October 20: So, I hate chorus. Like, legitimately. Especially full chorus, which only happens once a month or so. At that time you have 125+ (75 or so males) freshman in a room singing songs. All the Freshman. Even the tone deaf ones. However today was the lucky day! We took a music notation quiz after taking three weeks of notation classes, which I found very interesting (Update: I passed the quiz and didn't miss anything!!) Then...full chorus! So, today I ended up drawing, playing hangman with my friend Rebecca, and writing lyrics to cheesy 90's hits. After this, I ate lunch then ran back to my room (you know, the usual) and created my "90's-tastic" Radio Station on Pandora. My life just got so much better.
October 21: Last night, while putting on my pants I realized that I had some majorly sore spots on my leg. When I woke up this morning I decided to wear a dress so that I could show off my awesome bruise. Apparently this feeling makes me an official "hell bitch" (which is what kunai means in ancient greek). For a while, I had stopped going to kunai because I was so exhausted all the time. However, I have recently gotten a group of girls that encourage each other to go after our long day of classes (Deemed "Hell Day", Class from 9-3:30.) We've decided to bring each other presents sometimes to make going much easier. (I posted a picture of my bruise in a previous post). I think the amount of bruising that I have may be a result of the fact that I have no soccer socks or shin guards and the shoes that I wear for Kunai have holes in the pinkey toes and people often step on my foot with cleats. Ouch. I did the splits last game because it was slippery. Another awesome move that I made involved me getting pushed down on the ground, then I James Bond rolled over and kept moving. I felt like a boss.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Pictures of School
Pictures from School
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| Last Saturday night, my friends and I rode down this slide in the Boy's dorm. It was so much fun! |
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| My Kunai Bruise! Someone stood on my leg while I was standing up! Awesome!! |
Lunch with Mr. White
So, this story starts last Monday in Seminar and ends...whenever I'm done being excited about it--which, for the amount of tired I am right now, should have been hours ago. Anyways, In Seminar we were talking about The Republic (btw, most Johnnies consider completion of the Republic indicative of birth. What freshman hear most often at this time of year--"Oh you're reading the Republic, You're Finally going to be a real person!") and it's very hard to explain, anyways I got called out by both my teachers, but I didn't exactly think that they won. So, at the beginning of Seminar yesterday, my teacher, Mr. White, called me up to talk to him about this point. (I was, first off, excited that he remembered it, but also very excited that he realized that I had a point and was not done--VERY encouraging) We talked about it up until the beginning of class--at which point I asked him out to lunch.
After Seminar, I went up to him to schedule lunch. My friend Mr. Liu was there talking to him and we had some awesome conversations where Mr. White was very complimentary of what I had to say! Score! As I was getting up to leave, I asked if he was alright and he replied "I think I'm just going to sit here for a while." (Background: There are several stories that Mr. White has cancer or some disease and that he is going to die relatively soon. I don't understand why he would be teaching, but whatever. He also misses some classes sometimes and doesn't always look his best (sweaty etc.), which is very scary because he's a very nice man.) So anyways, I stayed and talked to him while he was getting up his energy and finally left Seminar at 10:51. Worth every minute.
Tutor-student lunch dates are a very common occurrence here at St. John's, but unfortunately, Mandee is too shy to ask her tutors out. Generally these lunches take place in the Dining Hall on campus, but he told me that he was taking me off campus! SCORE! Dining Hall food is really getting to me at this point. (Lunch was...AMAZING! Salmon BLT. TDF.) We had AWESOME conversation. I was able to talk to him a little about my feelings on speaking in class and he talked to me about the way a perfect seminar should work and how different it should be from a conversation that we have in small groups. At that moment, it encouraged me to talk in Seminar, but Monday is a long way away. Then we talked about the Republic. And Plato. And Moby Dick. He told me this quote about "pleasurable deaths" that involve basically being suffocated by the thing you love. Then he relates that quote to Plato and just the amount of material that is in his works. So cool! There's apparently an essay from one of the Tutors here that talks about how the Republic, like many of Plato's writings, is written like a specific myth. So cool! Then we talked about how the ideas that Socrates is actually trying to find are just so difficult. Then we talked about Socrates' dialogs show how he knows the people he is talking to and his knowledge of what they would say in response to his argument might actually hinder his quest for virtue, justice, etc.
Anyways, still reeling from this. Mr. White used to terrify me because he is so insanely brilliant, but now I think he is awesome!
After Seminar, I went up to him to schedule lunch. My friend Mr. Liu was there talking to him and we had some awesome conversations where Mr. White was very complimentary of what I had to say! Score! As I was getting up to leave, I asked if he was alright and he replied "I think I'm just going to sit here for a while." (Background: There are several stories that Mr. White has cancer or some disease and that he is going to die relatively soon. I don't understand why he would be teaching, but whatever. He also misses some classes sometimes and doesn't always look his best (sweaty etc.), which is very scary because he's a very nice man.) So anyways, I stayed and talked to him while he was getting up his energy and finally left Seminar at 10:51. Worth every minute.
Tutor-student lunch dates are a very common occurrence here at St. John's, but unfortunately, Mandee is too shy to ask her tutors out. Generally these lunches take place in the Dining Hall on campus, but he told me that he was taking me off campus! SCORE! Dining Hall food is really getting to me at this point. (Lunch was...AMAZING! Salmon BLT. TDF.) We had AWESOME conversation. I was able to talk to him a little about my feelings on speaking in class and he talked to me about the way a perfect seminar should work and how different it should be from a conversation that we have in small groups. At that moment, it encouraged me to talk in Seminar, but Monday is a long way away. Then we talked about the Republic. And Plato. And Moby Dick. He told me this quote about "pleasurable deaths" that involve basically being suffocated by the thing you love. Then he relates that quote to Plato and just the amount of material that is in his works. So cool! There's apparently an essay from one of the Tutors here that talks about how the Republic, like many of Plato's writings, is written like a specific myth. So cool! Then we talked about how the ideas that Socrates is actually trying to find are just so difficult. Then we talked about Socrates' dialogs show how he knows the people he is talking to and his knowledge of what they would say in response to his argument might actually hinder his quest for virtue, justice, etc.
Anyways, still reeling from this. Mr. White used to terrify me because he is so insanely brilliant, but now I think he is awesome!
New York Photos
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| My Delicious food from the Vegan Cafe (Foreground Pasta, background chickpea fries. |
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| Staten Island View (Better in person) |
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| Shemmy, Mandee, Staten Island Ferry |
Cell Phone Updates
Wow, so those Illegible posts to the side-Updates from my phone. I swear, I don't generally write like that. I'll try to copy those all down from my phone later. Also, I really want to blog about my lunch today with my Tutor! I tried to nap and failed because I'm still so excited about it--2 1/2 hours later. It was AWESOME! However, I'm about to be late to Kunai, so I'll try to get back later tonight.
Long Weekend. A Very Past-Due Post.
New York, New York. There’s something that I love about the city air. Not only that, but I got to see my Shemmy! Friday I travelled for the first time by myself on a bus. It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I arrived in NYC at about 1pm. I walked a few blocks then finally took a cab ride to Auntie B’s apartment. On the way, I called Aunt Brenda, who was already busy doing her thing. When I arrived at the apartment, there was a lot of confusion about my key. More on that later. I finally got my key and went to the grocery store to buy myself lunch. Late lunch. I’m so hungry I could eat the entire store lunch.
At about 7:30, I was finally able to see Shem. I took my first very long, very boring subway ride to the west side. Around the park. I think it took about 45 minutes. We went to this little vegan café which was ADORABLE. We had chickpea fries, which sounded strange, but were a little spicy and with the dipping sauce, it was probably the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. I’m not even joking. My pasta was really great too! Shem and I had such a good time. We were both really exhausted from our weeks at school, but it was so good to learn about his life and to talk about my new friends and my life trying to juggle my friends at two colleges and coping with the fact that I’m a freshman again. Of course, we’re two college kids so spending money is not enjoyable. So, we walked the twenty blocks from Shem’s uncle’s, Ethan, apartment to the restaurant. Unfortunately, my flats were not made for walking. On the way back I was in so much pain! But, it was worth it to be in the city, and enjoy the conversation with Shem. At a Duane Reade, we tried to buy him a toothbrush. That turned into a 15 minute affair because the woman in front of us had neither enough cash to buy her cigarettes, nor enough money on her debit card to cover the expense. It was really awkward, so we decided to leave.
Then we decided to plan our weekend. There were so many suggestions that it was hard to decide what to do. However, we totally made a chart and even scheduled in time to do our homework.
The next morning, we did just that. I read my Herodotus book on the Central Park Mall. So beautiful! When it was time for Shem and I to meet, he was still working on his homework. Realizing that I still had so much to do, I said that would be fine. Then, I fell asleep. When he called me to tell me he was done, I was still sleeping. When I finally woke up, I called him and GUESS WHAT?! He was sleeping. So, we finally got together around 6:00pm and we met up one stop past Times Square on the Red line. That was an interesting way to do it, but it saved us money and the confusion of the Times Square Station. Alright, quick break to love on the Droid Phone. Apps- The second I got to the city, I realized that there was a HUGE network of trains, buses, and many other forms of transit that all run on routes and schedules. Luckily, the Android Market has an app for that. Saved my life. Okay, back to the story. That night, we did the Staten Island Ferry (Free!) So much fun! Then we had to run back to unlock the top bolt of my aunt’s apartment (whoops.) After walking around for a few minutes, we decided to call it a night, because both of us were exhausted (Hey, we’re college kids! Don’t judge us!)
The next morning, I really wanted to go to Canal Street. It has always been a lot of fun!! I bought a new bag that I use as my school bag. Yeah, I do school up in style. Then, Shem and I took the train back to Grand Central, where he hopped a train back to Connecticut. Sad face. Then I walked back to the apartment. My excursion on Times Square for the Virgin Record store failed. I don’t exactly know what I did wrong, but it was very cool to see all the people there. I got up early the next morning to talk to Auntie B and get a good spot in line for the bus! Overall, Awesome long weekend!
At about 7:30, I was finally able to see Shem. I took my first very long, very boring subway ride to the west side. Around the park. I think it took about 45 minutes. We went to this little vegan café which was ADORABLE. We had chickpea fries, which sounded strange, but were a little spicy and with the dipping sauce, it was probably the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. I’m not even joking. My pasta was really great too! Shem and I had such a good time. We were both really exhausted from our weeks at school, but it was so good to learn about his life and to talk about my new friends and my life trying to juggle my friends at two colleges and coping with the fact that I’m a freshman again. Of course, we’re two college kids so spending money is not enjoyable. So, we walked the twenty blocks from Shem’s uncle’s, Ethan, apartment to the restaurant. Unfortunately, my flats were not made for walking. On the way back I was in so much pain! But, it was worth it to be in the city, and enjoy the conversation with Shem. At a Duane Reade, we tried to buy him a toothbrush. That turned into a 15 minute affair because the woman in front of us had neither enough cash to buy her cigarettes, nor enough money on her debit card to cover the expense. It was really awkward, so we decided to leave.
Then we decided to plan our weekend. There were so many suggestions that it was hard to decide what to do. However, we totally made a chart and even scheduled in time to do our homework.
The next morning, we did just that. I read my Herodotus book on the Central Park Mall. So beautiful! When it was time for Shem and I to meet, he was still working on his homework. Realizing that I still had so much to do, I said that would be fine. Then, I fell asleep. When he called me to tell me he was done, I was still sleeping. When I finally woke up, I called him and GUESS WHAT?! He was sleeping. So, we finally got together around 6:00pm and we met up one stop past Times Square on the Red line. That was an interesting way to do it, but it saved us money and the confusion of the Times Square Station. Alright, quick break to love on the Droid Phone. Apps- The second I got to the city, I realized that there was a HUGE network of trains, buses, and many other forms of transit that all run on routes and schedules. Luckily, the Android Market has an app for that. Saved my life. Okay, back to the story. That night, we did the Staten Island Ferry (Free!) So much fun! Then we had to run back to unlock the top bolt of my aunt’s apartment (whoops.) After walking around for a few minutes, we decided to call it a night, because both of us were exhausted (Hey, we’re college kids! Don’t judge us!)
The next morning, I really wanted to go to Canal Street. It has always been a lot of fun!! I bought a new bag that I use as my school bag. Yeah, I do school up in style. Then, Shem and I took the train back to Grand Central, where he hopped a train back to Connecticut. Sad face. Then I walked back to the apartment. My excursion on Times Square for the Virgin Record store failed. I don’t exactly know what I did wrong, but it was very cool to see all the people there. I got up early the next morning to talk to Auntie B and get a good spot in line for the bus! Overall, Awesome long weekend!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Johnnies.
The Johnnies are a very...interesting bunch. A lot of people own up to their quirks and are awesome, but then we have some folks that own up to it and are still just weird. The "Pirate Group" is apparently a real group on campus. They have Tea parties on my hallway sometimes and dress up in medieval clothing and drink tea. It's strange. One time I was in the shower and heard them talking about chainmail. Another interesting character is McWicken. Yes, we have a real-live wicken at my school. It's awesome. Apparently he casts spells on people in Seminar when they disagree with him. Luckily for me, he's a year above me.
So, my friends Maggie, Henley, and Emily taught me about the typical Johnnies.
Nerds: This is pretty self-explanatory. The nerds are so cute and EVERYWHERE. However, this also makes things awkward. Nerds do not have the best social skills. So, the entire campus is just socially awkward. I've learned that the term "socially awkward" is really just a spectrum. I'm not as hopeless as I originally expected.
Hipsters: This term was not coined by Johnnies. This is a real group of people. As I understand it, they are a very moody, trendy group of people that frighten away all the real Johnnies. For some reason last Friday we had a "girls' night" to try to befriend a few of them. Apparently, I'm very hipster-like, but I'm too "Bro-y" to be a true hipster. By that I mean, I like hummus, and if I wanted it that could make me a true hipster. Madi and Emily took me to the grocery stores and asked me questions like "Mandee!, WHAT do hipsters eat?" and "Do hipsters eat Funions? They're kinda like vegetable chips."
Jocks: Okay, this is a very, very relative term. There are 3(?) intercollegiate sports at the college. Croquet, sailing, and crew. Mostly, our athletes participate in intramural sports. (KUNAIII!!) Being a part of these leagues is like being a part of any high-school sports league. The girls play soccer in the Kunai League. It is awesome. However, I only go after my hell days. 9am- Greek 10:20am: Math 1-3:40 Lab. Then Kunai starts at four so I'm always exhausted. Also, the shoes I use for Kunai are the same shoes that I used for cross country...my sophomore year of high school. The coolest thing about them is that the fabric around my pinky toes has holes in it. You can see my entire sock where my toe is. It's AWESOME!! Hopefully I'll buy cleats soon.
Quad Johnnie: This group of people usually resides in the area between McDowell (The oldest building/great hall/classrooms), Randall (the dining hall/dorms) and Campbell (My dorm and clearly the most important building on campus.) However, the school decided that since we finally reached the fall semester, they should probably get around to renovating the quad. They didn't want to disrupt the summer students, which I personally think is sweet. So, these quad johnnies don't really know what to do. I think they've just come to the conclusion that standing around the fenced-in quad and staring at it is the best way to handle the situation. Oh, and did I mention that all of the quad Johnnies are smokers? Not only them...it's actually most of the campus. I've considered picking up smoking to make friends...When in Rome right? I think Johnnies only accept smokers as friends. I've been told several times that people judge my character for not smoking. True story. Anyways, Maggy says to steer clear of the quad Johnnies. So, naturally, I'm dating one.
Room Johnnies: This is me! Room Johnnies are so cool that they just enjoy being by themselves all the time. It is not as easy as it sounds folks. 1. You can only be seen in 2 places other than the dining hall. These generally include the library, and lecture, although some room johnnies don't even go there! Too scary!!! 2. No socializing with people outside of your core. Your "core" group is the group of students that have the exact same schedule as you do. It is nice to have people to study with, but at the same time since all the classes are discussion-based, you get to know people's mannerisms very, very quickly. It can get annoying very fast. My core is pretty awesome, but at times I want to knock them over the head with the complete works of Plato. (which, yes, I do carry to class with me!) 3. This next step is VERY important. Don't say hello to too many people. Or smile. This might cause them to think you want to be their friend. If you become your friend, you will never be a dedicated room Johnnie.
This is the basic St. John's social atmosphere. As a whole, they're a REALLY awesome group of people. Slowly but surely, I'm making friends. Yey me! Okay, that's all for now. I'm going to read the last bit of Plato's Gorgias before lunch and I'll try to write another blog-bit later!
So, my friends Maggie, Henley, and Emily taught me about the typical Johnnies.
Nerds: This is pretty self-explanatory. The nerds are so cute and EVERYWHERE. However, this also makes things awkward. Nerds do not have the best social skills. So, the entire campus is just socially awkward. I've learned that the term "socially awkward" is really just a spectrum. I'm not as hopeless as I originally expected.
Hipsters: This term was not coined by Johnnies. This is a real group of people. As I understand it, they are a very moody, trendy group of people that frighten away all the real Johnnies. For some reason last Friday we had a "girls' night" to try to befriend a few of them. Apparently, I'm very hipster-like, but I'm too "Bro-y" to be a true hipster. By that I mean, I like hummus, and if I wanted it that could make me a true hipster. Madi and Emily took me to the grocery stores and asked me questions like "Mandee!, WHAT do hipsters eat?" and "Do hipsters eat Funions? They're kinda like vegetable chips."
Jocks: Okay, this is a very, very relative term. There are 3(?) intercollegiate sports at the college. Croquet, sailing, and crew. Mostly, our athletes participate in intramural sports. (KUNAIII!!) Being a part of these leagues is like being a part of any high-school sports league. The girls play soccer in the Kunai League. It is awesome. However, I only go after my hell days. 9am- Greek 10:20am: Math 1-3:40 Lab. Then Kunai starts at four so I'm always exhausted. Also, the shoes I use for Kunai are the same shoes that I used for cross country...my sophomore year of high school. The coolest thing about them is that the fabric around my pinky toes has holes in it. You can see my entire sock where my toe is. It's AWESOME!! Hopefully I'll buy cleats soon.
Quad Johnnie: This group of people usually resides in the area between McDowell (The oldest building/great hall/classrooms), Randall (the dining hall/dorms) and Campbell (My dorm and clearly the most important building on campus.) However, the school decided that since we finally reached the fall semester, they should probably get around to renovating the quad. They didn't want to disrupt the summer students, which I personally think is sweet. So, these quad johnnies don't really know what to do. I think they've just come to the conclusion that standing around the fenced-in quad and staring at it is the best way to handle the situation. Oh, and did I mention that all of the quad Johnnies are smokers? Not only them...it's actually most of the campus. I've considered picking up smoking to make friends...When in Rome right? I think Johnnies only accept smokers as friends. I've been told several times that people judge my character for not smoking. True story. Anyways, Maggy says to steer clear of the quad Johnnies. So, naturally, I'm dating one.
Room Johnnies: This is me! Room Johnnies are so cool that they just enjoy being by themselves all the time. It is not as easy as it sounds folks. 1. You can only be seen in 2 places other than the dining hall. These generally include the library, and lecture, although some room johnnies don't even go there! Too scary!!! 2. No socializing with people outside of your core. Your "core" group is the group of students that have the exact same schedule as you do. It is nice to have people to study with, but at the same time since all the classes are discussion-based, you get to know people's mannerisms very, very quickly. It can get annoying very fast. My core is pretty awesome, but at times I want to knock them over the head with the complete works of Plato. (which, yes, I do carry to class with me!) 3. This next step is VERY important. Don't say hello to too many people. Or smile. This might cause them to think you want to be their friend. If you become your friend, you will never be a dedicated room Johnnie.
This is the basic St. John's social atmosphere. As a whole, they're a REALLY awesome group of people. Slowly but surely, I'm making friends. Yey me! Okay, that's all for now. I'm going to read the last bit of Plato's Gorgias before lunch and I'll try to write another blog-bit later!
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