"One of the most sublime experiences we can ever have is to wake up feeling healthy after we have been sick." -Rabbi Harold Kushner
Hey, it's Megan. Hope you had a great Monday.
Well, family weekend was great and I was glad my aunt could make it up to spend it with me. I think we both had a good time and were able to partake in activities on and off campus. Unfortunately, I was sick the entire time.
Nicole and I have both suffered through the plague that hits campus every few weeks or so and my body hit the wall today. I feel okay to an extent, but my throat is shot and I've been struggling with a hacking cough. I even took off of work tonight (at the insistence of Nicole as well as my protesting throat) so I could get my homework done, relax a bit, and get to sleep early. As of writing this, I only have 15 pages left to read! Also, I don't work until Sunday unless I pick up a shift, so now I can but more of my body's faculties towards healing up. I think it was probably a good decision.
See, Nicole has enough sense to take time off from class and such and rest if she's sick. Me? Not so much. Even today, I got home after class and all I could think about was how much work I have to do and how much I actually wanted to get all of it done. Even if I was setting aside time to feel better, I wanted to instead use that time to get homework done. My friend, Steph, eventually forced me into bed and even tucked me in. It pays to have friends in college. The lesson in all of this? I clearly need to put my health higher up on the list of priorities and not always on the back burner. Health is important--never ever forget that. I've seen way too many people lose it or suffer with chronic conditions to not be taking better care of myself. But, I am learning, and I am surrounded by people who are willing to force me to take care of myself, even if that's not my highest priority at the time.
So that's where I'm at. The next time you hear from me, I will be good as new, but also perhaps a bit poorer from having had to buy so much medicine. :P
Be happy and well, but most of all, be healthy!
-Megan
Showing posts with label Nicole. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nicole. Show all posts
Monday, September 24, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
How To: Let Someone Surprise You
1. Believe everything people tell you. There's no way they're not telling you the whole truth.
2. Underestimate your friends.
3. Underestimate your parents.
4. Refrain from texting people because you don't want to impose. It will give them time to drive to your town.
5. Tell everyone where you're going and the exact time you leave. It will give them time to call your parents.
In case you didn't hear--but you probably did if you read Nicole's last post--I had quite the birthday. First things first, birthdays are not a big thing in my family. You get a cake if you're lucky. We'll take you out to your favorite restaurant eventually, but they've never been super celebrated. For the record, it's not that we never celebrate, we just do it when it's convenient. I've always celebrated my birthday on July 3rd when my family gets together because the church and town throws a party. Three of us grandkids have birthdays in July so it's nice and convenient. Plus there's a fireworks show. Sometimes I'll have a bonfire in late July or early August if I'm feeling motivated.
I did not expect anything different this year. I really didn't. Every time Nicole would mention my birthday, I told her I wasn't planning anything. She would always get upset and the conversation would end with something like:
Nicole: You're so frustrating. You're driving me crazy.
Me: I'm sorry, I told you I might do something in August.
So the night before my birthday, I was feeling a little weird about turning 20. It's a scary number, especially when you feel like you should be taller or just feel older. I was talking to Nicole when Melissa asked me to come over and watch a movie. I asked Nicole if I should go and she told me I should. Mind you, this was 11:45 at night. I knew Nicole had something to do with it, I thought she put Melissa up to it. I decided to go to get my mind off things and when I walked downstairs, there was a figure in a hoodie just chilling on the couch. I thought it was Melissa's sister, until the figure started laughing. Helloooo Nicole. Surprise #1. At that point I thought that was the extent of the surprise. I had no reason to believe anything else. I was in complete and utter shock. For weeks I had heard her griping about how she was working that weekend. I smiled for the rest of the night--until I went to bed at 4 am.
Melissa and Nicole wanted to take me out for lunch the next day, but I declined, saying I had a grad party to go to. Nicole told me the grad party started at 2...at which point I knew this was a lot deeper than I thought and that my parents knew about this. Surprise #2. So they took me out to lunch the next day and we made plans to hook up with Melissa after she got off work at 9. Meanwhile, Nicole and I headed to that grad party. After that, we went to my place, rented a movie, and I started to wind down for what I thought would be a relaxing night. I decided to check the mail, at which point Nicole told me she told people to write letters to me. Surprise #3.
We took some time to chill before watching the film when all of a sudden my doorbell rang. Nicole ran to go get it and at THAT point, I knew I was in for much, much more. Surprise #4. My friends started showing up and I was treated to my first ever surprise party, which included having packing peanuts poured on me multiple times and one heck of a cake. My parents knew about everything. Everything.
I had no reason to suspect anything. No one made me suspect anything and even if there were hints, I never picked up on them. Nicole has never been dishonest and this has dealt a serious blow to my trust! :P Maybe this is what I get for befriending people with acting experience? After reluctantly kicking people out because we both had horribly early mornings, we went to bed. As I was practically in tears out of pure happiness and awe that someone had put in so much time and effort to throw me a party, Nicole said, "I told you, I just like birthdays." Go figure.
And that is how to let someone surprise you. Needless to say, Melissa and Nicole turned turning 20 into an event I won't soon forget.
With love and hugs,
Megan
2. Underestimate your friends.
3. Underestimate your parents.
4. Refrain from texting people because you don't want to impose. It will give them time to drive to your town.
5. Tell everyone where you're going and the exact time you leave. It will give them time to call your parents.
In case you didn't hear--but you probably did if you read Nicole's last post--I had quite the birthday. First things first, birthdays are not a big thing in my family. You get a cake if you're lucky. We'll take you out to your favorite restaurant eventually, but they've never been super celebrated. For the record, it's not that we never celebrate, we just do it when it's convenient. I've always celebrated my birthday on July 3rd when my family gets together because the church and town throws a party. Three of us grandkids have birthdays in July so it's nice and convenient. Plus there's a fireworks show. Sometimes I'll have a bonfire in late July or early August if I'm feeling motivated.
I did not expect anything different this year. I really didn't. Every time Nicole would mention my birthday, I told her I wasn't planning anything. She would always get upset and the conversation would end with something like:
Nicole: You're so frustrating. You're driving me crazy.
Me: I'm sorry, I told you I might do something in August.
So the night before my birthday, I was feeling a little weird about turning 20. It's a scary number, especially when you feel like you should be taller or just feel older. I was talking to Nicole when Melissa asked me to come over and watch a movie. I asked Nicole if I should go and she told me I should. Mind you, this was 11:45 at night. I knew Nicole had something to do with it, I thought she put Melissa up to it. I decided to go to get my mind off things and when I walked downstairs, there was a figure in a hoodie just chilling on the couch. I thought it was Melissa's sister, until the figure started laughing. Helloooo Nicole. Surprise #1. At that point I thought that was the extent of the surprise. I had no reason to believe anything else. I was in complete and utter shock. For weeks I had heard her griping about how she was working that weekend. I smiled for the rest of the night--until I went to bed at 4 am.
Melissa and Nicole wanted to take me out for lunch the next day, but I declined, saying I had a grad party to go to. Nicole told me the grad party started at 2...at which point I knew this was a lot deeper than I thought and that my parents knew about this. Surprise #2. So they took me out to lunch the next day and we made plans to hook up with Melissa after she got off work at 9. Meanwhile, Nicole and I headed to that grad party. After that, we went to my place, rented a movie, and I started to wind down for what I thought would be a relaxing night. I decided to check the mail, at which point Nicole told me she told people to write letters to me. Surprise #3.
We took some time to chill before watching the film when all of a sudden my doorbell rang. Nicole ran to go get it and at THAT point, I knew I was in for much, much more. Surprise #4. My friends started showing up and I was treated to my first ever surprise party, which included having packing peanuts poured on me multiple times and one heck of a cake. My parents knew about everything. Everything.
I had no reason to suspect anything. No one made me suspect anything and even if there were hints, I never picked up on them. Nicole has never been dishonest and this has dealt a serious blow to my trust! :P Maybe this is what I get for befriending people with acting experience? After reluctantly kicking people out because we both had horribly early mornings, we went to bed. As I was practically in tears out of pure happiness and awe that someone had put in so much time and effort to throw me a party, Nicole said, "I told you, I just like birthdays." Go figure.
And that is how to let someone surprise you. Needless to say, Melissa and Nicole turned turning 20 into an event I won't soon forget.
With love and hugs,
Megan
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
How Do You Measure?
1. Speak up.
2. Migraines aren't fun.
3. Don't take lofts down by yourself, but if you do, you're gonna have some epic bruises.
4. Take time to reflect on the times life has been good to you.
Oh my gosh! Megan here... It's the last Wednesday of the year, so you'll probably be hearing a lot less from me. I'll post some over summer, but I think we're going off the usual schedule.
This week has been so strange. I've been emotional almost the entire week, and can't seem to get over the fact that freshman year is almost over. I'm taking a break from studying as I have 2 exams on Friday that I'm a little nervous about. When you mix the stress of finals with packing and having to understand that you won't see the people you've lived with, laughed with, studied with, cried with, learned with, for the next four months... It feels a little overwhelming. I go into my emotions a little bit more on my other blog.
I think it goes without saying that I've been doing way too much reflecting and thinking and feeling this past week about the year and the future... It was inevitable. I just feel so rushed with finals that there's little time to relax, have fun, and celebrate the year.
You know, the first movie night of many in my dorm was when Melissa and Nicole came over and we watched Rent--since I had never seen it before. I think Nicole and I stayed up late and woke up early just talking about anything and everything. It's kind of my first really happy, really groundbreaking memory of college that let me know this year was going to be something special. Since then, I've listened to the Rent soundtrack way too many times, especially over Christmas break. I almost have all of "La Vie Boheme" memorized I think, but the song that really gets to me is "Seasons of Love." It gets me--and Sally--every time. The song pretty much asks the question, "How do you measure a year?" So... here are some ways in which I will measure my freshman year in college, all with the fondest of memories:
2. Migraines aren't fun.
3. Don't take lofts down by yourself, but if you do, you're gonna have some epic bruises.
4. Take time to reflect on the times life has been good to you.
Oh my gosh! Megan here... It's the last Wednesday of the year, so you'll probably be hearing a lot less from me. I'll post some over summer, but I think we're going off the usual schedule.
This week has been so strange. I've been emotional almost the entire week, and can't seem to get over the fact that freshman year is almost over. I'm taking a break from studying as I have 2 exams on Friday that I'm a little nervous about. When you mix the stress of finals with packing and having to understand that you won't see the people you've lived with, laughed with, studied with, cried with, learned with, for the next four months... It feels a little overwhelming. I go into my emotions a little bit more on my other blog.
I think it goes without saying that I've been doing way too much reflecting and thinking and feeling this past week about the year and the future... It was inevitable. I just feel so rushed with finals that there's little time to relax, have fun, and celebrate the year.
You know, the first movie night of many in my dorm was when Melissa and Nicole came over and we watched Rent--since I had never seen it before. I think Nicole and I stayed up late and woke up early just talking about anything and everything. It's kind of my first really happy, really groundbreaking memory of college that let me know this year was going to be something special. Since then, I've listened to the Rent soundtrack way too many times, especially over Christmas break. I almost have all of "La Vie Boheme" memorized I think, but the song that really gets to me is "Seasons of Love." It gets me--and Sally--every time. The song pretty much asks the question, "How do you measure a year?" So... here are some ways in which I will measure my freshman year in college, all with the fondest of memories:
Tumblr posts
Facebook statuses
Dollars spent
Facebook events attended
Miles traveled
Ticket stubs
Movies watched
Cups of tea
Blog posts
Papers written
Hugs
Stories told
Times I laughed 'til I cried
Letters written
Text messages sent
Hours I should have been sleeping
Hours spent talking
Exams taken
Loads of laundry done
New facebook friends
Phone calls home
Photos taken
Meals in DS
Times I’ve redyed my hair
Times I wanted to cry
Times I felt overwhelmed
Times I felt loved
And last but not least, times I realized that I was where I was meant to be.
It has been such a wonderful year, and while it was honestly the most stressful and difficult I've had, it's also been the greatest. Nicole thinks this post is cheesy. I say it's nostalgic.
All of my love,
-Megan
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Flying Solo... with bruises
1. Don't start papers at 11 pm.
2. Eat something.
3. Sometimes you have to sacrifice your own comfort for someone else.
4. Your professor will make a meeting go 30 minutes over.
Hey guys, Megan here. Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I'm kind of in the middle of a family emergency and I was figuring out a bunch of logistical things. I finally have a moment to sit down and relax--there's not a whole lot of work I am willing to do right now anyways. So the big news is that Nicole and I will be leaving at 7am tomorrow for a conference in Iowa and we'll be getting back Sunday night, after which I'll be leaving to go home around 1pm on Monday and getting back on Tuesday night. I guess I'll just be living out of a suitcase for the next five days.
Flying Solo was the name of my yearbook junior year, and it was by far my most difficult, due to the fact that I was dealing with a lot of things at the time as well as tough classes, but it was also really, really enjoyable. I discovered a lot about myself and I also took my first psych and poetry classes... now I'm a psych major with a possible English writing minor, so I guess things worked out.
In case you didn't know, I'm now living alone, essentially flying solo. My roommate transferred to the University of Nebraska--Omaha, and she tells me she's loving it and that it's exactly where she's supposed to be. It also puts her closer to her friends, boyfriend, and family which is really cool. I still miss her a lot though. I think roommates share a really unique bond that comes with the somewhat terrifying experience of going off to college. I see it a lot, especially with the floor that adopted me. Melissa and her roommate are perfect together! It's actually really fun to see them interact. My roommate and I got along well and we had some really great discussions about anything and everything, and I miss that. One of my favorite stories is when I dropped something or did something clumsy and my roommate said to me, "You know... sometimes I wake up and I have bruises that I don't know where they came from, and I feel like that's kind of like your life sometimes." There are tons and tons of quotations like that.
Sure, it's nice to live alone sometimes, but I miss having a roommate--mine was always someone welcoming to come home to. My room is a little more sterile feeling these days. In a way, she was part of what I wanted out of the college experience. She provided me with a different outlook on EVERYTHING! Her life has been completely different than mine and I got loads of new perspective just by listening to her stories. She made me reconsider things I probably needed to. I miss her sometimes, especially just the sound of her skyping her boyfriend or the way she looked like she wanted to murder someone in the mornings. :P We are definitely not morning people. I'd gotten used to falling asleep to her talking and the lights on and now the silence bothers me sometimes. I couldn't sleep at all on my first night back.
So, I miss her. Adjusting to living alone is a lot of getting in the mindset that being alone shouldn't be a cause of loneliness, but rather a source of solitude, and I'm getting there. I've also been lucky enough to be adopted by Nicole, Melissa, and Sally's floor. Everyone there has been so kind and welcoming to me that they've been like a family to me. I have no idea what I'd do without them. So I guess I'm not really flying solo after all, am I?
Peace and be well. Maybe Nicole will blog from Iowa...
-Megan
2. Eat something.
3. Sometimes you have to sacrifice your own comfort for someone else.
4. Your professor will make a meeting go 30 minutes over.
Hey guys, Megan here. Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I'm kind of in the middle of a family emergency and I was figuring out a bunch of logistical things. I finally have a moment to sit down and relax--there's not a whole lot of work I am willing to do right now anyways. So the big news is that Nicole and I will be leaving at 7am tomorrow for a conference in Iowa and we'll be getting back Sunday night, after which I'll be leaving to go home around 1pm on Monday and getting back on Tuesday night. I guess I'll just be living out of a suitcase for the next five days.
Flying Solo was the name of my yearbook junior year, and it was by far my most difficult, due to the fact that I was dealing with a lot of things at the time as well as tough classes, but it was also really, really enjoyable. I discovered a lot about myself and I also took my first psych and poetry classes... now I'm a psych major with a possible English writing minor, so I guess things worked out.
In case you didn't know, I'm now living alone, essentially flying solo. My roommate transferred to the University of Nebraska--Omaha, and she tells me she's loving it and that it's exactly where she's supposed to be. It also puts her closer to her friends, boyfriend, and family which is really cool. I still miss her a lot though. I think roommates share a really unique bond that comes with the somewhat terrifying experience of going off to college. I see it a lot, especially with the floor that adopted me. Melissa and her roommate are perfect together! It's actually really fun to see them interact. My roommate and I got along well and we had some really great discussions about anything and everything, and I miss that. One of my favorite stories is when I dropped something or did something clumsy and my roommate said to me, "You know... sometimes I wake up and I have bruises that I don't know where they came from, and I feel like that's kind of like your life sometimes." There are tons and tons of quotations like that.
Sure, it's nice to live alone sometimes, but I miss having a roommate--mine was always someone welcoming to come home to. My room is a little more sterile feeling these days. In a way, she was part of what I wanted out of the college experience. She provided me with a different outlook on EVERYTHING! Her life has been completely different than mine and I got loads of new perspective just by listening to her stories. She made me reconsider things I probably needed to. I miss her sometimes, especially just the sound of her skyping her boyfriend or the way she looked like she wanted to murder someone in the mornings. :P We are definitely not morning people. I'd gotten used to falling asleep to her talking and the lights on and now the silence bothers me sometimes. I couldn't sleep at all on my first night back.
So, I miss her. Adjusting to living alone is a lot of getting in the mindset that being alone shouldn't be a cause of loneliness, but rather a source of solitude, and I'm getting there. I've also been lucky enough to be adopted by Nicole, Melissa, and Sally's floor. Everyone there has been so kind and welcoming to me that they've been like a family to me. I have no idea what I'd do without them. So I guess I'm not really flying solo after all, am I?
Peace and be well. Maybe Nicole will blog from Iowa...
-Megan
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Coming out of my cage and I've been doing just fine.
First person to comment and tell me the name of the song I got the title from gets a mental high five from me. My friend and I used to go through this song, sending each other the lyrics line by line. Oy, nostalgia.
First things first, if you're reading this, you need to look at the post before this and share it on your facebook, tumblr, twitter, whatever social networks you're involved in. Nicole has entered a scholarship competition for bloggers and needs as many 'shares' as possible. Please do this. Besides, it has some good political insight.
1. Walks help with back problems.
2. This too shall pass.
3. Get out of the house and get out of your head.
4. Have faith in friendships.
Hey, Megan here. I hope everyone is having an excellent holiday season filled with family, friends, and baked goods.
I've been home for 11 days now, and while it is nice to feel carpet beneath my feet, have a nice shower, and be able to walk to the fridge for a snack, I still miss college immensely. The truth is I have cooped myself up in my room for far too many days and am a little bit stuck in my head. Last night I went out with friends to our popular summer haunt and it made me realize not only the importance of getting out of the house, but also the importance of simply having faith in your friends. You have to trust that each other will still be the same person you know and love. Everyone changes to come extent, but, as I learned in my most recent psych class, personality is fairly constant over time, so have faith in it.
It's important to get out of your room, get out of your head, get out of your house, go spend some time in a dimly lit coffee shop, and have a good discussion in a van. Don't get stuck in your head. It's not an accurate portrayal of reality; it's just a skewed mess of constructs that can certainly and very convincingly masquerade as reality, but it really isn't. See, the trick is you actually have to go and live in the real world with real people in order to construct a more accurate reality instead of just letting your imagination take what you know and run off in all sorts of directions with it. It's so simple, yet we forget it sometimes.
So tonight I'm spending some quality time with a couple of friends who I've known since 7th grade. It's definitely time for a reunion, and I know we'll be able to pick up on our friendship right where we left off despite the fact that we've all changed quite a bit. I'm excited to spend time with them because I get to be the part of me I missed.
We all play different roles in different groups of friends or acquaintances, and I get to be wild and bubbly and silly with this particular group, whereas I sometimes like to fade into the background in other groups. Sometimes I step a little out of line and play a role I'm not meant to when I'm with certain people. Believe me, it is an uncomfortable feeling to sit there and think to yourself, "I shouldn't have said that, definitely shouldn't have done that, should have thought before I said THAT." It's okay to play different roles I think, it just depends on who other people need you to be, and what you're comfortable with. Taking on a different role doesn't mean you change your personality either, it just dictates what strengths and weaknesses you employ and when. I think it's just important to change it up a bit, and not force yourself into being typecasted as it were. Is typecasted a word?
In conclusion, get out and live a little, have faith that you'll be able to pick up where your friendships left off, and just let yourself adapt to situations. When you leave home such as I have, it's rough to go back... but, it's important to. (Let the record show that I have now expressed this sentiment in writing whenever I complain.) When you hit the road and leave, it's almost as if you have also taken upon yourself the responsibility of returning, almost like a price you have to pay for the extra freedom. It's just the way it is sometimes. Making yourself remember where you've come from isn't a bad thing by any means, and in some ways it keeps you grounded, and gives you extra motivation to get where you want to be.
So, I hope you have a most excellent week. Take care. Love and hugs.
-Megan
First things first, if you're reading this, you need to look at the post before this and share it on your facebook, tumblr, twitter, whatever social networks you're involved in. Nicole has entered a scholarship competition for bloggers and needs as many 'shares' as possible. Please do this. Besides, it has some good political insight.
1. Walks help with back problems.
2. This too shall pass.
3. Get out of the house and get out of your head.
4. Have faith in friendships.
Hey, Megan here. I hope everyone is having an excellent holiday season filled with family, friends, and baked goods.
I've been home for 11 days now, and while it is nice to feel carpet beneath my feet, have a nice shower, and be able to walk to the fridge for a snack, I still miss college immensely. The truth is I have cooped myself up in my room for far too many days and am a little bit stuck in my head. Last night I went out with friends to our popular summer haunt and it made me realize not only the importance of getting out of the house, but also the importance of simply having faith in your friends. You have to trust that each other will still be the same person you know and love. Everyone changes to come extent, but, as I learned in my most recent psych class, personality is fairly constant over time, so have faith in it.
It's important to get out of your room, get out of your head, get out of your house, go spend some time in a dimly lit coffee shop, and have a good discussion in a van. Don't get stuck in your head. It's not an accurate portrayal of reality; it's just a skewed mess of constructs that can certainly and very convincingly masquerade as reality, but it really isn't. See, the trick is you actually have to go and live in the real world with real people in order to construct a more accurate reality instead of just letting your imagination take what you know and run off in all sorts of directions with it. It's so simple, yet we forget it sometimes.
So tonight I'm spending some quality time with a couple of friends who I've known since 7th grade. It's definitely time for a reunion, and I know we'll be able to pick up on our friendship right where we left off despite the fact that we've all changed quite a bit. I'm excited to spend time with them because I get to be the part of me I missed.
We all play different roles in different groups of friends or acquaintances, and I get to be wild and bubbly and silly with this particular group, whereas I sometimes like to fade into the background in other groups. Sometimes I step a little out of line and play a role I'm not meant to when I'm with certain people. Believe me, it is an uncomfortable feeling to sit there and think to yourself, "I shouldn't have said that, definitely shouldn't have done that, should have thought before I said THAT." It's okay to play different roles I think, it just depends on who other people need you to be, and what you're comfortable with. Taking on a different role doesn't mean you change your personality either, it just dictates what strengths and weaknesses you employ and when. I think it's just important to change it up a bit, and not force yourself into being typecasted as it were. Is typecasted a word?
In conclusion, get out and live a little, have faith that you'll be able to pick up where your friendships left off, and just let yourself adapt to situations. When you leave home such as I have, it's rough to go back... but, it's important to. (Let the record show that I have now expressed this sentiment in writing whenever I complain.) When you hit the road and leave, it's almost as if you have also taken upon yourself the responsibility of returning, almost like a price you have to pay for the extra freedom. It's just the way it is sometimes. Making yourself remember where you've come from isn't a bad thing by any means, and in some ways it keeps you grounded, and gives you extra motivation to get where you want to be.
So, I hope you have a most excellent week. Take care. Love and hugs.
-Megan
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Down to the Wire
1. If you break into a coughing fit, people will stare.
2. Breathe... slowly, or else you'll have another coughing fit.
3. Phone calls are nice sometimes.
4. Have faith things will work out.
Hey, it's Megan. Is it Wednesday? It doesn't feel like Wednesday.
Holy buckets has it been a stressful week so far. Grease opens tomorrow, and while neither Melissa nor I have been involved, Nicole is logging some serious hours. It's funny, I kind of want to find an association between level of stress, lack of time, and propensity to blog... On top of that, we all have assignments or papers due, aaaand it's registration week which means we're all stressing over our adviser meetings and deciding what classes to take.
I myself have been incredibly ill over the past three days. I think I caught the plague. Don't listen to Nicole or Melissa--I won't cough up a lung, nor do I intend to die. I just have a racking cough and some congestion, that's all. I've been chugging DayQuil as well as tea and popping cough drops as well as vitamins. Just give me another day or so and I'm sure I'll be good as new.
It seems like everything is suddenly hurling into hyper speed and coming down to the wire. I have to be up around 6 tomorrow to register for my classes and I'm entirely set on taking this one history class. The problem is it appears to be full. Sad right? Naturally, I emailed the professor and am anxiously awaiting a reply that says I've been granted an override, but I'm still stressing about the possibility that I won't get the email in time and thus not be able to take this class--a huge bummer since I've been looking forward to diving into my history major.
The trick is to remain positive and have some faith that it will all be okay in the end. This situation has loads of possible outcomes. I might get the override and be able to take an epic class, or I might have to take something else. If I don't get in, I still have an epic psychology class and philosophy class I will hopefully get into. Oh, and did I mention I'm going to try to take Social Dance? Yep, look out world! Megan's going to try to learn how to dance. Even if things are really stressful and coming down to the wire, it's going to be okay. That's what the weekends are for, relieving stress, and we're already making plans...
Take care, be well. Don't get sick like me.
-Megan
2. Breathe... slowly, or else you'll have another coughing fit.
3. Phone calls are nice sometimes.
4. Have faith things will work out.
Hey, it's Megan. Is it Wednesday? It doesn't feel like Wednesday.
Holy buckets has it been a stressful week so far. Grease opens tomorrow, and while neither Melissa nor I have been involved, Nicole is logging some serious hours. It's funny, I kind of want to find an association between level of stress, lack of time, and propensity to blog... On top of that, we all have assignments or papers due, aaaand it's registration week which means we're all stressing over our adviser meetings and deciding what classes to take.
I myself have been incredibly ill over the past three days. I think I caught the plague. Don't listen to Nicole or Melissa--I won't cough up a lung, nor do I intend to die. I just have a racking cough and some congestion, that's all. I've been chugging DayQuil as well as tea and popping cough drops as well as vitamins. Just give me another day or so and I'm sure I'll be good as new.
It seems like everything is suddenly hurling into hyper speed and coming down to the wire. I have to be up around 6 tomorrow to register for my classes and I'm entirely set on taking this one history class. The problem is it appears to be full. Sad right? Naturally, I emailed the professor and am anxiously awaiting a reply that says I've been granted an override, but I'm still stressing about the possibility that I won't get the email in time and thus not be able to take this class--a huge bummer since I've been looking forward to diving into my history major.
The trick is to remain positive and have some faith that it will all be okay in the end. This situation has loads of possible outcomes. I might get the override and be able to take an epic class, or I might have to take something else. If I don't get in, I still have an epic psychology class and philosophy class I will hopefully get into. Oh, and did I mention I'm going to try to take Social Dance? Yep, look out world! Megan's going to try to learn how to dance. Even if things are really stressful and coming down to the wire, it's going to be okay. That's what the weekends are for, relieving stress, and we're already making plans...
Take care, be well. Don't get sick like me.
-Megan
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Everything's Magic
1. Finding creative alarm clock solutions is enjoyable.
2. Little things can brighten moods.
3. Make eye contact.
4. Don't be sorry for things you can't control.
Megan here, It's Wednesday and I'm back. Happy Wednesday!
So, today was our long awaited Harry Potter themed dinner in our dining hall and wow did they do a great job! It was everything one could want and more, complete with Butterbeer, a sorting hat, and Professor Trelawney providing divination. To give you an idea of what it was like, I ate a dish called Dobby's ears, was sorted into Slytherin, and was told by Trelawney that I would experience many trials and tribulations, but would prevail. There was also something about a short year of happiness ahead. All in all it was a wonderful night and once again Nicole, Melissa, and I crashed in Melissa's room to unwind before hitting the books. Granted, we stayed longer than we wanted to, but it was still an important and much needed break since the stress is starting to pile up once again.
For all the Harry Potter fans out there, do you remember all the fascinating things about the books? I mean, three epic friends lived at a castle complex and learned magic! To be honest, that's kind of what college (and High School) is like if you so choose to view it that way. School is our life, and life is our school. Here on a college campus, there is no separation from your learning environment and your living environment. Every hour you spend outside of a classroom is still spent learning. Sure it's different subject matter, but it really is a learning environment. You learn about different people, learn different perspectives, learn better communication skills, and on some level, you learn more about yourself as a person, and wow am I learning a lot. It's like every time I check my now fading-to-green hair in the mirror, I see aspects of my future self--almost like looking into the Mirror of Erised.
I find it kind of funny how some of my classes make me think about things I never thought I would. Melissa and I have our psychology class together and we've been discussing happiness quite a bit as a part of our unit on emotions. We had to read an article on how monetary wealth doesn't necessarily equate to happiness because a high paying job might take away time from being with a family and things of that nature. Yet... here we are, college students trying to be successful, a term society now associates with monetary wealth. I find it funny because, like Nicole, I am also experiencing a great deal of happiness. The thing is I am a very poor, very sleep deprived college student! So why am I happy? I think it's because I am learning, not only from incredible professors, but from incredible friends and peers as well. When I leave my Utopian Philosophy class with a headache from pondering whether or not I truly have free will, or when I'm up late in a lounge coloring a Spanish project, I have little moments of not being able to explain what this experience is. How do we explain things we don't quite understand? Simple. It's magic.
So view the world as a magical place, because sometimes it really is. Heck, I might even ask the Chemistry students how Potions class is going...
That's it. Peace out. All my love!
-Megan
2. Little things can brighten moods.
3. Make eye contact.
4. Don't be sorry for things you can't control.
Megan here, It's Wednesday and I'm back. Happy Wednesday!
So, today was our long awaited Harry Potter themed dinner in our dining hall and wow did they do a great job! It was everything one could want and more, complete with Butterbeer, a sorting hat, and Professor Trelawney providing divination. To give you an idea of what it was like, I ate a dish called Dobby's ears, was sorted into Slytherin, and was told by Trelawney that I would experience many trials and tribulations, but would prevail. There was also something about a short year of happiness ahead. All in all it was a wonderful night and once again Nicole, Melissa, and I crashed in Melissa's room to unwind before hitting the books. Granted, we stayed longer than we wanted to, but it was still an important and much needed break since the stress is starting to pile up once again.
For all the Harry Potter fans out there, do you remember all the fascinating things about the books? I mean, three epic friends lived at a castle complex and learned magic! To be honest, that's kind of what college (and High School) is like if you so choose to view it that way. School is our life, and life is our school. Here on a college campus, there is no separation from your learning environment and your living environment. Every hour you spend outside of a classroom is still spent learning. Sure it's different subject matter, but it really is a learning environment. You learn about different people, learn different perspectives, learn better communication skills, and on some level, you learn more about yourself as a person, and wow am I learning a lot. It's like every time I check my now fading-to-green hair in the mirror, I see aspects of my future self--almost like looking into the Mirror of Erised.
I find it kind of funny how some of my classes make me think about things I never thought I would. Melissa and I have our psychology class together and we've been discussing happiness quite a bit as a part of our unit on emotions. We had to read an article on how monetary wealth doesn't necessarily equate to happiness because a high paying job might take away time from being with a family and things of that nature. Yet... here we are, college students trying to be successful, a term society now associates with monetary wealth. I find it funny because, like Nicole, I am also experiencing a great deal of happiness. The thing is I am a very poor, very sleep deprived college student! So why am I happy? I think it's because I am learning, not only from incredible professors, but from incredible friends and peers as well. When I leave my Utopian Philosophy class with a headache from pondering whether or not I truly have free will, or when I'm up late in a lounge coloring a Spanish project, I have little moments of not being able to explain what this experience is. How do we explain things we don't quite understand? Simple. It's magic.
So view the world as a magical place, because sometimes it really is. Heck, I might even ask the Chemistry students how Potions class is going...
That's it. Peace out. All my love!
-Megan
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Megan Tackles Art and Artistry
1. Don't stay up until 3:15 working on a speech.
2. Don't fall asleep reading a book, it will fall on your roommate in the middle of the night.
3. Boots = blisters.
4. It's okay to be impulsive every once in a while.
Megan here and it's Wednesday. That means you get to listen to me for a bit.
As I'm sure Nicole mentioned, we had our Symposium a few weeks ago which surrounded the topic of "The Role of the Artist in Society" A ton of great speakers came and held amazing sessions and whatnot. As it happened, Melissa forced me into a strange situation in our Psychology class the next day. She raised my hand when our Prof asked if anyone considered themselves an artist. I was uncomfortable with this for two reasons:
1. I've never gone by the descriptor "Artist." Ever.
2. I now had to talk to the class and explain how I felt about an artist's obligation to society, especially focusing on optimism.
It made me think, so here we go...
First off, yes. I do believe it is an artist's job to be optimistic, especially if they intend to reach a mass audience. That isn't to say one cannot produce dark art (I myself am guilty), however the artist must acknowledge that whatever unfortunate circumstance they've encountered is not universal and must provide a glimmer of hope for their audience. Defining art for a second as any form of self-expression, it is my belief that inherent beauty exists in every form and instance of art. Yes, I am aware that beauty exists in death and other things not seen as conducive to what we think of as being optimistic, but I also believe that the majority of art exists to highlight and express the beauty of life, in contrast to death.
To recapitulate this idea, darkness is a part of art. It is a part of human existence, and one would be ill-advised to ignore that. However, art in itself is a form of optimism in that the artist cares enough to capture its image, whether through paint, ink, graphite, dance, song, or what have you. The artist itself must acknowledge that optimism is just as viable as a viewpoint as pessimism and must present this to their audience. As a species, I believe we are generally optimistic. I mean, imagine if Oogruck the caveman thought to himself, "Well, I am entirely incapable to bringing down a mammoth tomorrow. We're all doomed." NO! Long story short, yes, being optimistic is in the job description of an artist, if ever so slightly.
Now (on a less grandiose level of thinking) I'm going to speak as someone who creates art. I caution you, Reader, in how you approach someone's art, whether that be a professional, amateur, peer, etc. Art is self-expression, and thus is created through the lens of the artist and cannot always be taken as empirical fact. Yeah an artist uses art to represent real life, but it's only a representation and well... art. People create art for art's sake, and so I advise you to not take it too literally or seriously (within reason.)
Simply put, do not pass complete judgment on an artist based solely on their art. You can view every single Frida Kahlo painting and still not know her entirely, or listen to every single Michael Jackson song and still not have a complete picture of who he was as a man. An artist will be incredibly intimate with you, but they won't tell you everything. They leave their existence for that.
To drive my point home, I leave you with something from Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty. When he was on MTV Storytellers, he alluded to the fact that fans always asked him why everything on his album was so sad all the time. He response contained something close to the following, "When I'm happy I go do happy things, I'll go hang out and just enjoy being happy. When I'm sad or something's on my mind, I'll sit and write a song about it." So yeah, I think a lot of artists are the same way. That is definitely not to say that there aren't artists out there cranking out nothing but optimism. Google Vladimir Kush, I love that guy.
Peace out, be well. Hugs.
-Megan
2. Don't fall asleep reading a book, it will fall on your roommate in the middle of the night.
3. Boots = blisters.
4. It's okay to be impulsive every once in a while.
Megan here and it's Wednesday. That means you get to listen to me for a bit.
As I'm sure Nicole mentioned, we had our Symposium a few weeks ago which surrounded the topic of "The Role of the Artist in Society" A ton of great speakers came and held amazing sessions and whatnot. As it happened, Melissa forced me into a strange situation in our Psychology class the next day. She raised my hand when our Prof asked if anyone considered themselves an artist. I was uncomfortable with this for two reasons:
1. I've never gone by the descriptor "Artist." Ever.
2. I now had to talk to the class and explain how I felt about an artist's obligation to society, especially focusing on optimism.
It made me think, so here we go...
First off, yes. I do believe it is an artist's job to be optimistic, especially if they intend to reach a mass audience. That isn't to say one cannot produce dark art (I myself am guilty), however the artist must acknowledge that whatever unfortunate circumstance they've encountered is not universal and must provide a glimmer of hope for their audience. Defining art for a second as any form of self-expression, it is my belief that inherent beauty exists in every form and instance of art. Yes, I am aware that beauty exists in death and other things not seen as conducive to what we think of as being optimistic, but I also believe that the majority of art exists to highlight and express the beauty of life, in contrast to death.
To recapitulate this idea, darkness is a part of art. It is a part of human existence, and one would be ill-advised to ignore that. However, art in itself is a form of optimism in that the artist cares enough to capture its image, whether through paint, ink, graphite, dance, song, or what have you. The artist itself must acknowledge that optimism is just as viable as a viewpoint as pessimism and must present this to their audience. As a species, I believe we are generally optimistic. I mean, imagine if Oogruck the caveman thought to himself, "Well, I am entirely incapable to bringing down a mammoth tomorrow. We're all doomed." NO! Long story short, yes, being optimistic is in the job description of an artist, if ever so slightly.
Now (on a less grandiose level of thinking) I'm going to speak as someone who creates art. I caution you, Reader, in how you approach someone's art, whether that be a professional, amateur, peer, etc. Art is self-expression, and thus is created through the lens of the artist and cannot always be taken as empirical fact. Yeah an artist uses art to represent real life, but it's only a representation and well... art. People create art for art's sake, and so I advise you to not take it too literally or seriously (within reason.)
Simply put, do not pass complete judgment on an artist based solely on their art. You can view every single Frida Kahlo painting and still not know her entirely, or listen to every single Michael Jackson song and still not have a complete picture of who he was as a man. An artist will be incredibly intimate with you, but they won't tell you everything. They leave their existence for that.
To drive my point home, I leave you with something from Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty. When he was on MTV Storytellers, he alluded to the fact that fans always asked him why everything on his album was so sad all the time. He response contained something close to the following, "When I'm happy I go do happy things, I'll go hang out and just enjoy being happy. When I'm sad or something's on my mind, I'll sit and write a song about it." So yeah, I think a lot of artists are the same way. That is definitely not to say that there aren't artists out there cranking out nothing but optimism. Google Vladimir Kush, I love that guy.
Peace out, be well. Hugs.
-Megan
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