| Run-on Run-down |
[Apr. 3rd, 2009|12:44 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
Midterms went relatively painlessly--got the highest grade on the SOCY 4131 exam, somehow, and did surprisingly well on my geopolitics one. I was really disappointed with my Spanish lit grade though; it appears I spent too much time studying for the others and overlooked some important points. Eh.
Spring break was met with the usual amount of procrastination and gluttonous food & drink consumption on the pilgrimage back home. It was so nice to drive the 1100 miles and see myself inching closer and closer to my small town. Boulder really, really wears on me after awhile, even though it's so beautiful and intriguing to me, so I definitely needed to get out of here. I get that 'itchy blood' if I'm in CO for more than a year at a time...
As is my personal tradition when I go back home, I took a day to stare and sit by the Gulf on the West End, almost like a cliche. One can get a lot of thinking done with the meditative surges and retreats of the ocean water. I thought about the day I will return to this country forever from my (tentative) future travels and studies abroad; I thought about the nature of love and if Prof. Slater was right, "el amor es como la muerte"; I thought about the young women who broke the cycle in the Old West, who ran their horses across this same area to escape gripping paternalism, who loved as wildly as they thought.
Then I thought that I wanted to get back to the town and see my family. I love spending time with everyone, and I especially love getting to see the new generation of our family enter this world with such caring and colorful people who would undoubtedly lay down their lives for them. I know I definitely would.
I decided to take a different route home on a whim the day I left Houston; instead of going north forever then west then north again on the standard path, I took I-10 through the hill country and this glorious little highway straight up through the limestone cliffs and central plains of the state. On a journey that long, scenery is fucking crucial. I went through tiny towns and saw over 2000 wind turbines near Abilene (yeah, Texas IS on the cutting edge of renewable energy!); every time I saw the "WEST TO EL PASO" signs on I-10 and Hwy 84, I had to fight myself to not just keep going that way. There's something so compelling about heading west, especially when your other option is to go back to fucking snowed-in metro Denver.
Now I'm in my Boulder abode, writing to an invisible audience who may or may not think I'm an emotional mess. I am also working on a paper calling for policy change regarding the imaginations of violence along the Mex/US border, something that I've become very passionate about this semester. As much as I complain about coursework, I love putting my effort into a work like this and nerding out over old and new publications that I can mould into my own argument, like a mad scientist of political theory.
I am homesick, but I have more than one home. That is something that so many people cannot say, therefore I will not complain anymore. Spring is coming (once all this snow goes away), and as a good friend told me, "nothing beats spring and summer in Boulder, Colorado". Let us enjoy the sun and do silly things in the mountains, and soon. Hope to see you all there! |
|
|
| Fiction: Bailey channeling Buko |
[Feb. 10th, 2009|02:39 pm] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Judge Judy and the Rightist Evangelicals! | ] |
"There’s something to be said for 830am tea and girl talk, fueled not by the rising sun but rather the surge of serotonin and Valium and whatever amphetamine was in those pills. We sat at the breakfast table, hovered over the power-covered mirror with drinks in hand, our red leaking nostrils irrelevant as we chattered on about bad lovers and unreached dreams.
Call us the broken housewives of Boulder. I saw the roommates go to sleep at night and wake in the morning." |
|
|
| augh |
[Jan. 28th, 2009|02:16 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  uncomfortable | ] |
So there I was, ready to take on the day and headed to my noon class after an earlier one and a nice cup of organic coffee, when it struck--immediate sickness and sheer death-panic. Latin American politics (a 50-minute class) never seemed so long in history. I seriously thought I was dyin', y'all.
Anyway, I decided to bail on the rest of classes today since I had two more right after that one with no breaks. I really didn't intend on missing class--I feel terribly guilty--but I think I would have felt slightly guiltier if I had vomited on my unsuspecting classmates. I fucking didn't want to start the semester off by missing classes, but I guess this is a legitimate reason and these classes don't take attendance anyway.
Dilemma. Now I'm sitting in my house, watching daytime television and trying to read my Spanish lit piece for tomorrow's class. Nothing like talk shows, post-Colonial Latin American prose and nausea to pass an afternoon.
Everything else is super swell and super busy. I have so much reading this semester that I'm keeping up with fairly well, it's nice to be on top of things at least for the most part. I hope all is well for you, my friends. |
|
|
| Mr. President: |
[Jan. 20th, 2009|11:33 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | USofA | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  optimistic | ] |
Dear President Obama,
While I've always been proud to be an American, today has truly given me a new inspiration. I have new hope as a 20 year old female average college student to actually be able to do something in our massive web of government and institutions.
All I ask as a student of foreign affairs, science and language is to uphold all of the great changes and promises you have stated. The world needs a hero now politically, economically and diplomatically, and I still believe that you are the man for the job.
I couldn't be more excited to watch the next four years--congratulations!
-Bailey Moyers
PS.
Please end the spectacle--Beyonce, really?! MTV artists aside, I'm happy everyone is behind you now. |
|
|
| The Good Stuff |
[Jan. 16th, 2009|10:28 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  working | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Kenny Chesney | ] |
Even though I hate winter, even though the first week of school has been incredibly full and rushed, and even though there have been speed bumps in my self goal-setting, I am a happy, fortunate young woman.
This journal has pretty much become a place where cliche relationship talk and cool astronomical pictures come to die, but I don't really care. I'm going to reflect for a minute about Dane and I. He's wonderful--he relates to my country side and my stuck-up wannabe city side simultaneously, he cheers me on when no one else will, he helps me lift very tall very heavy things (and that's always nice) and he's irresistible. We have shared some gems of wisdom that I haven't really been able to do before, which leads me to believe that this is the most mature and honest relationship I've been in yet.
Since the last few have crashed and burned, burned, burned my spirit, I have learned many a thing about how I act in these things. The best lesson came with the most difficult truth to take about myself--evidently, I am not as independent as I thought and I do need to have closeness and honesty that I previously would try to live without to look more mysterious or some shit. After attempting and learning and loving in the long-distance experience I had a while ago, I had to make some adjustments and I was able to admit to Dane what I needed...and it's working so far. For me, the key was to admit to needing someone, and I'm glad I was able to do it finally.
Besides all of that mushy shit, life is pretty damn good. I have a tiny apartment but it's still fun, one aggravating job but it pays decently, one stressful job but it's going to get me somewhere great later and a slight alcohol dependency (and cigarettes, again) but they are a phase that will make me laugh in the future.
I found out that I might be flying to Cornell University to give a talk about international affairs and international science projects--our CCA telescope in Chile is nearly finished, so hopefully I could goad Dr. Glenn into flying me down there as a "translator".
Classes are sweet but hard this semester; junior year doesn't fuck around! I'm taking two 4000-level IA classes, three 3000-level IA and Spanish classes and finishing my lame econ credits. I decided to just go with IA and Spanish, I don't really care if I have to be a fifth year senior, most people are in longer anyway and I might be able to study abroad. We'll see, everything in time.
I hope everything is going well for all of you, and want to see you soon... |
|
|
| Pity Party |
[Jan. 12th, 2009|07:23 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  cold | ] |
Have I ever told you how much the winter depresses me? |
|
|
| Top 5 Nights |
[Dec. 13th, 2008|06:38 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  cheerful | ] |
I would like to take this moment (during which I should be studying) to recount my top five favorite nights from my first semester of junior year at CU. I would very much encourage ALL of you to join in on many similar nights this next semester...
#5 "Baster Night"
CU football debauchery at its finest! Mike, Brad and almost the entirety of our Spanish class, plus many other Buffs, got together to celebrate the victory responsibly, as you can see. Basically Red Bull + cherry vodka + turkey basters = one really ridiculous way to get drunk. And to make a fun night even sweeter, we continued our little fiesta on top of the UMC. Yay college.
( Read more... )
Now, all of you come to Boulder now! |
|
|
| The Hermetian Principle |
[Dec. 13th, 2008|12:04 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  good | ] |
Well, another semester is over and it's the height of finals season...what better time to avoid studying than now? I just completely destroyed (in a good way) my Ancient Astronomy final this morning, and I really didn't deserve to seeing as how I went to maybe 70% of the classes; that is how amazingly well it pays to be an expert essay writer sometimes!
Regardless, I will take the "going to class is important" lesson with me...hopefully. It was pretty bad looking at the review sheet last night and knowing half of the terms off the top of my head, turning pale with fear at never having heard the other half.
I am confident to a fault.
Now, I have a question for all of you that was posed to me a few days ago over tequila and pickle juice (actually quite delicious), and I am VERY interested in what my friends have to say:
Would you rather be able to pick up any instrument ever made and play it like you've played your whole life, or would you rather be able to speak any language in the world like you've known it since birth? |
|
|
| Egad! |
[Dec. 3rd, 2008|12:37 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  anxious | ] |
"The contemplation of beauty, whether it be a uniquely tinted sunset, a radiant face, or a work of art, makes us glance back unwittingly at our personal past and juxtapose ourselves and our inner being with the utterly unattainable beauty revealed to us."
- Vladimir Nabokov
Another semester of falling behind. I always start off strong and taper off for some typical assortment of reasons. I wish I could just get back to focusing, but I think I've just lost some of the passion for a little while.
That's why I'm considering taking next semester off to do...something. I know it's ridiculous to say, "Man, I really need time off of getting paid to go and learn shit while having no real responsibility aside from very little rent", but I guess that's how I feel. I have yet to take a real break from school since kindergarten, and I'm quite tired. I feel like I need to get all other sectors taken care of before I can appreciate college again.
Everything is going well though. I've never been quite so happy with everyone in my life...it feels good. I hope all is well for you, and that I can see and hear you soon. Soon. |
|
|
| Interesting Question |
[Nov. 12th, 2008|01:21 pm] |
If you saw a police car with ME in it, what would you think I got arrested for?
Post your answer here and then post this question on your LJ and see how many crimes you get accused of! |
|
|
| "I don't read scripts, scripts read me" |
[Aug. 19th, 2008|01:06 pm] |
Six more days until the summer is over and I can return to the life of textbooks and debating whether or not to miss class. Working all summer at VC and CASA made me realize how badly I enjoy being in school...just working is a little bleak, so I have that to look forward to come graduation day.
Bleak, I tell you.
Working at the astrophysics office has been really cool, although I must say that the early stages of the Astronomy career are rather dry. I can't wait until I get to do more technical things, and when I can get my hands on even more of those beautiful, wonderful telescopes. Muahaha.
I spent almost all of this summer working, wishing I was traveling, convincing Dane to go on day drives with me, and drinking/hookahing with the best damn kids in all of Boulder. My new little "crew" of Dane, Brandon, Kelli, Jon, and Drew has made me very happy and only occasionally frustrated, so that's nice. I'm making friends, just like they said I would, right? My alcohol tolerance is also absurdly high (for someone not of drinking age...kind of sad, really)--you've gotta be proud of what you do though, so I'll be damned if I don't take credit for all the practice I've put in.
Nerding, working, drinking, wishing. Los verbos traviesos.
Classes this semester should be sweet; I'm taking calc-based physics, Spanish 3, international behavior, and ancient astronomies of the world. Hopefully I'll meet some interesting people in these classes...I'm having so much fun doing this "social" stuff, and it never hurts to network a little bit.
Anyway, maybe I'll see some of you around here or back in Arvada. Enjoy your last few weeks of summer--cling to them like the dying man and his last breaths!
...maybe not that dramatic. Do what you want, we're all free.
Hey Sam, come back someday so we can do this again:
Jon's birthday hookah wine bonanza; Dane looming in the background:
 |
|
|
| yes |
[Aug. 9th, 2008|01:36 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  calm | ] |
You know what I mean when I say "I totally dig your style", right? |
|
|
| Shakey - Sonnet 68 |
[Jul. 29th, 2008|12:12 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | poetry | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | amused | ] |
Thus is his cheek the map of days outworn,
When beauty lived and died as flow'rs do now,
Before these bastard signs of fair were born,
Or durst inhabit on a living brow;
Before the golden tresses of the dead,
The right of sepulchers, were shorn away,
To live a second life on second head;
Ere beauty's dead fleece made another gay.
In him those holy ántique hours are seen,
Without all ornament, itself and true,
Making no summer of another's green,
Robbing no old to dress his beauty new;
And him as for a map doth nature store,
To show false art what beauty was of yore. |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
decoytraitor's journal