As of late, I've developed something of a passion for good poetry. There's just something about a poem that can tell so much more than a story ever could on the same subject- in less words. In that spirit, I'm going to link to a few of my favorite poems- hopefully you'll enjoy them as much as I do!
Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening- Robert Frost
What I love about this poem is that it creates such a peaceful scene in my head. I love the way it flows and how the end rhymes don't feel overdone when I read it. Also, the horse in this poem is so. Flippin'. Cute. If I could, I would give him a hug (and a sugar cube). And I don't even like horses all that much. But I'm picturing this one, and he's just that adorable. It is by Robert Frost, though, and to me, all his work that I've read is amazing.
Trees at the Arctic Circle- Al Purdy
The turnaround in this poem is great. I love how the author goes from criticizing the trees for not thriving to admiring their perserverance. I relate to the trees: life is not easy and we're all eventually going to die, probably having done less than we wanted to with our lives. What should we do? We should try to make the best of the situations we're given, like the trees do. Maybe I'm wrong in my interpretation of this poem, but the preserverance of those tiny trees is what makes this poem so significant to me. AL Purdy is Canadian, by the way (awesome!).
Lovliest of Trees- A.E Housman
Like the cherry tree's blossom, life is short, so sieze every minute of it! Beautiful. :)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Monday, December 20, 2010
A Regret
Last Summer, I did something that I've grown to deeply regret over the past six months. I didn't speak up even though I really felt like what I neglected to say was important. I feel like I sold myself short that evening by buckling to peer pressure and not saying precisely what was on my mind, so I'm hoping that in typing this out, some one out there will read it and not make the same mistake as I did.
I was at a church retreat with my youth group, and one night, a speaker who had the admiration of much of my group took to the stage. And it was good. I was following what he was saying and he was delivering what seemed to me to be a biblicly sound message, when he had his son brought onto the stage. Then he picked up his son, and talked for a while about how much he loved him. He finished by talking about Jesus's crucifiction and relating it to his relationship with his son. And that is where he lost me.
I understood that his intended message was to point out that God loved Jesus as much as he loved his son, yet God allowed Jesus to die for our sins, which is pretty awesome when you think about it. And yet, something inside of me felt so...icky about the idea that he was comparing himself to God (and by extension, his kid to Jesus), even if it was to prove an important point about God's love. No matter how "good" a life this guy led, I couldn't feel okay with the idea of him comparing himself to the One he worshipped as far greater than himself. Long story short, the sermon didn't sit well with my conscience.
What sits even more badly with my conscience is what happened next. We went to a quiet place as a group to discuss the sermon, and as it turns out, everyone else in my group was able to get something out of it. I was the only person who didn't raise their hand when asked "Who liked tonight's sermon?" We went around the circle, everyone telling what they liked or didn't like about it. When it came my turn, I looked around at the other people there, all staring at me. I guess as the only preson to come away with a negative view of the sermon, they were curious about what I had to say about it. How could I tell them what I really thought about the same sermon they felt so inspired by without ruining it for them? I lost my nerve, and mumbled something about it being "needlessly harsh" for him to include his child in such a graphic way. It was only after I'd finished saying this that I'd realised that that hadn't been even close to my actual objection. I was, of course, greeted by a chorus of how the comparison was necessary to get the audience to relate.
I still don't know whether I was right to feel critical of what he had said, or whether the fact that I already had a slightly negative opinion of that particular speaker clouded my ability to think objectively about it. What I do know, is that I really should have shared my opinion even if it might have been a bit of a "downer" for everyone else there. Because I didn't say exactly what I wanted to, instead using the dumbest possible version of my argument, the other perspective on the situation was quickly brushed off and never really adressed. If anyone reading this is ever in the same situation as I was that day, please, don't worry about upsetting people and say whatever it is you're thinking. Even if no one agrees, you'll leave feeling that you represented yourself well.
I was at a church retreat with my youth group, and one night, a speaker who had the admiration of much of my group took to the stage. And it was good. I was following what he was saying and he was delivering what seemed to me to be a biblicly sound message, when he had his son brought onto the stage. Then he picked up his son, and talked for a while about how much he loved him. He finished by talking about Jesus's crucifiction and relating it to his relationship with his son. And that is where he lost me.
I understood that his intended message was to point out that God loved Jesus as much as he loved his son, yet God allowed Jesus to die for our sins, which is pretty awesome when you think about it. And yet, something inside of me felt so...icky about the idea that he was comparing himself to God (and by extension, his kid to Jesus), even if it was to prove an important point about God's love. No matter how "good" a life this guy led, I couldn't feel okay with the idea of him comparing himself to the One he worshipped as far greater than himself. Long story short, the sermon didn't sit well with my conscience.
What sits even more badly with my conscience is what happened next. We went to a quiet place as a group to discuss the sermon, and as it turns out, everyone else in my group was able to get something out of it. I was the only person who didn't raise their hand when asked "Who liked tonight's sermon?" We went around the circle, everyone telling what they liked or didn't like about it. When it came my turn, I looked around at the other people there, all staring at me. I guess as the only preson to come away with a negative view of the sermon, they were curious about what I had to say about it. How could I tell them what I really thought about the same sermon they felt so inspired by without ruining it for them? I lost my nerve, and mumbled something about it being "needlessly harsh" for him to include his child in such a graphic way. It was only after I'd finished saying this that I'd realised that that hadn't been even close to my actual objection. I was, of course, greeted by a chorus of how the comparison was necessary to get the audience to relate.
I still don't know whether I was right to feel critical of what he had said, or whether the fact that I already had a slightly negative opinion of that particular speaker clouded my ability to think objectively about it. What I do know, is that I really should have shared my opinion even if it might have been a bit of a "downer" for everyone else there. Because I didn't say exactly what I wanted to, instead using the dumbest possible version of my argument, the other perspective on the situation was quickly brushed off and never really adressed. If anyone reading this is ever in the same situation as I was that day, please, don't worry about upsetting people and say whatever it is you're thinking. Even if no one agrees, you'll leave feeling that you represented yourself well.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Top Ten Things You Don't Want to Hear While Studying For Final Exams (and my would-be reactions)
10) Who cares? They're not worth that much, are they?
Ummm, actually...
9) Even if you ace this exam, I'm still going to think that you're an idiot.
Well, at least the feeling is mutual.
8)Why don't you just give up and apply at McDonald's? It's not like you're at all capable of passing this...
We'll see. Anger is a really good motivator.
7) Why don't you get smarter? Then you won't have to study so hard.
Because I haven't thought of that idea. Really. If you know of some way to achieve this that's not straight out of a Harry Potter book, I would be much obliged if you told me about it.
6) If you haven't started studying for my exam by now, you might as well not bother studying at all because you are going to fail anyway!
Thanks for the vote of confidence, I'm going to go start studying now.
5) Hey, wanna come on vacation to Hawaii with me? I'll pay for you, but we have to leave tonight...
I want to go more than you'll ever know. However, REALITY calls.
4) Oh, and that last paper you were supposed to write but I never assigned? Have it done for the day of your exam.
As if I didn't have enough to do already...thanks a billion!
3) I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves....
And this is how it goes...AUUGGHH! Curse you and your annoying songs of doom!!!
2) What are you talking about? Today's calculus exam is cumulative, the professor only said so half a dozen times...
...oh, crap...
1) Didn't you hear? That exam was moved to Saturday... Last Saturday.
...Holy crap!!!! Well, there goes my grade point average...
Ummm, actually...
9) Even if you ace this exam, I'm still going to think that you're an idiot.
Well, at least the feeling is mutual.
8)Why don't you just give up and apply at McDonald's? It's not like you're at all capable of passing this...
We'll see. Anger is a really good motivator.
7) Why don't you get smarter? Then you won't have to study so hard.
Because I haven't thought of that idea. Really. If you know of some way to achieve this that's not straight out of a Harry Potter book, I would be much obliged if you told me about it.
6) If you haven't started studying for my exam by now, you might as well not bother studying at all because you are going to fail anyway!
Thanks for the vote of confidence, I'm going to go start studying now.
5) Hey, wanna come on vacation to Hawaii with me? I'll pay for you, but we have to leave tonight...
I want to go more than you'll ever know. However, REALITY calls.
4) Oh, and that last paper you were supposed to write but I never assigned? Have it done for the day of your exam.
As if I didn't have enough to do already...thanks a billion!
3) I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves....
And this is how it goes...AUUGGHH! Curse you and your annoying songs of doom!!!
2) What are you talking about? Today's calculus exam is cumulative, the professor only said so half a dozen times...
...oh, crap...
1) Didn't you hear? That exam was moved to Saturday... Last Saturday.
...Holy crap!!!! Well, there goes my grade point average...
Monday, December 6, 2010
1 Down, 7 to Go...
Today was the last day of my first semester of my bachelor's degree, and I honestly thought that I'd be happier about it then I am... I mean, it means that I've made it, right? With only final exams left to do, and rather comfortable marks going in, the chances of me flunking out now are super slim (unless I do something like skip them, in which case I would deserve to flunk out for my own stupidity). And after that, I have the whole ten days leading up to Christmas to enjoy the holiday season, which is about a gazillion times better then the two to three days we would get in high school.
Even with all this going for the prospect of me being happy about my current situation, I can't help feeling a little bit sad. I think the main reason is that I know that the excitement of this past semester is forever in the past, now. Try as I might, there is not a chance of me meeting as many new people as I did this semester. And then there was the fun of making sure I looked great almost all the time (because, hey, I'll probably be meeting someone new today!). There was also the novelty of starting over, which, for me, was a completely new and amazing experience since I grew up in a small town and up until this semester have gone to school with the exact same people (and I never quite fit in).
But now I'm established. I know the halls of my university (almost) as well as I knew the halls of my high school last year. I've explored the school and its grounds, I've made some friends and we have chosen our hangout spot. I know exactly when I have to leave the house and about when I can expect to get home. In short, the routine's been set, and to be honest, I've had so much fun setting it up that I'm really sad it's over.
On the plus side, though, I accomplished my goal of never wearing sweatpants to school. =D
Even with all this going for the prospect of me being happy about my current situation, I can't help feeling a little bit sad. I think the main reason is that I know that the excitement of this past semester is forever in the past, now. Try as I might, there is not a chance of me meeting as many new people as I did this semester. And then there was the fun of making sure I looked great almost all the time (because, hey, I'll probably be meeting someone new today!). There was also the novelty of starting over, which, for me, was a completely new and amazing experience since I grew up in a small town and up until this semester have gone to school with the exact same people (and I never quite fit in).
But now I'm established. I know the halls of my university (almost) as well as I knew the halls of my high school last year. I've explored the school and its grounds, I've made some friends and we have chosen our hangout spot. I know exactly when I have to leave the house and about when I can expect to get home. In short, the routine's been set, and to be honest, I've had so much fun setting it up that I'm really sad it's over.
On the plus side, though, I accomplished my goal of never wearing sweatpants to school. =D
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Comfort Foods! :)
You know the feeling. You've had an awful day, possibly including traffic jams, failed exams, getting dumped or maybe fired, and that's not to mention the whole host of other things that can effectively ruin a day. You know the drill, you come home feeling awful, like you want to curl up in a ball and crawl right into bed before things get any worse than they already are.
But then, you get home, and surprise! There is your favorite food, just sitting invitingly on the countertop. Almost like a consolation prize. Sure, you didn't win the new Cadillac, but here's a delicious bowl of wonderful to cheer you up. You crawl into some comfy clothes, wrap yourself in a blanket, and eat up.
Suddenly, the world doesn't seem like such a terrible place after all. And how could it, while you're scarfing down your favorite food?
Like a delicious little superhero, it has swooped in to save the day! Because it was there for you to eat, and recharge your faith in humanity, the day can be salvaged! You carry on, a million times better then ten minutes ago.
So let's hear it for comfort food. Be it ketchup chips, chocolate cake, or good old Kraft dinner, it's always around to save the day, and that makes it worth celebrating. :)
But then, you get home, and surprise! There is your favorite food, just sitting invitingly on the countertop. Almost like a consolation prize. Sure, you didn't win the new Cadillac, but here's a delicious bowl of wonderful to cheer you up. You crawl into some comfy clothes, wrap yourself in a blanket, and eat up.
Suddenly, the world doesn't seem like such a terrible place after all. And how could it, while you're scarfing down your favorite food?
Like a delicious little superhero, it has swooped in to save the day! Because it was there for you to eat, and recharge your faith in humanity, the day can be salvaged! You carry on, a million times better then ten minutes ago.
So let's hear it for comfort food. Be it ketchup chips, chocolate cake, or good old Kraft dinner, it's always around to save the day, and that makes it worth celebrating. :)
Friday, November 26, 2010
Back to Basics
When I started this blog, my sole purpose was simply to keep track of my own college experience and in essence create a sort of "scrapbook" of my first year. Since then, I've taken some major liberties with my theme, not that I regret them, but today I've decided would be a perfect day to get back to a good old college post. I'm talking exam stress.
Yup, for those of us on "the inside", it's stressing season. While some are already diligently toiling away trying to memorize names, dates, formulas and other lovely things, most of us (myself included) are still in the procrastination stage. But the reality is: they are looming, they are coming, and soon they'll Be HEEEEERRRREEE....
Naturally, this puts stress levels for me at an all time high. Even though I'm pretty sure I'm in no danger of failing any courses, the pressure is still being felt. Strongly. I'm still somewhat behind in my coursework and there's a stupid amount of studying to be had.
Hopefully my head won't explode in the next three weeks...at any rate, if I suddenly stop posting new blog posts, you'll definitely know what happened to me...
Yup, for those of us on "the inside", it's stressing season. While some are already diligently toiling away trying to memorize names, dates, formulas and other lovely things, most of us (myself included) are still in the procrastination stage. But the reality is: they are looming, they are coming, and soon they'll Be HEEEEERRRREEE....
Naturally, this puts stress levels for me at an all time high. Even though I'm pretty sure I'm in no danger of failing any courses, the pressure is still being felt. Strongly. I'm still somewhat behind in my coursework and there's a stupid amount of studying to be had.
Hopefully my head won't explode in the next three weeks...at any rate, if I suddenly stop posting new blog posts, you'll definitely know what happened to me...
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Gettin' In the Spirit
So, we here in Edmonton have officially made it through the season I (less than affectionately) like to call "Winter Sucks, Part 1". If you want to know my reasoning for doing so, I would advise you to consult this article. Anyway, we're pretty much through the guarenteed not-funness of the first week of actual winter conditions (temperatures, road conditions, not being prepared for the weather, etc) and on to what I more affectionately refer to as "the Month or so for Which Winter Does Not Suck". Basically, for me, all of the things those lucky few who enjoy Winter love about it tend to be most noticable about now while the things that make me hate it are at their most tolerable.
For instance, the snow. At its worst, it causes car accidents, blows in your face, piles itself annoyingly over your windsheild, only to replenish itself after you brush it off, and hurts when you get a ball of it in the face at point-blank range. However, when the Christmas decorations are just starting to come out, and the Christmas hymns are just starting to be played in church, there is not a more welcome sight. Snow covers everything in this tranquil white blanket, making Christmas lights look less out of place and making everything look like it could be featured on a Christmas card. It sets the mood. :)
And maybe it's just my imagination, but it actually easier to get along with people in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I don't think I've fought with either of my brothers at all this week (which normally is quite a feat, believe me). One of them even gave me a piggyback so I wouldn't have to wade through a snowbank and chose a CD to play in my car specifically because he thought I would like it. Even my dad, who generally hates putting out Christmas ornaments spent over an hour trying to fix burnt out lights on our pre-lit Christmas tree. Ultimately, the endeavour was not a success because the problem wasn't actually the lights themselves and we had to go out and buy a new one, but not only did he put a significant amount of time into trying to fix it with minimal complaining, he hardly complained about buying a new tree.
And I think that's what I love most about this time of year. It seems like people are just closer to one another. I love the comraderie everyone seems to share. I guess I'd better enjoy it while it lasts, though, because pretty soon we'll be into "Winter Sucks, part 2".
For instance, the snow. At its worst, it causes car accidents, blows in your face, piles itself annoyingly over your windsheild, only to replenish itself after you brush it off, and hurts when you get a ball of it in the face at point-blank range. However, when the Christmas decorations are just starting to come out, and the Christmas hymns are just starting to be played in church, there is not a more welcome sight. Snow covers everything in this tranquil white blanket, making Christmas lights look less out of place and making everything look like it could be featured on a Christmas card. It sets the mood. :)
And maybe it's just my imagination, but it actually easier to get along with people in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I don't think I've fought with either of my brothers at all this week (which normally is quite a feat, believe me). One of them even gave me a piggyback so I wouldn't have to wade through a snowbank and chose a CD to play in my car specifically because he thought I would like it. Even my dad, who generally hates putting out Christmas ornaments spent over an hour trying to fix burnt out lights on our pre-lit Christmas tree. Ultimately, the endeavour was not a success because the problem wasn't actually the lights themselves and we had to go out and buy a new one, but not only did he put a significant amount of time into trying to fix it with minimal complaining, he hardly complained about buying a new tree.
And I think that's what I love most about this time of year. It seems like people are just closer to one another. I love the comraderie everyone seems to share. I guess I'd better enjoy it while it lasts, though, because pretty soon we'll be into "Winter Sucks, part 2".
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