t want to talk about that today. I want to talk about autumn. I like it, it’s my favorite season, and I think I’ve figured out why I appreciate it so much. Autumn is very sneaky and fleeting around here, so when you catch it, you appreciate it all the more.

I don’t know if it’s the small region or the whole state, but weather here is a jumble of extremes. Sure, if you take the average all year, it *looks* like we have all four seasons. But really, the “fall” season consists of these days…Summer, summer, summer, winter, summer summer, winter, summer, winter winter winter, summer winter, fall, winter winter winter. It’s bounce back and forth, and if one day happens to land on fall, it’s rather lucky.

Sometimes it’s not even an entire day. It’ll be winter in the morning, then walking to lunch you pause and look about and sniff and notice that it’s autumn. Later that afternoon, it may turn to summer again, then bounce back and forth until it’s winter at night. Sometimes there are patches of night time which are autumn, and I find those particularly pleasant. One day you may look up and notice all the leaves have changed, then the next day they’ve all fallen.

Sneaky sneaky autumn, makes it all the more precious.

Personal Blog

A comic not about Halo

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Inspired by the hectic auditioning process I mentioned last time. It is rather random and inside-jokish, and I wasn’t even sure if the people *in* the comic would get it. No matter, I can always say it was an exercise in dramatic shading and foreshortening ^_^

https://www.wertle.com/gallery/d/655-1/drama1-02.gif

Consequently, the stars *did* like it. I’ve never had someone read one of my comics three times right in a row and laugh out loud each time. It is, perhaps, the most gratifying sensation one can experience.

Personal Blog

The day is mine!

Tonight, I wrenched myself awake from a pleasant nap to walk through the pouring rain to a figure study session, all on my own accord! It is perhaps the most accomplished I’ve felt all year.

In other news…
Me: I don’t know if I should try out for a part in the one act plays for the directing class, I don’t know if I have time for another chunk ripped out of my schedule.
D Flo: Wanna be my stage manager instead?
Me: Durr…uhh…okay O.o

Good thinking, self, being an SM will be a lot less busy than an actress ¬_¬ No matter, though, it should be fun! I’ve never been a stage manager before, and even though it’s just for the small one-act plays, it should be an experience.

After a rather hectic audition, D Flo cast Tommy, Katie, and Jeff (yes, Jeff. You remember Jeff, don’t you? The one who juggles flaming sticks? Yeah, that one).

So, through an interesting twist of fate, I work under Jeff for the big play, and he works under me for the one acts. We’re each other’s boss, how strange!

Lot’s of rain lately, but things are still good. Fall break next weekend, no plans yet. And thanks again for the input on my big decision.

Personal Blog

Have you ever had to make up your mind?

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I have a big decision to make, so let’s make it.

The situation:
I am currently listed as an art major and computer science minor. My plans up to this point have been to go on and double major in both, since I can get in the comp sci classes okay. Well, I could’ve, until Dr. Bitensky decided to try and put together a winter term trip to Morocco…

The decision
Do I go ahead and get my comp sci major, or do i settle for a minor and study abroad in Morocco for the short winter term next year?

The gut responses
-MOROCCO!!!
-mmm…but a comp sci major would help for my future career
-MOROCCO!!!
-I might be going to Germany next year, would that be too much abroad time?
-MOROCCO!!!
-would I disappoint my parents or would they be all for me adventuring off?
-I WANT TO NAME MY CAMEL MORTY!

The cold hard facts
-Bitensky needs at least 25 students to express interest in the trip before he can get it okayed
-the trip will cost me $2800
-I’ve already been abroad once in my college career so far
-I will have no trouble finishing my art major, it’s practically finished already, but I need to take comp sci every term from here on out to get a major.
-missing the winter term next year would not affect my ability to get my comp sci minor

The pluses and minuses
-It’s Morocco. How many other times in my life am I going to get to go to Morocco?
-I would be missing my major by like one class. Having two majors definately would’ve been an advantage

Other possibilities
-this may not even be an issue, he could not get enough interest and the trip could never happen
-hey, there’s always that 5th year senior option ^_^
-maybe I could talk to my professors and arrange something where I could pull both off!

Current Actions
-I need to talk to my parents about this, i’ve already emailed my brother to ask his opinion.
-I need to talk to my comp sci professor, because those will be the missed classes concerned
-I’ll talk to Sheldon, because Sheldon can fix anything (yay Sheldon!)
-I’ll ask for input, from YOU GUYS!!

The decision is looking in favor of Morocco, but that may be because I’m still experiencing some residual excitement and day dreaming about the idea. So, what say you?

Personal Blog

The moral of today’s story is..

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Today I learned several things..

1) Regardless of how miserable and rainy the day is, if you refuse to refer to it as a “bad day” and instead just call it a “wet day”, it gets better quickly.

2) the 3×4 ft panel I’m making for this year’s extended figure study is a helluva lot bigger than the 2×3 ft one I did last year, and it’s intimidating me. This will be the biggest painting I’ve ever done.

3) Tony II, of England adventure fame, said that I am “the deepest of the bunch” and that I have “a lot of interesting things rattling around up there (points to head).” Tony is wise and a good mentor, it flatters me that he has so much faith in me.

4) The days go by quickly, so you must milk them for all they’re worth. Every day, even the bad ones, even the dull ones. Make it the best time of your life each moment.

I’m going home for the weekend, I miss my cats.

Personal Blog

When you swim in the sea and an eel bites your knee…

Sometimes I find it amusing that love is perhaps the thing I value the most, and yet there is a whole subset of love which I have yet to investigate. I wonder if that’s allowed? Anyhow, I take notes and take notes and take notes, and even still there are things I just don’t get. Crazy people! No matter.

In other news, we caught a big praying mantis in the hot shop tonight, and before taking it outside I ran it back to the office to show D.H. He was very excited, and upon the buggy’s release he informed me that it was the happiest part of his day. It’s nice to know you possess the ability to cheer someone up, especially someone as rageful and sardonic as D.H.

Personal Blog

Typin with the left hand tonight.

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I burned the crap out of my hand today in glass. The first time was when I grabbed the pipe too far on the wrong end where the metal was still hot. The second was when I accidentally bumped my thumb against the hot glass itself. And yet I kept working, I *had* to finish the piece. I would be as the great artists, sacrificing my body for my art, for my creation. And through the experience I learned an important lesson…

…Sacrificing your body for your art is STUPID!! Stupid stupid dumb dumb dumb.

::lathers aloe all over her fingers and whimpers incredulously::

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