FINALS WEEK: The Final Hurtle

Finals are in full swing now so it's been a while since I posted.

I'm currently sitting in the library, taking a break from a huge take-home final for my Teaching English as a Second Language class (TESOL). I just wrote 6 pages (of pure brilliance constructed from bullshit) and am now chugging an energy drink in an attempt to gain back enough energy to write at least another 3 pages.

There's no question that the library is the least distracting place for me to study (no TV, no beds to nap in, no food to eat) and I am at the peak of my productivity here...but it is so depressing. At least around finals time.

The stress from all the students cramming for finals is palpable. The person beside me is nervously typing away at the computer and some people across the room are frantically flipping through pages of textbooks that look like they have to be at least 500 pages thick.

Alright, back to discussing the importance of motivation in language students and how one can incorporate the internet into lesson plans.
Wish me luck - I need it.

Going to Italy!

I finally bought my plane ticket to go to Italy the other day!

I am so incredibly excited to study there for the entirety of next year. I will be flying into Florence and then taking a bus to Siena (about a 30 minute ride).

Now I speak absolutely no Italian - that is the whole point of me going there: to learn the language. All my classes there will be Italian language and culture classes. While this doesn't fulfill anything for my GE's or degree requirements, I am far enough ahead in my studies that I can afford to essentially take a year off my real studies and still graduate on time.

I am, however, a little apprehensive about flying into a country where I don't know the language and then finding my way to Siena. But I have been in contact with other people from my program and we will meet up in Florence after my flight and then combat the language barrier together.

Now starts all the list making.

I love love love to make lists. So here is a quick list of all the lists I am going to need to make before I go:

1. What clothes to bring
2. What cosmetics to bring
3. What toiletries to bring
4. Stuff I need to buy once I'm there
5. Important papers/documents to bring
6. Which shoes to bring
7. All the places in Europe I want to travel to
8. What electronics to bring
9. Contact info for emergency situations
10. Useful Italian phrases
11. Miscellaneous items to bring

So much to do, so little time.

Slowing Down

I am sick.

UGH.

I have been so busy running from place to place, doing various activities that when I contracted this cough a few days ago, it hit me hard. Now, I love to be lazy. Isn't that the usual nature of college students? But I cannot be properly lazy and relaxed if I feel there is work that needs to be done and places I need to go.

This week I have had to constantly remind myself that if I don't show up for a class one day or I end up canceling some plans with a friend, it will not be the end of the world.

Also, I finally received my long-awaited lens yesterday for my new camera - but I have been unable to go outside and take some lovely pictures due to this icky cough. So depressing.

I like to think that the universe is trying to tell me something. It's trying to say "Slow down, Taylor. For heavens sake, SLOW DOWN!"

I'm trying to listen, Universe, I promise.

New dress...same old routine

I cracked today. I cracked and I bought a relatively expensive (by the standards of a college student) dress that I've been wanting since I first tried it on 2 days ago. I have never looked better than how I look in this dress.

Unfortunately I have absolutely no where - no special, fancy occasion - to wear this dress.

Yes, yes. I know, to many people this would seem frivolous. But I know some women must be able to understand why I HAD to buy this dress. The unwritten law of shopping says that if you find a dress that makes you look absolutely gorgeous and it is not horribly overpriced, you must buy it. Not purchasing such an item would be a crime against oneself.

So I have a lovely new dress, now I just need to find a gala to go to.

Who knew Tuesday nights could be so fun?

Yesterday I made sure to get my paper edited and printed out before 6 and all my assigned reading for the evening had already been completed. Now if you should know anything about me, it is this: I hate the majority of school work and am an expert at procrastination.

While I felt somewhat dirty finishing work with time to spare, it was for a good purpose. Death Cab for Cutie was playing here (RaRa Riot was opening), I had a wristband to get in, and I was going to sing and dance so much that I knew I would not be able to properly function afterwards.

Have you ever been to a concert and, in a soul-crushing moment of clarity, realize that the band doesn’t sound nearly as good as they do on their CD? Well, that wasn’t the case with DCFC. The concert was amazing. They played a good amount of my favorite songs (Summer Skin, Soul meets Body, Crooked Teeth, etc) and did justice to some of their bigger hits – especially “I will possess your heart”.

I have a problem when it comes to going to concerts –I’m short. At concerts such as this where there is a large crowd between me and the band, it is always a struggle for me to see the concert. Girls, this is where having three extremely tall guy friends comes in handy. The three guys I went to the concert with are all at least a good 8 inches taller than me (one of them is over a foot taller than me). This was such a blessing because they were able to lift me up to better see the stage from time to time.

One thing I don’t understand about people at concerts is how they can just stand still, arms crossed, and only listen to the music. I remember looking around the crowd and seeing very few people even tapping their toes or nodding their head along to the music. I screamed over the music to my friend “HOW CAN THESE PEOPLE STAND STILL?” as I danced, probably looking like a complete idiot, but loving every second of it. Albeit, some of DCFC’s tunes are a little slow and depressing, so I excuse people from not dancing to those. But come on people! How can you not want to dance with all the energy on stage when the band is playing “No Sunlight”? Do you know how ridiculous you look when you just stand there? What are you doing? Absorbing the music? Try FEELING it!

One really surprising thing about the concert was the crowd that it drew. Of course, more of the emo and indie kids were there, but I was pleasantly surprised at how very few people were smoking weed. At almost every huge concert I’ve been to, there has been an ample amount of ganja going around – so the fact that very few people attempted to smuggle in some pot was a point of interest for me. Its more than likely that many of them drank and/or smoked before coming to the concert, but I was glad to see that a good amount of people were there to actually enjoy the music and could do so while being sober.

I think my favorite thing about going to concerts is the connection you feel with a band’s music after hearing them perform it live. I felt this way after seeing Aerosmith a few years back – all their songs are much more appealing and meaningful to me. The same goes for Cake, Jon McLaughlin, Hellogoodbye, and all the other bands I’ve seen. Now I most definitely feel that way about Death Cab for Cutie. Before the concert I wasn’t very partial to their sadder sounding stuff (which is the majority of their music), often skipping over tracks such as “Transatlanticism”, in favor of songs like “All is Full of Love”. But now all of their stuff sounds amazing and all day I’ve been delving into all their music with enthusiasm.

Alright, this post has gone on for too long – I’m going to go chill out to some DCFC. :)

Enligtenment is just a couple reincarnations away

I remain unconvinced that the Dalai Lama is just a person like me. Contrary to what he said in his talks that I listened to today, I think that when someone reaches enlightenment, they cease to be different from the normal human being. Being able to feel only compassion for people who want to kill you seems a little God-like to me.

Regardless of whether the Dalai Lama is human or not, I do think everyone could learn a lot from his teachings. I’ve been a fan of his philosophies for years and hearing him speak this morning was a treat. If only everyone were willing to put aside their trivial differences, open their hearts to their fellow human beings, and feel compassion for others, the world would most definitely be a better place…is an overnight spiritual revolution too much to ask of humanity?

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that thousands of students here were interested in hearing him speak. Perhaps there is more common sense and decency here than meets the eye.

After his speeches were done, I sat in meditation for a few minutes in an attempt to sort out some of my own emotional issues and hopefully get a little bit closer to nirvana. Needless to say I remain unenlightened, but I think I’m making some progress.