Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Tee Dum Tuesday

Hullo

I had a very interesting time thinking up what this post would talk about.
It was a very pointed view of
how we/I take myself too seriously,
which I had planned to wrap in my
usual lyricallness
What made me decide against this was the fact that I was very serious
and sure of my correct opinion on the subject.
Thus, I felt it better to tell you that,
and leave that subject where it is.
Perhaps another post
at a future date.
I did get to spend time with some of the fams this past weekend.
(Those of you who weren't there
really missed out.
Dad and I caught some
fish.... But we didn't eat any.)
It was so cool to be with most e'erybody,
though Uncle Jim and Aunt Nancy couldn't make it
(Love you!!!!)
and some others.
Mostly we swam, and ate yummy food, and talked alot.

And as my brother Juan so eloquently sang
"Gimme the people
tha' can free ma soul"
:D

Silly me: I wore my glasses over some sunglasses
Silly Johnny: Had some amazing art displayed

Love you all :)

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Bibliotecario

Hello,

So here I am in Charlottesville. I really enjoy my apartment. Biking to work and back is also nice.

I spend a lot of my time working at the library. So much that I've been thinking about making a business card with "Bibliotecario Universitario", simply because it sounds so cool. Although I've heard that in a few countries, they say "bibliotecólogo".
We had a small sea, or possibly a medium-sized great lake, of books to shelve at the end of the semester, with students and professors bringing in carloads of books, some of which they'd had checked out continuously for years, and dumping them in the bookdrops. So we sorted, scanned and shelved, and shelved some more. Then there was a moment's reprieve, after which we had graduation, which brought another great lake of books. Oh, did I mention? The elevator is broken. During finals, elevator use spikes almost as high as sleep deprivation rates. Unused to the heavy load (you think that UVA jogging addicts don't weigh much until you pack 12 of them in one elevator), the poor elevator starts to complain. It does so by continuing to accept passengers, but not always letting them out. At least, not right away. So they shut down the elevator, and we take some of our books down by hand, and the rest we cart over to the neighboring Alderman Library, use their elevator to bring carts of books down several flights, then bring them back to our library via the secret underground tunnels.

In my other job at Hereford, I work mostly in gardening, and it's been nice and rewarding as well. I planted some melons the other day.

Check out this link: http://tjdemogarden.wordpress.com/ if you want to see a bit about some of the stuff we're doing.

Today (Saturday) I got a call from a friend and heard that Jill, one of the people I home teach, was in a car accident. Holland (one of my roommates, he's a great guy) took me over to the ER, and then to Jill's apartment. She was shaken up, but is doing well and is still cheerful. Please keep her in your prayers. The car might have been totaled, but hopefully, it'll be fixable.

Love you all and hope you all enjoy your memorial day weekend to its fullest.

Joseph

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Twelve O'clock Tuesday (Wot Wot!)

The title has nothing to do with the blog. It is to just point out late it took me to get around to this :D
I promise you guys are
important.
So, I being in the strange situation of being with
some of mi familia,
(Strange: not referring to being with
them,
but rather the upcoming phenomena.
Hold your horses.)
that strangeness being in that:
I had no idea they were thinking about their blog
subject.
It goes to show we all have lots going on in our
heads than we let other peoples know.
And they do too.
So.. yeah. We all peoples.
And we think.
And we deduce.
And we consider.
And we are right.
And we are wrong.
And we are.

Sorry for brevity. :D

Silly me: I waited this long.
Silly someone else: Read through this :D

Luvs!!!!!!




Monday, May 23, 2011

Today is Monday - Adri

Yaaayyy, ok, so did you know that we've been keeping the quote book full of funny things since 2006? That's FIVE YEARS!! Isn't that awesome?! So, today, my blog is a tribute to that awesomeness.
Here are some of my favorites ^^ feel free to post own  :D

Richard (while driving): Is it appropriate etiquette to flash someone... (long pause) um... with your lights?
Joseph: Only in France Richard.


And still Andrew’s Eagle Project. Adrianna and Johnny had been singing for quite some time.
Dad: Will you two be quiet?
Richard: You can’t get them to stop singing. It’s like asking birds not to fly You have to break their wings.

Adrianna and I were talking on her gchat. Dakota wanted to check his email on her laptop.
Adrianna: send him an email really quick
 me: what about?
 Adrianna: anything
 me: anything?
  kk
  :)
 Adrianna: send him a funny picture
I sent him a picture of a kid stuck in a toilet. Dakota thought it was hilarious. Adrianna looked at the picture, then at Dakota.
Adrianna: Hey koda, if I clean the toilet...
Dakota: No!!! No, no no!

Adrianna (to Ruth): I’m not mature enough for you to have a relationship.

Jyna: There are only two things I ask Ruth: ‘Are you decent?’ and  ‘Did you just wake up from a nap?’

 




 

Friday, May 20, 2011

Filling in the Gaps

Let's be honest, there is a LOT of stuff in the world. Far, far too much to deal with. Just think about all the sensory information that's assaulting you when you're sitting in a crowded cafeteria or stadium. Your brain is getting all these signals from your eyes, analyzing the signals to pick out intersecting lines, identify distinct objects and figure out what's connected, what's not, where it all is, how fast it's moving etc. It also labels all these objects with their respective names when you need them, and also their uses. On the auditory side of things, there are dozens of different conversations happening within earshot, each sound , and probably a dozen or so ambient background noises running constantly underneath it all.


So what do you do? You cut things out. Prioritize. It's a complicated process, but your brain basically takes most of the information you get, looks at it, decides what's important, and forwards that to the higher levels of consciousness and processing, while the rest gets shunted off in the subconscious, often to be dumped entirely after you don't need it.

Example: You're in this restaurant, and you suddenly hear someone say your first name, and you turn around. You didn't hear anything else they said, but your brain picked up the sounds that make up "your name" and forwarded it up to the higher levels of attention. You weren't following their conversation, but cause you caught some sensory stimuli that was unique and meaningful, it grabbed your attention, and you stopped tuning out their conversation and instead focused on it.

(There are mixed opinions on how much you actually "perceive" or unconsciously follow conversations around you. It seems more likely that your attention roams around every so often and then focuses on anything it considers important.)

So that's a simplistic example of how you tune out, and then focus in on different stimuli. But here's another question. What does your brain do when there's not enough?


But despite the huge amounts of info bombarding you every second of the day, there's still a lot that is incomplete. Just like the image on your TV set gets fuzzy or erratic as the signal gets weaker or your antenna picks up interference, there is a lot of "static" in sensory info too. And in other cases, there are just plain gaps in the information.

Somebody honks a horn while you talk to a friend, and you don't catch one of the sounds they said. A computer would have a huge problem interpreting the sentence, but you don't.
Why not? Your brain fills in the gaps.


To see how it works, let's look at an experiment done by Warren & Warren (1970). People heard a recording of the following sentences.

It was found that the *eel was on the axle.
It was found that the *eel was on the shoe.
It was found that the *eel was on the orange.
It was found that the *eel was on the table.

Right at the asterisk, they spliced in a cough. Each sentence was identical, except for the very last word.
Now the interesting thing is they heard different sounds at that asterisk, in each sentence. What's happening?

Well, as you listen to speech, your brain is constantly analyzing things for meaning, and trying to make sense of what is being said. A lot of this involves picking out sounds, identifying them as words, as parts of speech, etc. In speech, a lot of the sounds we think we hear are actually never articulated. So what the brain does instead is think " I heard 'the eel was on the axel. I've never seen an eel on an axel. They're not generally found anywhere near axels. There was a bit of a cough at the beginning of 'eel', so I'm guessing I missed a sound there. Ok, what is probably on the [axel, shoe, orange, etc]?

And so your brain inserts the sound w to make weel, h to make heel, p to make peel, and m to make meal. This is known as the Phoneme Restoration Effect.

The process by which it decides what word actually was is reallly cool, but I don't have time to go into it, and I'd need to study it as well.

So this is one of many interesting examples of when you hear things that really aren't there. Yes, everyone hears things that aren't there. And here you thought Johnny was special.

Other Gaps which are Filled

You have a "blind spot" in your field of vision. Your optic nerve has to leave out the back of your eyeball, and any light that hits that exit spot isn't sensed. But we don't see any holes in our vision (usually). Why not? Your brain looks all around that blind spot, averages the color, looks at any patterns, and literally fills in the gap. Check this link out if you want to see it in action.

The McGurk effect is a super-cool example of how your brain takes different sensory info and combines it to try and make more sense and fill in gaps. Here's a video which may or may not be cool, cause I haven't gotten to see this particular one.

Wlel, I konw you hvae seen tihs boerfe, but I thuogh taht it wuold be a ufuesl doiaeomrsnttn aynawy. Eevn tohguh olny the first and last leettr are in the right oderr, you're biran siltl ulamnscrebs it.
Yeah, your brain takes the scrambled letters, and puts it more or less in the right order.

In reading comprehension, studies suggest that one of the problems kids with poor reading face isn't simply decoding the letters into sounds, but instead not having enough background knowledge for their brains to "fill in the gaps" in the writing and help them understand what's going on.

Can you all think of other situations where our brain fills in the gap? Or where other things do? If you survived reading this far, go ahead and post your own examples!



P.S.
I meant to edit this a lot more, and streamline/clarify/cutout a few things. And fix grammatical errors. But I didn't!! Hooray!

P.P.S.
Did you notice? I removed the "be" from all my "because"s! And your brain filled in the gaps!

Sorry I am late

I had the intention of posting yesterday but alas I did not. And so I'm posting now! (I'm sorry Joseph, I don't mean to distract from your post).
So as you know I am in NYC because sadly the beastmobile is no more, and yesterday I had an interview for an internship with the River Project, a nonprofit that works with research and environmental education on the ecosystems in the Hudson River. I have the internship, I just need to wait for their further instructions via email. My interviewer showed me the wet lab, where they keep some fish, seahorses, oysters, etc. in a tank system where water is brought in from the Hudson and then put back out. They even had a pregnant male seahorse! Anyway, I'm really happy I got this opportunity.
Wednesday Olivia and I were walking around the city when we stopped by a British store. It was sooo cool. There were two older gentlemen having tea on a table there talking with british accents about how one of them was going to visit England for three weeks. Unfortunately I couldn't find much tea but there were a bunch of weird brands of things, a bunch of crackers, and all the potato chips had weird flavors (the most normal was sour cream and onions. There was also mature cheddar and red onions and even prawn flavored ones). There was also canned haggis, which is minced sheep heart, liver, and lungs, and vegetarian haggis, which I have no clue what that is like. Olivia and I got a potato, cheese and onion wrapped sort of like a turnover that was really good.
Today Olivia got me some "dynamite" pickles from the farmer's market, which are these really spicy really good pickles. Needless to say I am happy.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Toosday

Hello all :D

A little boy sat,
amazed at the sounds
he made,
The little tin whistle
screeching with high
pitched noise.
He'd never learned
to play the thing,
and yet there he was, playing.

A young man sat,
stumped as to what
to say,
The familiar keys
not stringing words
like they used to.
He'd written many
many words before....
and yet there he was, stumped.

Sometimes we feel like one,
sometimes the other.
But everyone feels
a little like both at times.
In truth, we are a combine
made up of both strengths
and weaknesses.
Strong times
and weak times.
We ne'er succeed
in all we do.
But we never fail at everything
either.

And so, we probably shouldn't see others as one extreme, nor expect of them the other.
The big part would be knowing
when you're needing the hand of another under yours,
steadying your gait
and when you can be that hand,
strengthening your brother.

I've thought some about my blogs, and how general they are. They're like those thin, huge blankets; the ones that can be easily shared between a number of people,
huddled around the fire. They don't really work as good blankets, so thin, and unable to be totally snugly and warm like a huge Korean blanket. But maybe close to the fire, they could be just that comfort blanket, whose presence is nice. Not really needed, but nice to have.

Silly things about...
me: I was dead after a ten-minute workout with Johnny
Johnny: He kept going for ten minutes longer :D

Wish I could be with everybody right now
Maybe soon :)
Luvs you all

Monday, May 16, 2011

Update Day! YAY! - Dri

Ok, so, today has been a long day. So, I will use that as an excuse to write a short blog. I know you will all be so incredibly depressed; so, in return for this short blog, I promise to maybe release part one of my secret project next monday!!! YAY!!! :D

You're probably now asking yourself, "Sooo, where the heck are the updates?"
Hold your horses! Sheesh!!
[just felt like I'd go Richard style for a bit ^^]
sooooo, updates --> I went to the orthodontist today, I'm completely done with exams, I just won risk for the second time in a row, I made awesome spaghetti and meatballs today, Richard made awesome french bread today, I'm starting an intense job search tomorrow, I'm cutting Richard's hair tomorrow too, Johnny had a banquet for his armsfield scholarship today (wooooot!!), and Ruth is coming home on the 23rd!!!!! :D :D :D 

Richard says, "Something funny."

The End


(Just Kidding) P.S. - missionaries are awesome!!!



Sunday, May 15, 2011

Bake sales and winning: An association game

I asked Adrianna what I should write about, and she replied, "Bake sales and winning." So here goes.

I do not understand the point of a competition bake-sale where you buy something before you know how it tastes. What is there to go on then? You're not buying the cupcakes to look at (not that there's anything wrong with having pretty food). When you don't taste it first, you are basing your decision on only two things: appearance and reputation. Because the perception of the reputation (Anna always bakes amazing desserts) and the evaluation of the actuality (this cupcake tastes funny) are separated temporally, the evaluation does not always serve to correct the perceived reality.

Which makes me think about people and how quickly they can change and how long the idea/perception others have of them can take to catch up. Maybe Adrianna used to make disgusting quiche (No offense adri. I'm sure your quiche is as delicious as quiche can be [which is to say not very]), but while she was at college she learned to make quiche that even I would like. Unfortunately, we've all spent so much time thinking of Adrianna as someone who makes bad quiche (not because we like to criticize her, only because it's one of the many things that makes her a fully realized person for us), and the lack of any evidence to the contrary (as she is away at school) only serves to confirm us in this belief. But the thing is Adrianna makes amazing quiche, quiche to die for. But nobody wants to eat it.

Adrianna, that was hypothetical. I will always eat your food. As long as it is not quiche. And has no barbecue in it.

The same goes for everyone's food. Remember Andrew's experiments with "Andrew's Everybody's Favorite Cookies"? I ate from the first batch before we even knew what they tasted like. Ok, so maybe they were made with a deliciously insane amount of sugar and chocolate, so it wasn't that much of risk, but still.

I will not, however, always clean up after people's food experiments. For the short stint of childhood when my chore was to clear the table (before the sorrowful sweeping days), I cleaned up more of Johnny's french dressing soups than I care to remember.

This was especially not-fun as the smell of french dressing makes me feel sick. And why is it unacceptable to dislike salad dressing? When I visited New York my friends and I had dinner at Serendipity. I said I didn't want dressing, and the waiter was convinced that I had to be some kind of eccentric spy (I do not know why). It was all a moot point anyway; I just fed the salad to Jyna (That makes her sound like a rabbit. In reality, she is a person).

I apologize guys; this has nothing to do with winning. But what does really? It's all relative.

Also, I am very very tired and am sure this thing is riddled with fragments, punctuation errors, and missing words. Good luck deciphering it,

Love you all.
ruth

Sidenote: I wish there was a way to speak correctly without sounding like a pretentious idiot. Take the impersonal pronouns example. Who says, "When one buys cupcakes"? Maneuvering words so sentences don't end in prepositions is even worse. "Does one see the problem of which I am talking?"

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Really?

Quote of the day: Oh... Dad, Dad! Today's your day to post. --- Adrianna one minute ago.

So, thank you Adrianna for the reminder.

The fever is gone but the snot remains. Adrianna had the crud through her finals. Johnny got it next in time for his AP tests, now I'm about done with it I hope. Perhaps we'll be able to stop it here without carrying it to Charlottesville. :)

I recorded a rendition of 'I Just Can't Wait to be King' by Adrianna and Johnny, but they won't grant publishing rights. I suppose you'll all have to request a live performance.

I find it strange that when video is involved singing is no big deal, but if it is audio only it isn't okay... Like the stupid things we sing are BETTER or less embarrassing when you get to watch us DO stupid things at the same time??? I mean fireflies is already online for the world, and most of you acknowledge being related to me... so what's the difference? :)

The current song they are working on is 'Make a Man Out of You' from Mulan.... sounds like we need a family performance of the whole repertoire. Time to move on to something else.

More on the random theme of Really?

Our Brains as Data Recorders
An experiment recently successfully turned off part of people's brains in an attempt to simulate Savant symptoms (both positive and negative). The limited study supports the hypothesis that Savant skills may be a result of direct access to raw data EVERYONE is already storing, but that normal people can't access directly.... Moses 6:61 anyone? or maybe Alma 11:42?

Energy-->Matter-->Information or Energy-->Information-->Matter?
The idea that the universe may actually be a holographic projection.... ?! is mathematically and experimentally supportable but certainly not provable yet. Fermilab is designing an instrument called a holimeter sensitive enough to tell if the 'pixelization' or static in space time picked up by current technology indicates a holographic universe or not. Current projections are that the project may be complete by 2013 (or the end of 2012) Get ready to say goodbye to the third dimension??? D&C 131? D&C 138:1-2? Alma 40? Or maybe not... but it is interesting

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Tuuueeesssssdddaaayy :D

It's Tuesday!!!
:D
We're so happy
because this means that we
get to read Richard's witty thoughts
and awesome jokes.
An-
Yeah ok, so I'm done inflating my head :D
On to other things
Other things:

if you take two really unhealthy things, and
put them together in a bowl with a spoon,
what do you get?
canned peaches
and ice cream.
yum

this is what i call
the "dysfunctional question"
(keep the fun in dysfunctional!)
dysfunctional question is where you have an
absolutely question general And specific;
that is, very general in appearance (two unhealthy
things; in a bowl/with a spoon is a little more aimed)
and yet requiring a very specific answer: canned peaches
and ice cream.

Technically, alot of things could have
fit in the question's category.
chocolate syrup and ice cream
for example, or
Squirrel gravy and pork rinds.
(Pass the pork scratchings chap!)
However, the whole point of the question
was the very specific answer:
canned peaches and ice cream.

This of course only works on individual and inside knowledge basis.
Only those cool peeps who had dinner with me understand that
I brought this up because I had peaches and ice cream for dinner.
(Although,
I bet most of you postulated that
pretty soon thereafter)
In any case, this is a concept I just came up with.
Give it a try.
(Note: no dissing, unkind, innuenduous, or otherwise noncool dysfunctional question-answer; or else, Richard [that's me] will be sad)

Silly things:
I brought Ruthie nachos and salsa today! because my refrigerator is leaving eventually with my roommate (that is to say, my roommate's fridge, which I use, is leaving soon.)
Ruthie named her sewing machine Lester!

Luvs!! :D

Friday, May 6, 2011

Every now and then it hits me how weird it is that we can do this.

Hello and welcome to Yet Another Friday,

Congratulations folks, the fact that you're reading this means that not only have you survived another week, it also means you still have internet access via personal or public networks! Isn't that great? We live in an age where instant communication is almost universal and incredibly cheap. It means that you can instantly communicate people across the world regardless of geo-political borders! The dream of thousands of scientists and explores has been realized. That's right, you can communicate with pretty much anyone, anytime, anywhere. Provided they have internet access of one sort or another You could quite easily send messages to people in Ukraine or Moldova or the Philippines. But you don't, because you don't know anyone there.

Kind of ironic?

Yes.

But not particularly surprising. Why would you know anyone in Moldova? It's not like you've ever been there. Heck, you don't even speak Moldovan. While email does transcend language barriers, you for the most part don't.

So what does it mean, the fact that physical limitations on message sending is nigh-negligent? Well, it means we get to hear from one another, get news faster, do business easier, etc. I can (and inadvertently did) order used textbooks from Thailand, and have them shipped off in less time than it would take for me to persuade someone to drive me to Wal-mart. I repeat: It's easier for me to buy statistics books from THAILAND than it is to get to the nearest large grocery store.

What does that mean?

I frankly have no idea. The implications are too big, too far-reaching for me to condense them into a casual analysis. The cultural, economic, political implications of the technological age are astounding. I'm the first to admit I really don't understand its full consequences. But I will say this, the repercussions of the power of instant communication are complex, with many advantages and disadvantages.

But in the end, it's pretty freaking cool.

Not Andrew, Not Thursday.

As Andrew is preoccupied with Pokemon Soul Silver at the moment, he has given the consent for me write his weekly blog update.

So far Andrew has collected 229 pokemon out of the 315 he has seen. You may not think that is a big deal, but Professor Oak thinks he is doing a very good job. As we know, it is only Professor Oak's opinion that matters.

Yesterday, Andrew stuffed birds with his mentor, Lynne. He stuffed a male eastern towhee. He did not come back smelling funny, as he did all last summer.

He was supposed to help her again today because of a power outage that defrosted a whole bunch of animals in the Bio freezer, turning them into what he described to me as a "fermenting soup". But it didn't end up happening, as Lynne decided to just chuck the whole thing out.

At the same time Andrew was stuffing the bird, I was far away in Chapel Hill, with one of my professors. Why? Just for FUN. I also got to eat lunch with some professors the other day and gossip about students who failed. Only at Guilford!

Anyway, I was in Chapel Hill for fun, and it was really pretty out there. But I also realized they were ALL WHITE over there. I so I whispered to my professor "Everyone is White!" and we laughed for a while about it. She's one of the people who picked me for the Riversville Scholarship, which selects high achieving African American students at select universities on the east coast. I won 12,000 dollars! WHOOP WHOOP! Other than that though, I really liked Chapel Hill. I also learned that you get ripped of if you have to pay for your doctoral degree! Which makes the future just a little more bright.

Slowly I am preparing for Andrew to leave for Kenya. I was planning to on going abroad too, however with the community involvement of the Riversville scholarship and the beginning of the Bi/Multiracial group on campus, I just could not leave with a clear conscious. So, now I have a free summer ahead of me! Thus, I strongly encourage you to visit me in my turf up in NYC, if I am not in Costa Rica or Pennsylvania.

Andrew has grown so much in the time since I met an awkward guy at a dance who would not talk unless I prodded him. He is is spiritual, intellectual, and adventurous. Also, he is a very pretty boy. My family absolutely LOVES him, and even my Dad is excited to see him a little bit over the summer. It's also really cool that we can both talk to eachother's moms really comfortably too.

Also, one last observation, that Andrew is too chicken to bring up himself: Why don't you let him do opening prayer anymore? Seriously, you're just missing out.

Peace,
Olivia

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Remembering Wednesday

Well, I wrote this on Monday so I wouldn't forget yesterday.... oops.

Andrew don't feel obligated to put off your post, just cause i can't remember mine.... if it's up for five mins before being replaced, it's only cause i can't seem to remember days...


It is Wednesday isn't it? (not any more...)Actually I'm haven't done the greatest job of posting lately.... Ok, enough with the self serving understatements.... This is the first post since March!

As is often the case with my posts, this is a once off stream of consciousness rough draft with not so much as a thesis in mind as I type.

For starters--In some ways this is a transition time for our family. So many people are off on a new phase of their lives this summer or at the end of it.

Joseph: I hope your summer in Charlottesville goes as planned and even better.

Ruth: Job searching can be fun... and I mean that with every bit of irony I can muster. As you already know, finding a good fit and being happy is important along with making sure you have a full stomach.

Andrew: I'm excited about your scholarship, and hope that one of the internship works out the way you would like.

Adrianna: Switching to UCA--and Nursing! or Maybe (but probably not) taking a semester off to work? I'm really wanting to see UCA's answer....soon!

Richard: Your mission call should be coming any time. See Adri's last sentence above :) No... not litterally... take out UCA and liken it unto yourself. Missions aren't perfect--'cause people aren't. But the opportunity to serve others is certainly more than worth it.

Johnny: UVA! I knew the decision was close, but my reads on your leanings seemed to indicate otherwise. So... are you a trend bucker because the facebook poll said UNC, or a trend follower with family ties.... My take? neither one. Like Chuck Norris, trends are irrelevant to you. Others start trends in ATTEMPTING to follow you. (Does Chuck even know the word irrelevant? I'm not sure, but Johnny does.)

In short, I love all of you and am proud of the good things you are doing. I'm missing all of you already, but time marches on. I hope it ends up being possible for us all to work out a little time together this summer.

Me: Looking for a job (see Ruth above and apply to me).... Lease at this house is up this summer as well... will be in Dobson through summer at least...

On to lighter things! (I know this is backwards from the normal.)

Oh... lets just save the lighter things for next post!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Time for Tuesday! :{D

I want to play a game with you all.
but first, you need to know how to :D

Adri: i want to start a game
it will be on facebook
me: goop
Adri: i'll invite you
me: no
game here
on chat
goop
you take the word
change one letter
Adri: what?
me: so example
food
fool
cool
cood
good
gold
me: told
Adri: fold
Sent at 2:22 PM on Tuesday
me: hold
Adri: sold
me: sole
Adri: mole
me: hole
Adri: hale
me: tale
Adri: tall
me: fall
Adri: ball
me: bail
Adri: sail
me: fail
Adri: tail
me: wail
Adri: pail
me: pain
Adri: rain
me: main
Adri: mail
me: maul
Adri: haul
me: hail
....................
Sent at 2:34 PM on Tuesday
Adri: nair
me: is that a word?
Adri: it is!
me: well
...........................
me: is it a common or proper noun?
Adri: among girls maybe
me: ....
me: well then
i think you win
i cannot find anthing
if thats legit
*anything
Adri: mwahahaha!!!
YAY!!!

you can see where we're going with this.
Assignment:
1)Find a buddy/family member
2)have some fun.
If you don't have a
buddy ( heaven forbid)
then call/chat me up.
I'll be free most of this week :D

(me: card
Adri: fard
me: bard
Adri: lard
me: ‫לַרכ‬
Adri: nada
me: lets try that aga
*again
lark
srry
hebrew hiccup
Adri: hahahahahahaha)
:D

luvs everyone!!!!
:)

Monday, May 2, 2011

Last Monday- Dri

I almost forgot about the blog again today, but a little fairy texted me and reminded me to post. So, here I am posting!

Not too much is going on right now. I've got my U.S. History Exam on Wednesday and I'm going to finish packing tomorrow.

Today was my last day in Greensboro. It's kind of come to a bittersweet end here. I haven't really put myself out there. So, I haven't come to be really close with anybody here. And, I'll miss them, but I'm not sad I'm leaving. I'm hoping that with a new school next year, will come a fresh start :)

Anyhoo, I am very very very excited for summer!!! :D I want to cook lots of awesome things, and play badminton, and swim in the river, and go star gazing, and camping, and I want to make cool crafty things, and go hiking, and roast marshmallows, and have water fights, and do all the awesome things that come with summer!!!! ^_^ I want to spend time with everybody; so, even if you don't plan on staying at home for the summer, you have to at least visit me for a few days!! Got it?! And, if that's absolutely not possible, I will HUNT YOU DOWN!!! And then force you to spend time with me :D Es because I loooovvveee yyyooouuuu!

All of these awesome things + family and friends + no school is what makes summer my favorite season :D (this makes me think, "Hey! I don't know everybody elses' favorite season!!" So, GO! also, give reasons :D)

P.S. I think I've decided to take ASL and Spanish instead of German. Go figure.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

I have three facts for you all.

Classes end on Tuesday.
Exams start Thursday (though I do have two tomorrow).
And I have senioritis. Reeeaaalll bad. Soooo bad, I worded that last fragment that way on purpose. I'm not even going to correct it. My spelling is horrible. My grammar is deteriorating. I'm leaving out words and letters left and right. (Just ask Andrew.) It's a good thing I finished all my papers already, or I'd be screwed (though I do have essays on some of my exams. Hm..... something will have to be done about this).

Every semester, I have this short little stint right in the middle of finals where all I want to do is pack. This is not because I want to leave. It's mostly about procrastination. Plus, I really just love packing. After trying desperately to shove all the information you can into your head in preparation for ambiguous and poorly defined questions (trust me, they often are), it is nice to be able to organize and consolidate (yay for consolidation!), to have concrete objects in front of you that you can completely control. It's also nice to be able to do something completely on your own, without waiting for other parties (professors, group mates, etc) involved.

But this year packing is the last thing on my mind, for many reasons. The most prominent of these is probably that this time, once I pack up and head out, I actually won't be coming back. Also, I will be here for quite some time after finals are over, so it really doesn't make much sense to pack right now.

So what do I do to procrastinate? Sleep!!
Ok, so not really. I took a nap today for the first time in months, and it was very nice.

Random details about my week:
I stole Yolanda's croutons from her salad on Thursday and threw them to a friendly squirrel.
I set a croissant on fire in the dining hall (apparently they don't toast so well).
Christine and I made the softest bread in the world yesterday in her bread machine. Seriously, it was amazing.

Hope you each had a good start to your week! Love you all,
Ruth