As most of you know, my 22nd birthday was last Friday. As fun as a trip to waffle house would have been, my suitemates and I decided that an escape from the mountain was in order. It turns out that 3 of the 4 of us have January birthdays....and the 4th's conception date was in January (which I'm sure is more information than any of us ever wanted to know). To celebrate this most hallowed of months we got tickets to a mystery theater(I mistakenly called it a musical theater in my last entry) in Chattanooga that included dinner and certain birthday embarrassment..most likely in the form of singing. Everything was great -- the timing worked, the show was supposed to be good, and we were all excited.
Then, on the morning of January 29th (my birthday), it began to snow. And snow. And rain. And sleet. And rain some more. And snow a little. And then rain some more..............and then freeze. The end result looked something like this:
I can't take any credit for these photos. I stole them all from facebook because I am a loser and didn't take any pictures. It's a good thing that I have artistic friends!
Anyway, needless to say, we didn't make it to Chattanooga on Friday. The last 22 years have been great, and I really didn't fancy dying on my birthday. Especially not for a mystery theater.
In reality the roads were probably fine, but you never know about these southern drivers (dear all who are from the south who read this: Don't hate me. I've just lived around snow a lot and I don't trust y'all). The police dispatcher would also send us e-mails like this every few hours:
"ALL ROADS ARE SNOW AND ICE COVERED AND VERY HAZARDOUS!!!!!!PLEASE REFRAIN FROM DRIVING IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.
EXPECT DRIVING CONDITIONS TO BECOME EVEN MORE HAZARDOUS AS THE TEMPERATURE DROPS."
That is a direct quote. The university is so small that the police have nothing to do and therefore mostly issue parking tickets and alert us to weather conditions. They also really really like capital letters.
In lieu of watching the mystery theater, we watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in the room and ate my massive birthday cupcake/cake (my suitemate recently acquired a cake mold that is the shape of a large cupcake). Since the movie is a million hours long, that took up the better part of the evening.
Then I decided to check my e-mail. In the middle of my frenzied quest to purge my inbox of police weather updates and facebook notifications I spotted something intriguing: an e-mail simply entitled "U.S. Fulbright Program". I was a little hesitant to open it, since I was pretty sure it was an e-mail letting me know if I had made it to the semi-finals of the Fulbright ETA selection process. I would have really hated to get bad news on my birthday. Luckily, it was all good news! Whether it was birthday magic, a good resume, or a combination of both...I MADE IT!! The way it works is that 30-40 people make it to the semi-finals, and 20 receive the assistantship. Now all I have to do is wait anywhere from February to May to find out if I will get an assistanship (I really hope that I do. I am not in the mood to think up an alternative life plan for this upcoming year).
Monday (yesterday) I had my Russian interview. I mentioned last time that is was supposed to be on Saturday...however, it seems that they had some scheduling conflicts, so they moved it to Monday. Overall it went pretty well; I understood all of the questions and answered most of them. I also found out that the interviewer's son plays the French horn. I'm hoping that this gets me some brownie points, since the French horn world is a small and close-knit one. There was really only one problem: the call was from Moscow, and it seems that they got the time zone mixed up. I was expecting a call at 8:20 am, and as such I dutifully set my alarm for 7:45 so that I could make sure that I was up and coherent by the time that I had to have my interview. However, promptly at 7:20 am my phone rang. I jolted awake, caught the phone on the 2nd ring, and let the adrenaline rush carry me through the next 15 minutes. I was actually quite impressed with myself -- I went from deep sleep to speaking Russian in about 5 seconds, and I don't think that the interviewer noticed.
In true senior-year fashion, I've decided to extend my slackerly ways and make 1 of my 3.5 classes pass/fail. I do have some sound logic behind this though! Right now my GPA is hovering at about a 3.7. I'm pretty confident in my other 2.5 classes, but the 3rd is a new subject for me -- "The Art of Diplomacy". Usually in subjects outside of my major I work really hard, but still end up with a B or an A-. I did some math, and I determined that the risks of dragging my GPA down with a B far outweigh the benefits of getting an A. Grades are a competitive business you know....you've got to play the game right. Additionally, this means less stress for me, and I do so hate stress.
Well, it's quite late and I have class semi-early tomorrow, so I should go to bed. I think I've covered everything of recent importance.
On a final note, here's a quote from the blog "Sleep Talkin' Man" (if you can't guess from the title, it's a blog that the wife of a chronic sleep-talker keeps)...I feel like this all the time:
"So many little people. Pet them on the head. pet pet pet pet pet...."
as well as:
"No, not the cats. Don't trust them. Their eyes. Their eyes. They know too much."
Have you ever noticed that sometimes the only way to make a decision in life is to first decide what you DON'T want to do?
That's really how I decided to be a Russian major...I took a bunch of classes in almost every department and discovered that:
No way in Hell would I become an:
Economist
I really really really don't want to be a:
Historian
English major
Mathematician
It wouldn't kill me to be a:
Geologist
Computer Programmer
German major
Some days I might even like being a(n):
Anthropologist
Religion major
I love:
Russian
So really the choice was easy. There was only 1 subject that I liked, so I made it my major and skipped any of that minor business. Now I just have to figure out what I'd like to (note: what I can get paid to) do with a Russian major. My biggest plan was to try to join the foreign service, but now I'm taking a class called "The Art of Diplomacy" that is starting to make me second-guess that plan. I like the class alright, and the teacher is really cool.....I just don't know that I'd be any good at diplomacy or if I would even like it. I'm also *be prepared to be shocked* thinking that it might not be so bad to be a teacher. The most fun would be to teach English abroad (what with me being a native speaker and all). However, for those times that I want to live in the US I could be a Russian teacher. The pluses with this plan are that you have a lot more freedom than you would have strictly working for the government (for example: you can have your own opinions about what the US is up to). Also, everyone wants to learn English..you could get a job pretty much everywhere. However, I don't think I'd be satisfied being just a regular ol' teacher either. It's the only child thing where I have this unending desire to be unique in everything that I do. If anyone out there has any connections to the Russian world with fun job opportunities, let me know..I always take suggestions. I would even settle for Ukraine or Belarus. Or the Czech Republic or Slovakia or Switzerland or anywhere really.
Saturday morning at 10 am I have a phone interview in Russian for the Fulbright ETA. I hate phones in English, but phone+interview+Russian = panic. Hopefully it won't be too bad though. I think the point is just to make sure that I can communicate in Russian in some form or another. Sunday I'm supposed to find out if I make it to round 2 of the application process. I will find out for sure if I did NOT get the assistantship, but I'll have to wait another month or 2 to know if I did. It could go either way really. Wish me luck on the interview!
I haven't been speaking Russian very much, but I've been reading and writing it a TON lately. A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across this website (interpals.net) where you can get international pen pals. I've tried these things before in my ongoing quest to master the Russian language, but most of them haven't been very efficient. This one, however, works. Maybe too well? I've been spending at least 2 hours every day responding to messages (in Russian). If nothing else it's helping my typing speed.
Apparently my biggest problem in Russian is comma placement....that and the fact that I stay up too late at night responding in Russian and make stupid grammatical mistakes.
The first 2 weeks of school have been alright. Nothing really to write about. I'm ready to graduate.
Friday is my birthday, and the suite mates and I are going to have a collective birthday party in Chattanooga at a musical theater (food and perhaps birthday embarrassment included). I'm not sure that I'll have a separate party for myself, I'm really quite lazy when it comes to planning these things.
We had a tornado nearby last week...disproving the myth that tornadoes can't climb mountains. It also instilled in me great confidence in our warning system....since my suitemates and I sat placidly throughout the storm in our common room complaining about how the internet was being sketchy, completely ignorant of the fact that there was a tornado. However, our dorm is pretty much a fortress....the walls are so thick that I don't get cell service.
We're playing Star Wars in orchestra. The 2nd piece in 4 years that I've actually thought was fun (the first being from either freshman or sophomore year -- Night on Bald Mountain, which has an awesome french horn part). Dumb violins...90% of the time they get all the cool parts.
As usual, I need to do laundry. I also need to go to Wal-mart and get printer cartridges, toothpaste, and snacks. And do my homework.
On Saturday we all watched the movie Up, and my suite mates have been quoting it for days...
SQUIRREL!!!
So I was just idly surfing the internet today when I ran across a blog called "Sleep Talkin' Man". As the title indicates, this blog documents one man's rather humorous sleep utterances. It almost makes me wish I shared a room with someone who sleep talks. Almost. Although really the best thing to do would be to share a house with someone since I'm a light sleeper.
(Somewhat) Sadly, I don't talk in my sleep. A past roommate did say that I "mutter emphatically" now and again though.
Anyway, the blog inspired me to record a few of my favorite dreams.
My dream world is a frustrating one. Generally I am the only logical person and the duty befalls me to fix all of the horrible messes the other ridiculous characters have caused.....all the while seething, yelling, and occasionally fighting people. A little different from my self-controlled and mild-mannered conscious exterior, eh? I think it's my way of detoxing after a hard day. As the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes so aptly puts it: "People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."
The first "I have to remember this!" dream comes from when I was about 7 years old. At this time I was living in Lufkin, TX and one of my greatest fears was getting caught in a tornado. We talked about them all the time in school and I was well versed in Tornado survival techniques. So, when the newscaster in my dream said that there was a tornado warning I knew just what to do! I herded my entire extended family out of the living room and into the one hallway in the house, told them to stay away from windows, covered them with a couple of mattresses, and very severely ordered everyone to stay put. I, in the meantime, went outside to check the location of said tornado and gather a few favorite toys from the front lawn. To my shock the tornado was just 2 houses away!!!! I race back inside, and to my horror everyone is gone. I'm nearly frantic by the time that I hear a voice calling me from my bedroom. I look inside, and my body grows numb. There everyone is (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins..) on top of my bunk bed having a PARTY. They're laughing and dancing and throwing streamers and telling me to come and join them. I can see out the window that the tornado is growing steadily closer. I'm shaking with rage and hysterical by this point. I'm shouting that a tornado is coming and this is not the time for a party and we're all going to die! They don't listen though. Typical. Then the dream changes.
A very similar dream comes from either junior or senior year of high school. One of my friends at the time was in love with all things Finnish...including the Finnish exchange student. We spent many a lunch break plotting how to get his attention, so it's not surprising that he made it into my dreams. One night off in dreamland myself and a large group of friends were gathered at a house in the country. Just as I tuned in to the radio to (you guessed it) listen to the weather report everyone decided to scatter. A few friends went for a walk, some suddenly had errands to attend to, and some just spontaneously disappeared. Well, it just so happens that a huge (and probably deadly) storm was scheduled to hit in just under and hour.....and I was the only one with the brain capacity and a vehicle to bring everyone back to safety. I rushed around the countryside picking up people here and there and just when I thought I had everyone I realized there was one person missing: that dang Finnish exchange student. The problem was he suddenly forgot how to speak English and apparently thought I was trying to abduct him (which is what I had to do in the end). Just as soon as I would catch sight of him he would take off running. I tried repeatedly to reason with him and warn him of the danger, but each time he would just look at me suspiciously and run away again. Eventually he tried to dodge me by running through a carnival. You can't get rid of me THAT easily, chump! He gave me the slip a few times, but after some careful sleuthing I found him in one of the tents hiding behind a few clothes racks. I then forcibly dragged him to safety. The things I do for people...
The dream with the best catch phrase comes from my time in Irkutsk. It was a time of great self-discovery. A friend of mine had morphed into a wolf and we were having a semi-friendly epic battle in the woods in the dead of winter. We fought long and hard and the battle was close, but in the end I won. As I pinned her down in the snow the dream camera zoomed out dramatically. In an attempt to end the dream meaningfully I assumed a wise tone and explained to the imaginary masses: "Sometimes the wolf tricks you. Sometimes you trick the wolf.....And sometimes it doesn't matter because you're a shark."
Words to live by.
The next one is more of a blurb than anything. I get really incoherent around the time to wake up and usually my dreams dissolve into a constant wave of short clips or shapes or words I like. I suspect that this was the tail-end of a longer dream, but in this one the entire cast of Friends was assembled in my living room for a party. We were having a great time...that is, of course, until my alarm clock started going off. I was far too deeply asleep to register what this noise was in real life, so in the dream it turned into the smoke detector. Mass hysteria erupts as we all try to make the noise go away. I'm shouting to turn it off, and Chandler's on a chair trying to rip the thing out of the ceiling. Unfortunately this didn't work and I had to actually wake up and hit snooze.
Last, but certainly not least, is the dream that probably sparked those afore-mentioned "emphatic mumblings". I'm an only child and I don't like for people to mess with my stuff..especially not my really expensive stuff. It's taken me 4 years to trust Kendra to drive my truck across campus, so as you can probably guess, I'm a little touchy about it. One day I'm walking along and there I see my TRUCK! First of all it's not supposed to be in the woods, and second of all these Beta frat boys are messing with it!! They're ripping the rubber stripping off from around the windows! I stomp my foot and yell at them to leave it alone, but they don't even see me. Well, this gets me really worked up. I storm up to my truck, throw open the door, and grab my 2ft steel maglite flashlight from out of the back seat. The jerks were stupid enough to bring their van to the scene, so I stomp over to it, lift up my flashlight, and bash in their windshield while shouting "HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?! HOW DOES IT FEEL NOW??" Not satisfied I throw open the sliding door and proceed to grab everything within reach and throw it to the ground in a fit of blind fury. The guys eventually noticed and just watched me aghast. Then I take my truck and leave in a huff. Their female companion who had been watching everything from the sidelines just turns to them and says "it served you right".
These should provide everyone with some interesting mental images.
Well, that's it for me. Goodnight all!
Here's to hoping for interesting dreams
Best. Mad-libs. Exclamation. Ever.
So I went up to Cottonwood the other day to visit Kim and Amanda #2, and here is a picture to sum up the visit:
'Nuff said.
Most people would be surprised that Russian is actually a very pretty language. We Americans have a particularly harsh idea of what Russian sounds like: angry, grating, scary. THIS clip exemplifies how most Americans would feel if confronted by a Russian (or multiple Russians). While it's true that markets and talking to strangers can be intimidating, the language is not to blame! To prove this theory I'm going to compile a list of particularly catchy songs (mostly because Kim wouldn't humor me and stay up late listening to Russian music). I'm not going to bother trying to translate them..I'm probably not even going to screen them well enough to tell if they're offensive. The meaning isn't the point though..if you can understand it you already know that the stereotypes about Russian are false.
Russian is particularly well-suited to music because it's lyrical and rhythmic. Personally I like rap (I don't know if this is surprising to anyone...but yes, I am a big fan of rap music. When I drive I really like to listen to trashy rap because it's super catchy, but I'm too busy driving to listen to the lyrics). I'll save this category for a little bit later though, since not everyone might share this opinion.
[One thing about Russian music though....it almost always includes either techno dance beats or an accordion...if you're lucky you get both in the same song!! ]
Let's start with one of my favorites -- the sultry, mulleted, and oh-so-debonair Dima Bilan. He started off as a sort of joke to me, but he grows on you over time.
This song is just kinda sweet. Plus it reminds me of Captain Planet.
***poetry break***
Another favorite
This is what Braveheart would look like if it were set to Russian folk music. Although, this is closer to what most Russian folk music sounds like.
-----
Rap Time
-----
I've already shared my favorite rap song (Еще Один День -- Ю.Г. ), so I'll try to add in some new ones.
This one's pretty classic...it's about hunting a Yetti!
Faktor 2 has some really fun music too. This one is making fun of American music (including Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Usher). The title is "I want to be on tv"
The background music for this one intrigued me. The singing is a little forced, but the rap is ok.
Now, for my final point let's hold a little competition:
RUSSIAN RAP vs GERMAN RAP
The German reminds me of skipping for some reason.
Alright then, I'm satisfied. I can go to bed now.
Well, Christmas has come and gone once again. If I were 5 this would be the worst day of the year (Christmas countdown: 364 days), but at 21 I find that Christmas itself isn't so exciting. The gifts are nice but fewer in between than in the old days...I suspect that's mostly due to the fact that I have more expensive taste and don't make Christmas lists. Now I mostly look forward to Christmas break as a whole: 1 month with no classes, no homework, no dorms, time with family, good food, and lots and lots of sleep. I could think up some moral to go along with this, but now is not the time for essays.
Actually, I don't really feel like writing this at all (I almost deleted everything, but I already had a paragraph..). I thought that perhaps a good ol' blog post would be a good way to get rid of my boredom, but that is apparently not the case. Yes, I know that I just talked about how great Christmas break is in my first paragraph and now I'm complaining about how bored I am....but boredom isn't such a bad thing. Not this type of boredom at least (where if I really really felt like it I could find something to do, but there's absolutely no obligation to be useful).
I really haven't done anything at all this break. I've probably been outside less than 5 times (so much for that tan)..and generally it's just to go to Wal-Mart for supplies. I read a book (The Kite Runner -- pretty good). Watched some movies. Eventually I'll make a pilgrimage up to Cottonwood to see the old town and hang out with friends...but I don't know when. It's 4 hours away which means it needs to be a multiple day affair, but it also means I'll need to apprehend one of my parents' cars for that time...leaving them carless (which doesn't really work so well). I really hate traveling right now. Let's see....in the last year I've traveled:
Wasilla to Seattle to London to Moscow to Irkutsk: 10, 414.4 miles (by plane)
Irkutsk to Ulan Bator (Mongolia): 324.4 miles (by train)
then back again....another 10,738.8 miles
Wasilla to Sahuarita (AZ): 2669.3 miles (by car)
Sahuarita to Wasilla: 2669.3 miles (by plane)
Wasilla to Houston: 3267.9 miles (by plane)
Houston to Sewanee: 666.3 miles (by car)
Sewanee to Sahuarita x3: 4372.2 miles (by plane)
total mileage: 35,122.6 miles......plus a few hundred miles here and there
For perspective, the circumference of the earth is approximately 24,900 miles.
That was also probably more math than I've done in the last 3 years combined. That is not a bad thing. Just don't judge me too harshly if for some reason you are nerdy enough to check my math and find I missed a number somewhere.
Luckily New Years is right around the corner. I have high expectations for 2010. 2009 has been alright, but I'll be glad to see it go.
My birthday is also soon...the big 22. January 29th if anyone is curious. Mail all presents and/or checks to my school address, please. I might settle for just a card...but bonus points to all who buy me something. My favor can be bought.
Also, thanks to all who stopped by after my last post. I doubt you'll ever come back, but the popularity was nice while it lasted. Here's a secret: I like to stalk everyone who visits just like they stalk me. It's called "statcounter". It's not nearly as interesting as reading my blog, but it does say how many people read it and gives me a nifty map.
In general I spit upon Twitter and curse its name, but luckily one of my suitemates doesn't share my opinion and noticed that a fellow Twitterite had stumbled upon my latest entry and spread the news (with rapid speed, might I add: kudos to you mystery tweeter). So...about 100 people stopped by over the next 2 days, as compared to about 3 the week before. I'm still not going to get a Twitter account though. Ever. I struggle enough with thinking up worthy facebook statuses...in fact, 90% of the time I just don't have one because I decide whatever I thought about saying would be boring to the rest of my 200 some friends on there.
There's another subject: facebook "friends". In reality it's more like facebook "people I met once and thought were cool enough that I wanted their names on my page.....and then I never talked to again". I've been thinking about doing some purges..but I would feel a little bad. Someday I may actually want to know what they're doing. Maybe I'll be looking for a job and they'll have some influence and I'll be like "HEY FRIEND! Look it up on facebook, we're like bffs!! Your statuses show up on my news feed ALL the TIME!" and they'd be like "OMG YEAH! I saw those photos you posted last week! You're hired! Here's $1,000,000,000!!!" And then we'd talk to each other in real life.
Friends are a status symbol too. If you have over 1,000 of them you must be amazing, and if you have less than 100 you should get out more. Maybe sometime I'll suck it up and either get rid of some or start talking to them again....or facebook will just get better settings. I care more about the photos that my best friend posted than who the person that I met once in highschool is now friends with. Or, maybe the unthinkable will happen and facebook will cease to be the most important thing in life. Maybe I'll just get a phone.....except that I hate phones. Maybe I'll just get something else that's equally as personal but not a phone. Smoke signals could be fun. While you were at it you could make s'mores.
I finally got with the times and watched the new Star Trek (my family generally just waits until things come out on DVD instead of going to theaters). Everyone was right: it is a really good movie, and the Russian guy was pretty cute. He really is Russian..I looked it up on Wikipedia.
Well, look at that. I went and wrote a blog after all.
Merry day after Christmas,
Happy Boxing Day,
С Новым Годом,
and Happy almost 2010!
Here's a nice little reminder of days bygone (even more bygone than 2009): an excellent day of iceblocking. This is how you sled in Arizona.
Signing out,
Amanda "Completely Uncalled For" Conrad
The title has very little to do with this entry, but I thought it was catchy.
I've been hungry for the last couple of days. I'm talking abnormally so. Generally I have a pretty high hunger tolerance, but this morning nearly began with me tumbling out of bed and promptly starving to death right there on the floor...the sole witnesses to my misfortune a pair of dirty socks, a package of stickers, and a pile of Russian notes. Luckily I keep a stash of emergency poptarts in my closet for just this sort of occasion, and I managed to scarf one down before I lost consciousness. Then I went back to reviewing for my 19th century Russian Lit. final.
I attribute my brush with death to the fact that McClurg's food has been steadily decreasing in quality since Thanksgiving, and I can only be sustained by old pizza for so long. To remedy this, I proposed that Kendra and I go out to eat for dinner. Unfortunately, the most classy restaurants in the area are Mexican (which Kendra doesn't really care for), and Subway. Considering the fact that we've eaten at Subway about 392574827542 times this semester, we decided to visit its neighbor: Waffle House. For those of you not from the east/south who have no idea what Waffle House is, here's a picture:
From its appearance (and all Waffle Houses look the same) Waffle House was built in the 50s...and then never altered again. They specialize in (what else?) waffles...they do offer other food choices, but I would not recommend you try them. People keep coming back because you get a lot of food for cheap, and they are ALWAYS open...even on Christmas day (they had a sign up advertising this and seemed very proud of this fact). Anyway, for once Waffle House was almost full, so Kendra and I got squashed back in the corner booth right next to the break room. This placement actually turned out to be quite strategic. It seems there's been some drama in Waffle House as of late -- SOMEONE has been leaving threatening letters! But wait, that's not all! At 9:00 on this very night (December 11, 2009) a showdown was scheduled to take place. All of the waitresses seemed antsy...no one knew what this new development in "As The Waffle Turns" (as our waitress dubbed it) would bring! Angst lingered palpably in the air...mingling poetically with the stale smoke and rancid cooking grease. Would everything turn out to be just a gross misunderstanding? Would the Sewanee mafia show up and "settle" the problem once and for all? Would fisticuffs break out in the parking lot???
Unfortunately, we ate dinner at 7:30 and didn't get to find out. Our waitress said she was going to start charging a $5 cover fee at the door though..and we were welcome to come back (provided that we brought our own beverages and popcorn).
I have officially decided that I'm looking forward to graduation. 17 years is a long time to continuously be in school, I'm getting rather burnt out.
Of course, it doesn't help that I'm in the midst of finals right now (not that I have that many). It's so unfortunate that they always time finals for the times when you care the least about school. After the hustle and bustle and lack of sleep accumulated by the final days of class, I'm pretty sure that 99.9% of students would rather (insert drastic action here - it's too late to be creative) than read anything else about that subject for at very least a month. Sometimes they'd rather not talk about that subject ever again...I find that I fall into this group most often.
Luckily, break is just one week away. *Conveniently* my two finals were scheduled in the very first and very last time slots. Maybe I'll do something interesting during my week of repose like go on a hike. In reality though I'll probably complain about the essay I still have to write, sleep, and play bejeweled all day. I have never claimed to be the most active person in the world.
I can't wait to go home for multiple reasons. Here are a few:
1) It's Christmas
2) Walking from my room to the kitchen does not involve any of the following: a) cold, b) 1/2 a mile, c) motivation
Well...those are the main ones really. I guess family will be nice too =P (and yes dad, I do still want a ride from the airport)
Here's a fun link for all of you Tetris players (courtesy of Kim and Collegehumor.com):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAOSdHFXdU8
Oh, and P.S. Jared -- I'm still winning