Hello, world--
Lots to update about in a short amount of time; I have to get ready to meet the BU group for our internship presentations and final dinner tonight!
Friday was Halloween, and it was fun... Forde's Frontbench, the political bar next door to UniLodge, had advertised a huge party with costume contests and prizes, but when we BROUGHT THE PARTY around 9:30 pm, there were like, four un-costumed regulars, and the bartender had no idea what we were talking about when we asked who won the costume contest. Also, a girl went back to UniLodge to get her iPod so that we had some music bumpin'.
...
It was fun, though. We made it fun.
Saturday morning, we hit the road for a fairly hungover trip down the Coromandel Peninsula for our BEACH CRAWL WEEKEND. It was lovely; the weather gods were totally on our side. We went to five beaches. Cathedral Cove, where I swam in the Pacific for the first time, is absolutely the most beautiful beach I've ever seen in real life. So gorgeous. Then we went to Hot Water Beach, which really actually has hot water!! The ocean, of course, is cold, but dotting the shoreline are random springs of boiling salt water. So two hours before or after low tide, people dig their own pools near the hot springs. I love New Zealand.
Most unfortnately, my camera batteries died over the weekend, but I did manage a few pictures. My computer is crawling lately, though, so I'll post them when it lets me, and then I'll link.
Yesterday Ashley, Bonnie, Kathy and I met Amanda at Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World, where Amanda has just finished her internship. So Amanda got us in for free and gave us a fantastic tour of the aquarium! We saw some maaaassive crayfish, various beautiful saltwater fish, huge sea turtles, overwhelmingly large rays, and PENGUINS. In all, an awesomely oceanic day. Thanks Amanda!
I finished my portfolio today and am really excited to present it to my fellow interns tonight, but I'm feeling a little sad that tonight is our farewell dinner!! I think, though, most of us (including our program adviser Kevin) are meeting at Forde's tomorrow to watch CNN and have an Election Day party. Huzzah!
On that note... GET THE VOTE OUT, YA'LL.
Obama 08.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thus, my internship concludes...
An hour and 20 minutes left at Rip It Up. Not that I'm counting.
I'm really not counting. Today has been an awesome last day, actually. Around 11 am, the executive assistant called everyone to "morning tea" for my last day!!! Cake at work has been one of the highlights of my semester, so you can imagine how much pride I felt eating it in my honor. Nice people here.
Then I wrote an article about Auckland band Body Corporate. I interviewed the bassist last night; it was okay. He really didn't have much to say about his band? I had to ask a lot of questions, and he kept responding with nothing more than "yeah, ya know?" No, sir, I don't actually know. No one knows. This is why my magazine is writing an article about your band. After I turned off the Dictaphone, though, he went oooon and ooon about how much he loves the US. Me too, man, me too.
(Sidenote: When I told him I'm from Massachusetts, he said, "Oh, ah..." and looked really confused. Then I said, "Um, Boston," and recognition appeared. Why do so few non-Americans not know that Boston is part of Massachusetts? I know Matt experienced this in Ireland. Really. I want to know. Admittedly, my world geography is a little dodgy and admittedly, Boston is kind of a big deal. But... ya know?)
After finishing the Body Corp article, I asked Karl if I could review Ben Folds' new album Way To Normal. I had just cataloged it from the Sony shipment of CDs for review, and Lord knows I need to educate the world on the greatness that is Ben Folds.
His new album is so bamf. I'll let you read the review when it gets published (hopefully Satellite will mail me the December/January issue!), but basically... the man is back. I admit feeling disillusioned by Songs for Silverman, and though Supersunnyspeedgraphic was a step in the right direction, the cleverness and poignancy of songs he crafted with the Five and on Rockin' the Suburbs were still missing. But full-on, the piano rockstar I love so very very much delivers with this new record. He's a creative genius.
So, now I have approximately an hour and seven minutes (still not counting) before I leave this building forevz, in which time I have to develop the courage to deliver my ridiculously lame homemade thank-you notes and Yankee Candle votives to my bosses and coworkers. I feel like a dork. My editor really doesn't seem like the scented candle type, with his tendency to come into the office after me, breath smelling of unbrushed teeth (seriously), but I brought them from home. I figured Massachusetts (that's near Boston, don't you know)-made thank-you gifts would be better than something I bought in their own country.
Sigh.
I'm really not counting. Today has been an awesome last day, actually. Around 11 am, the executive assistant called everyone to "morning tea" for my last day!!! Cake at work has been one of the highlights of my semester, so you can imagine how much pride I felt eating it in my honor. Nice people here.
Then I wrote an article about Auckland band Body Corporate. I interviewed the bassist last night; it was okay. He really didn't have much to say about his band? I had to ask a lot of questions, and he kept responding with nothing more than "yeah, ya know?" No, sir, I don't actually know. No one knows. This is why my magazine is writing an article about your band. After I turned off the Dictaphone, though, he went oooon and ooon about how much he loves the US. Me too, man, me too.
(Sidenote: When I told him I'm from Massachusetts, he said, "Oh, ah..." and looked really confused. Then I said, "Um, Boston," and recognition appeared. Why do so few non-Americans not know that Boston is part of Massachusetts? I know Matt experienced this in Ireland. Really. I want to know. Admittedly, my world geography is a little dodgy and admittedly, Boston is kind of a big deal. But... ya know?)
After finishing the Body Corp article, I asked Karl if I could review Ben Folds' new album Way To Normal. I had just cataloged it from the Sony shipment of CDs for review, and Lord knows I need to educate the world on the greatness that is Ben Folds.
His new album is so bamf. I'll let you read the review when it gets published (hopefully Satellite will mail me the December/January issue!), but basically... the man is back. I admit feeling disillusioned by Songs for Silverman, and though Supersunnyspeedgraphic was a step in the right direction, the cleverness and poignancy of songs he crafted with the Five and on Rockin' the Suburbs were still missing. But full-on, the piano rockstar I love so very very much delivers with this new record. He's a creative genius.
So, now I have approximately an hour and seven minutes (still not counting) before I leave this building forevz, in which time I have to develop the courage to deliver my ridiculously lame homemade thank-you notes and Yankee Candle votives to my bosses and coworkers. I feel like a dork. My editor really doesn't seem like the scented candle type, with his tendency to come into the office after me, breath smelling of unbrushed teeth (seriously), but I brought them from home. I figured Massachusetts (that's near Boston, don't you know)-made thank-you gifts would be better than something I bought in their own country.
Sigh.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I feel weird.
Tomorrow is my last day at Rip It Up.
Um, weird.
I'm feeling really weird.
I am so looking forward to going home, but at the same time, I'm going to miss this place. What an opportunity I've had; I cannot believe it's almost over. I feel like a lot of my life was leading up to this semester. My mom planted the idea of Junior Year Abroad in my head at a really young age, and mine's almost up.
I feel like I just got here, while at the same time, it's been an eternity.
Regarding my internship, it's been absolutely awesome. A lot of the kids in my program have been less than satisfied with their internships; they've not had enough to do, or aren't doing things they enjoy, or have too much to do so it's over their heads... Mine has been preeeetty damn incredible. Though some days sucked and were boring, on the whole, I've gotten to do some pretty sweet stuff. And I have things to show for it.
I also feel like in the past few weeks, I've just been starting to find my stride here and feel comfortable with some of my coworkers. And now, it's time to go home.
Crazy. Crazy crazy crazy.
I still have three weeks.
Um, weird.
I'm feeling really weird.
I am so looking forward to going home, but at the same time, I'm going to miss this place. What an opportunity I've had; I cannot believe it's almost over. I feel like a lot of my life was leading up to this semester. My mom planted the idea of Junior Year Abroad in my head at a really young age, and mine's almost up.
I feel like I just got here, while at the same time, it's been an eternity.
Regarding my internship, it's been absolutely awesome. A lot of the kids in my program have been less than satisfied with their internships; they've not had enough to do, or aren't doing things they enjoy, or have too much to do so it's over their heads... Mine has been preeeetty damn incredible. Though some days sucked and were boring, on the whole, I've gotten to do some pretty sweet stuff. And I have things to show for it.
I also feel like in the past few weeks, I've just been starting to find my stride here and feel comfortable with some of my coworkers. And now, it's time to go home.
Crazy. Crazy crazy crazy.
I still have three weeks.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sulfur City
A wonderful weekend getaway sponsored by Boston University, yet again!
We left Friday morning in two vans with Joe, our resident tour guide from GOOT, and his friend Kath, a guide from Active Earth. No Kevin-- he went to the US for his sister's wedding!
So off we went on 1 South toward Rotorua, a tourist hotspot famous for its geothermal action. We stopped in a town called Tirau for lunch. It's essentially The Place To Stop on your way south to Rotorua, so it's touristy in its own right. Some time ago, the folks of Tirau made a giant dog-shaped building out of corrugated iron for public restrooms, and it all stemmed from there, really. There's cheesey corrugated iron signage all over the place. That's Tirau's claim to fame. Nice cafes, though.
While we were getting back into the vans to head the rest of the way to Rotorua, Kath started talking to this young kid on a bike. Peter/Pierre, 17 years of age, is taking a year off before he starts university in his native French Canadia, and is traveling the North Island of New Zealand on his bike, camping night by night. He was looking weary, and his eyes lit up when he found that we were heading to Rotorua for the weekend in our vans. He was headed there himself, but he had come all the way from the Northland (with stops in between) and had been on his bike since the beginning of October. So... we picked him up. And he spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with us. Awesome.
Our first stop in Rotorua was Zorb Rotorua. What is zorbing, you ask? Why, let me paint you a picture. There are two options: dry zorb or wet zorb. In the dry zorb, which no BU kid chose, they strap you into this giant hamster ball so you look like that classical piece of art that's in a lot of geometry classrooms, and roll you down a hill. To wet zorb, you get into a smaller sphere inside the larger sphere of the hamster ball. Also in the smaller sphere is a little bit of water, so as they roll you (and one or two of your friends, if you want) down the hill, you slosh around bodies and warmish water. And then the zorb ball births you out at the base.
Yeeeeah. It looks exactly as you're imagining.
Three of four zorb balls full of BU kids rolled down the hill as I took photos. Not really for me, but entertaining for sure.
After zorbing we ogled some ancient Maori rock art (they liked to paint wakas), shopped for groceries, then checked into the beautiful Blue Lake Holiday Camp, about 15 minutes outside of the city centre. Joe cooked us a nice NZ barbecue, and then we hung out and went to bed.
We hit the road early Saturday morning to go white water rafting on Kaituna River! It's home to (possibly) the world's largest commercially rafted waterfall at 7 metres (21ish feet). Roooock. It was wicked sweet; I didn't fall out.
After rafting, we walked a short bushwalk called Hongi's Track, at the end of which is a Wishing Tree. According to Maori legend, a young girl hid her infant in a hole in the base of the tree, which protected her from an approaching warrior tribe. Years later, the now-grown aforementioned baby met the love of her life in the area of the same tree. So, now, passersby present the tree with a gift to thank it, and to ask for something, usually good weather and safe travels. We scattered rewarewa around the base and enjoyed the sunshine for the rest of our weekend.
SPEAKING OF BABIES, Ms Peloquin-Dzhgjasdjklflasdhgdsaski and her husband Mr Dzakdhhdgjajatvski welcomed Eve Baudry to their nest on Friday night! Congratulations them.
Back to my weekend on the other side of the planet. After the wishing tree, we hit up some sweet as natural hot springs. We hung around town that afternoon, then Ashley, Ning and I booked an evening cultural experience at Mitai Maori Village. Our evening included a show, a hangi feast, and an after-dark walk through Rainbow Springs Nature Reserve. The show was fantastic: we got to see a traditional powiri (greeting ceremony), followed by some songs and dances, including the poi and the haka, and a weapons demonstration. Then we ate an epic feast cooked for four hours inside the earth. At our table were two young journalists (on named Jackie) who are traveling the world for nine months (they had just come to NZ from South America), and a retired University of Adelaide drama lecturer who used to work at the Saint Michael's Playhouse!! Random?!
The bushwalk was awesome; we saw tons of trout (four different kinds!) swimming in the clearest natural spring I have ever seen in my entire life (left completely untouched by the park staff). We also saw various birds, including three kiwi!! So exciting: the elusive, nocturnal, endangered national bird and symbol of pride of this little country. They're really the stuff of legends; I feel very fortunate to have seen some in a (almost) natural setting.
Sunday was full of steaming, smelly craters. We first stopped at what I can only describe as a huge gurgling mud puddle. It inexplicably reeked of bacon, and the sulfur made it smell like boiled eggs. It was fantastic to watch boil and bubble; what a weird planet this is.
We left the gurgling mud for Waiotapu (which means "sacred waters") Thermal Wonderland, and watched a geyser erupt. I learned, with a surge of pride, that the largest condensed actively thermal area is in the Yellowstone region of the United States. The US has some cool nature, too! Then which we walked around for a couple hours, seeing and smelling ponds, lakes, rocks, mud, and craters caused by different mineral deposits and stuff in the center of the planet. I don't really know; I haven't read A Short History of Nearly Everything yet.
After the Wonderland, we took a 4WD bus ride up Mount Tarawera, and then hiked to the summit. It was definitely one of my like, Top 5 Best Things in New Zealand. I loooove hiking; even when I'm behind everyone else, wheezing, aching, and sweating, I'm so digging it. Hiking is just so cool. I feel so good after a hike. And even though we rode in a badass bus most of the way up the volcanic dome, we still hiked for about two hours.
Our hilarious 67-year old tour guide Terry (who kicked my ass summiting that thing) told us the Maori legends about the mountain, and about it erupting in 1886 and burying three villages. The area is now tapu (sacred) to the Maori, so it's closed to all except those who have a guided 4WD tour (thanks, BU!), so hardly anyone hikes it. Joe, who has seen pretty much every crevice of this country, had only been up once, when he was 15! Definitely off the beaten track. Also, it was a dank hike; since the mountain was formed by a volcanic eruption, it's all this weird, porous rock (think pumice), and a crater we hiked the was all scree, which rock is loose and broken-up rocks, so we were essentially like, skiing down.
The ride down the mountain in the 4WD bus, Terry sang us an Irish drinking song (he taught us the chorus), and then we sang a Maori song I know. He also pulled over every few metres to get off the bus, snap a branch off, and then talk to us about the plant for a solid few minutes. He hongi-ed us all as we got off the bus, too. He was fantastic.
We hit up another geothermal pool and splashed around (but not too much, for fear of amoebic meningitis) for a bit, and then headed back to the camp to have a pizza party. Yumzor.
Some people ran 5.5 kilometres around Blue Lake on Sunday morning; I made it down to cheer them on at the finish line. Then I took a kayak out into the lake for a little reflection, and we were back on the road to Auckland in the afternoon.
I'm going to miss this country.
I'll post a link to photos once I load them.
We left Friday morning in two vans with Joe, our resident tour guide from GOOT, and his friend Kath, a guide from Active Earth. No Kevin-- he went to the US for his sister's wedding!
So off we went on 1 South toward Rotorua, a tourist hotspot famous for its geothermal action. We stopped in a town called Tirau for lunch. It's essentially The Place To Stop on your way south to Rotorua, so it's touristy in its own right. Some time ago, the folks of Tirau made a giant dog-shaped building out of corrugated iron for public restrooms, and it all stemmed from there, really. There's cheesey corrugated iron signage all over the place. That's Tirau's claim to fame. Nice cafes, though.
While we were getting back into the vans to head the rest of the way to Rotorua, Kath started talking to this young kid on a bike. Peter/Pierre, 17 years of age, is taking a year off before he starts university in his native French Canadia, and is traveling the North Island of New Zealand on his bike, camping night by night. He was looking weary, and his eyes lit up when he found that we were heading to Rotorua for the weekend in our vans. He was headed there himself, but he had come all the way from the Northland (with stops in between) and had been on his bike since the beginning of October. So... we picked him up. And he spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with us. Awesome.
Our first stop in Rotorua was Zorb Rotorua. What is zorbing, you ask? Why, let me paint you a picture. There are two options: dry zorb or wet zorb. In the dry zorb, which no BU kid chose, they strap you into this giant hamster ball so you look like that classical piece of art that's in a lot of geometry classrooms, and roll you down a hill. To wet zorb, you get into a smaller sphere inside the larger sphere of the hamster ball. Also in the smaller sphere is a little bit of water, so as they roll you (and one or two of your friends, if you want) down the hill, you slosh around bodies and warmish water. And then the zorb ball births you out at the base.
Yeeeeah. It looks exactly as you're imagining.
Three of four zorb balls full of BU kids rolled down the hill as I took photos. Not really for me, but entertaining for sure.
After zorbing we ogled some ancient Maori rock art (they liked to paint wakas), shopped for groceries, then checked into the beautiful Blue Lake Holiday Camp, about 15 minutes outside of the city centre. Joe cooked us a nice NZ barbecue, and then we hung out and went to bed.
We hit the road early Saturday morning to go white water rafting on Kaituna River! It's home to (possibly) the world's largest commercially rafted waterfall at 7 metres (21ish feet). Roooock. It was wicked sweet; I didn't fall out.
After rafting, we walked a short bushwalk called Hongi's Track, at the end of which is a Wishing Tree. According to Maori legend, a young girl hid her infant in a hole in the base of the tree, which protected her from an approaching warrior tribe. Years later, the now-grown aforementioned baby met the love of her life in the area of the same tree. So, now, passersby present the tree with a gift to thank it, and to ask for something, usually good weather and safe travels. We scattered rewarewa around the base and enjoyed the sunshine for the rest of our weekend.
SPEAKING OF BABIES, Ms Peloquin-Dzhgjasdjklflasdhgdsaski and her husband Mr Dzakdhhdgjajatvski welcomed Eve Baudry to their nest on Friday night! Congratulations them.
Back to my weekend on the other side of the planet. After the wishing tree, we hit up some sweet as natural hot springs. We hung around town that afternoon, then Ashley, Ning and I booked an evening cultural experience at Mitai Maori Village. Our evening included a show, a hangi feast, and an after-dark walk through Rainbow Springs Nature Reserve. The show was fantastic: we got to see a traditional powiri (greeting ceremony), followed by some songs and dances, including the poi and the haka, and a weapons demonstration. Then we ate an epic feast cooked for four hours inside the earth. At our table were two young journalists (on named Jackie) who are traveling the world for nine months (they had just come to NZ from South America), and a retired University of Adelaide drama lecturer who used to work at the Saint Michael's Playhouse!! Random?!
The bushwalk was awesome; we saw tons of trout (four different kinds!) swimming in the clearest natural spring I have ever seen in my entire life (left completely untouched by the park staff). We also saw various birds, including three kiwi!! So exciting: the elusive, nocturnal, endangered national bird and symbol of pride of this little country. They're really the stuff of legends; I feel very fortunate to have seen some in a (almost) natural setting.
Sunday was full of steaming, smelly craters. We first stopped at what I can only describe as a huge gurgling mud puddle. It inexplicably reeked of bacon, and the sulfur made it smell like boiled eggs. It was fantastic to watch boil and bubble; what a weird planet this is.
We left the gurgling mud for Waiotapu (which means "sacred waters") Thermal Wonderland, and watched a geyser erupt. I learned, with a surge of pride, that the largest condensed actively thermal area is in the Yellowstone region of the United States. The US has some cool nature, too! Then which we walked around for a couple hours, seeing and smelling ponds, lakes, rocks, mud, and craters caused by different mineral deposits and stuff in the center of the planet. I don't really know; I haven't read A Short History of Nearly Everything yet.
After the Wonderland, we took a 4WD bus ride up Mount Tarawera, and then hiked to the summit. It was definitely one of my like, Top 5 Best Things in New Zealand. I loooove hiking; even when I'm behind everyone else, wheezing, aching, and sweating, I'm so digging it. Hiking is just so cool. I feel so good after a hike. And even though we rode in a badass bus most of the way up the volcanic dome, we still hiked for about two hours.
Our hilarious 67-year old tour guide Terry (who kicked my ass summiting that thing) told us the Maori legends about the mountain, and about it erupting in 1886 and burying three villages. The area is now tapu (sacred) to the Maori, so it's closed to all except those who have a guided 4WD tour (thanks, BU!), so hardly anyone hikes it. Joe, who has seen pretty much every crevice of this country, had only been up once, when he was 15! Definitely off the beaten track. Also, it was a dank hike; since the mountain was formed by a volcanic eruption, it's all this weird, porous rock (think pumice), and a crater we hiked the was all scree, which rock is loose and broken-up rocks, so we were essentially like, skiing down.
The ride down the mountain in the 4WD bus, Terry sang us an Irish drinking song (he taught us the chorus), and then we sang a Maori song I know. He also pulled over every few metres to get off the bus, snap a branch off, and then talk to us about the plant for a solid few minutes. He hongi-ed us all as we got off the bus, too. He was fantastic.
We hit up another geothermal pool and splashed around (but not too much, for fear of amoebic meningitis) for a bit, and then headed back to the camp to have a pizza party. Yumzor.
Some people ran 5.5 kilometres around Blue Lake on Sunday morning; I made it down to cheer them on at the finish line. Then I took a kayak out into the lake for a little reflection, and we were back on the road to Auckland in the afternoon.
I'm going to miss this country.
I'll post a link to photos once I load them.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Addendum
I forgot to mention the most exciting part of my week! On Monday, I voted in the 2008 Presidential Election!! Though I've voted before in primaries and gubernatorial campaigns, this is (obviously) my first presidential election. And might I add that it's quite an important one!
Being a Massachusettsian, I got to vote for state representative hopeful Danielle Gregoire, too. Since my brother was at one point considering running for her position in this election-- before she talked him out of it-- I have met Ms. Gregoire a few times and helped out a little on her primary campaign this summer, before leaving the country. She's cool. You should vote for her, if she represents your district (that's you, Donna!).
Also, I got to vote to decriminalize marijuana!
It was all-in-all a liberating, exciting experience. I wish I could have stepped into a quiet little booth at the Berlin Town Hall to cast my ballot, but hey. I suppose I'd rather be enjoying the sunshine in Auckland.
Being a Massachusettsian, I got to vote for state representative hopeful Danielle Gregoire, too. Since my brother was at one point considering running for her position in this election-- before she talked him out of it-- I have met Ms. Gregoire a few times and helped out a little on her primary campaign this summer, before leaving the country. She's cool. You should vote for her, if she represents your district (that's you, Donna!).
Also, I got to vote to decriminalize marijuana!
It was all-in-all a liberating, exciting experience. I wish I could have stepped into a quiet little booth at the Berlin Town Hall to cast my ballot, but hey. I suppose I'd rather be enjoying the sunshine in Auckland.
Well, this is boring.
So, things are winding down on all academic fronts here in Auckland. I had my last Magazine Journalism lecture on Monday, thank God. I have my last NZ Politics lecture today, and the last tutorial for both classes tomorrow. Huzzah!!
My Mag Jo feature story is due tomorrow; I finished it yesterday!? It was causing me anxiety, literally, for the past three weeks. It involved so much research and talking to people about a subject I knew nothing about. And since I had been thinking about it/sort of working on it since like, right after the semester break, it's been constantly on my mind, and a constant worry. But, I finished, and I personally think it's as good as it possibly could be, seeing as though I kiiind of half-assed my interviews. But, I'm totally okay with it, because it's fine, and it's done. And tomorrow I will never have to think about it again.
I have a paper due for NZ Politics on Friday... should really start that one.
BUT FRIDAY, I'm DONE!!! I'll actually finish the paper tomorrow (...), because we're heading to Rotorua on Friday. So, Thursday night, I'm DONE!!!!
And then three weeks to chiiiill ooouuuut. Yes. (Save that one pesky Politics exam on November 6.)
In other, even less exciting news for you, I'm sure, I'm currently wearing my hair in a ponytail!!! Albeit a very stubby ponytail, doctored with four bobby pins and a barrette to hold back the hair that just doesn't quite make it... But my hair is up! It's long enough to be OFFICIALLY PONYTAILED!!!
I'm in the throes of trying to figure out my schedule for next semester at SMC. As per usual, classes for my music major are clashing with classes for my journalism major. It's like the scheduling gods don't want me to succeed. This semester, though, the overlaps aren't too atrocious, and due to the funky scheduling I had last spring (by taking only half of Music Theory II), things should work out. I have emails out to a bunch of professors and department heads, so hopefully I'll hear back soon and will be cleared to register.
If all goes according to plan, I will be taking Acoustic Foundations of Music, a physics class that will fulfill my required lab science class; Music Theory II (without the lab, because I took the lab last spring); Writing for Media II, and Global Communications, plus Wind Ensemble and my private French horn lesson. That's only 15 credits, two of which involve nothing more than two hours of playing French horn a week, so I'm debating adding either a music or a general elective. But I'm also debating just having a 15-credit semester? I mean, let's be honest. I haven't really done any work this semester, save these last two weeks. (Music journalism barely counts.) I could use a sort of easy semester to ease myself back into college...
There are three journalism electives offered this spring that sound really interesting, though: Race & Gender in the Media, taught by my favorite professor Traci Griffith; Re-entry Travel Writing, taught by Kim Sultze, who recommended me as a Writing Center coach, who I had for New Media two years ago and who I haven't seen in a year, because she's been on sabbatical; and Topics: Writing Opinion and Commentary, taught by Kelley, who I know nothing about (including first name or gender). But, I have opinions, and I like to make commentary, and I like writing! But I think I should not take journalism elective this spring. This semester has been pretty JO-heavy, with my internship (which counts for my Practicum, a major requirement) and the Magazine Journalism elective. Plus, I need to take Writing for Media II and Global Comm, and that's just too much time in Bergeron already. So, I must back awaaaay from the journalism electives. Sigh.
We'll see. I have a week or so before I actually have to register, and we all know the first few weeks of classes are for shopping anyway.
Um, what else? Happy Birthday, Dizzy Gillespie! (It's his birthday in America... not New Zealand. Weird International Date Line.) Also interesting for those of you who are still celebrating October 21: in 1879, Thomas Edison created the first workable light bulb. You go, Tom! The world would be dark (come nightfall) without you.
My Mag Jo feature story is due tomorrow; I finished it yesterday!? It was causing me anxiety, literally, for the past three weeks. It involved so much research and talking to people about a subject I knew nothing about. And since I had been thinking about it/sort of working on it since like, right after the semester break, it's been constantly on my mind, and a constant worry. But, I finished, and I personally think it's as good as it possibly could be, seeing as though I kiiind of half-assed my interviews. But, I'm totally okay with it, because it's fine, and it's done. And tomorrow I will never have to think about it again.
I have a paper due for NZ Politics on Friday... should really start that one.
BUT FRIDAY, I'm DONE!!! I'll actually finish the paper tomorrow (...), because we're heading to Rotorua on Friday. So, Thursday night, I'm DONE!!!!
And then three weeks to chiiiill ooouuuut. Yes. (Save that one pesky Politics exam on November 6.)
In other, even less exciting news for you, I'm sure, I'm currently wearing my hair in a ponytail!!! Albeit a very stubby ponytail, doctored with four bobby pins and a barrette to hold back the hair that just doesn't quite make it... But my hair is up! It's long enough to be OFFICIALLY PONYTAILED!!!
I'm in the throes of trying to figure out my schedule for next semester at SMC. As per usual, classes for my music major are clashing with classes for my journalism major. It's like the scheduling gods don't want me to succeed. This semester, though, the overlaps aren't too atrocious, and due to the funky scheduling I had last spring (by taking only half of Music Theory II), things should work out. I have emails out to a bunch of professors and department heads, so hopefully I'll hear back soon and will be cleared to register.
If all goes according to plan, I will be taking Acoustic Foundations of Music, a physics class that will fulfill my required lab science class; Music Theory II (without the lab, because I took the lab last spring); Writing for Media II, and Global Communications, plus Wind Ensemble and my private French horn lesson. That's only 15 credits, two of which involve nothing more than two hours of playing French horn a week, so I'm debating adding either a music or a general elective. But I'm also debating just having a 15-credit semester? I mean, let's be honest. I haven't really done any work this semester, save these last two weeks. (Music journalism barely counts.) I could use a sort of easy semester to ease myself back into college...
There are three journalism electives offered this spring that sound really interesting, though: Race & Gender in the Media, taught by my favorite professor Traci Griffith; Re-entry Travel Writing, taught by Kim Sultze, who recommended me as a Writing Center coach, who I had for New Media two years ago and who I haven't seen in a year, because she's been on sabbatical; and Topics: Writing Opinion and Commentary, taught by Kelley, who I know nothing about (including first name or gender). But, I have opinions, and I like to make commentary, and I like writing! But I think I should not take journalism elective this spring. This semester has been pretty JO-heavy, with my internship (which counts for my Practicum, a major requirement) and the Magazine Journalism elective. Plus, I need to take Writing for Media II and Global Comm, and that's just too much time in Bergeron already. So, I must back awaaaay from the journalism electives. Sigh.
We'll see. I have a week or so before I actually have to register, and we all know the first few weeks of classes are for shopping anyway.
Um, what else? Happy Birthday, Dizzy Gillespie! (It's his birthday in America... not New Zealand. Weird International Date Line.) Also interesting for those of you who are still celebrating October 21: in 1879, Thomas Edison created the first workable light bulb. You go, Tom! The world would be dark (come nightfall) without you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
