Yesterday was a sad day…

So, I enjoy watching football once and a while. I am not a “fair-weather fan,” but knowing that the Patriots are awesome I generally don’t start watching them play until the playoffs. I don’t have a whole seasons worth of time to give up to watch football, but I can spare a few Sunday afternoons in January. Well, my short season of football viewing has ended early… Sure, I’ll watch the SuperBowl, but just to see the commercials.

On a side now, I drew the short stick of sorts this week. Last week I found out that the poet I was assigned to write an essay (sort of) on, is the one we are talking about in class this week. I also have another paper that I have to write for Thursday that I thought I had time to work on this week, but that time is growing smaller. It’ll all happen, but I’m feeling the pressure a bit. Oh, I am reading a great book, Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger. It’s a true story about a German soldier in World War One. I’m reading it for my history class and we have to have it finished by Thursday, which will happen fine because I prefer this one over the current Jane Austen book that I also have to reads. My friend told me I was not romantic yesterday, because I preferred a war novel to Austen… I don’t think that is true, I just really don’t care for Austen.

An etching idea and a spew of thoughts

I have been struggling with finding something that inspires me to draw. This hasn’t stopped me from drawing, but nothing I have created as moved to the point where I believe I might want to take that idea, perfect it and then spend hours etching it for my printmaking class.

Today was inspiring though and I think I have an idea. I was sketching an eye that ended up creating as a floating mask-like shape over a line drawing of half of a face. I then drew a whole face using glasses as the mask with the eyes appearing “real” and the rest of the face just lines again. For me this represents a suggestion that we are wearing masks and the truth is revealed only through our eyes. We are normally flat, uninteresting creatures, but through holes in the mask we are able to look deeper into each other’s souls.

(On the left is the original inspiration and on the right is the quick sketch of the idea.)

I am not sure if I will use this idea, but I just thought I’d share with you.

School is going well. One week down… a trillion left (or so it seems). I am already beyond sick of Jane Austen. But that is an entirely different blog entry. Everything else is going well, I think. I am currently working on a short response paper covering my personal views on freedom of speech. Well, that is what I should have been doing instead of being inspired. I am probably going to go to bed. Did I mention that today was a really good day? Yes, it was. I am really thankful for friends, for an environment that inspires and for the reminder that I need to spend every day of my life serving God.

More details…

Today has been a great day. I have only had one class so far, but I predict a good semester. I feel more empowered and prepared. I made a list (note the picture) that I hope will keep me on track of things and help me keep the clutter in my head organized. I also have prepared ahead some of the things that stressed me out last semester (RA type things). Finally, I am looking forward to my classes – each for different reasons. This afternoon I had Intro to Economics. This class scares me a bit, but I think it will be very helpful for me post-graduation, so I am determined to do well. I am also taking a 20^th Century History class that intimidates me as well, but this will go hand in hand with my 20^th Century Poetry class, so because of that I am excited. I LOVE POETRY. I am also taking Printmaking - which I am excited about. I have the same teacher that I had for painting! And then I have two required classes, which I have mixed feelings towards, but I think these will still be enjoyable. One is a called Values and Virtues, which I will be able to tell you more about, once I actually attend the class. From what I understand it is a lot of debating points of views and understanding what our own personal worldview is and how to defend it. The other is Senior Seminar and as an English Major I am taking the Seminar in English… about Jane Austin. I do not desire to take a class on Jane Austin, I am not a fan of her books, but I am excited about the challenge this class will present. We will have to write a twenty-five-page paper.

This list makes me so happy... each color is a different part of my life and so forth...

FIRST DAY OF CLASSES!!!

Yeah!! First day of classes! I am excited.

I am ready… I think… for it all to start again.

School is starting again on Monday. It’s difficult to believe that Christmas break is already over. I have had a busy few weeks full of fun and excitement. I spent the first half of my break at my parents’ house and then traveled with my sister and her husband to their house and was able to visit friends in the DC area. I spent New Years Eve in DC, attending a masquerade ball. I had a fantastic time. I also spent part of my break moving all of my stuff out of storage in DC to my sister’s house.

I am now back in Chicago preparing for the return of all of the girls on my floor.

I am also tired, but there are things to do and people to see. So, I guess that is what I’ll be up to until school starts.