update

Im drowning.

Im doing a bad job of entertaining my first visitor from CA.

I had sushi for the first time yesterday since coming East.

I have an awesome room mate :)

I'm eating waay too much.

my life is a series of punishments.

and repeat.

I wish

I were smarter better faster stronger

Random musings

I should be studying. But today is just one of those days where I'm doing everything else except the very thing I must accomplish today.

I thought that bringing myself outside my apartment to study in a library or something would force me to work, but here I am sitting in a room thats absolutely beautiful, and smelly, and echo-y, and studious, but all I'm doing is blogging.

yeah, I don't want to talk about it.

Did I mention this room is beautiful? It's all red brick, and mouldings, and desks--like the kind you see in movies when students at university are "studying." It smells a bit like an old european basilica or something, you know, something old and well lived in and mixing with the blood, sweat, and tears, of everyone who has ever passed through its doors.

The kind of smell that can only happen with something lasting and aged.

When I walk from campus to my apartment, I often see boys with bouquets of flowers. Probably for the girlfriends. Just because, or at least I like to think so.

I want flowers.

a letter from home

Hey, i got news for you: greek is tough. it's not you. it's greek. as i always tell my students: the good thing about greek being tough is that you never have to worry about looking stupid. greek will make everyone look stupid, eventually. the thing i hated most about Berkeley is that everybody there--the professors as well as the graduate students--couldn't seem to admit how difficult greek is. you know, i finally started grasping that their difficulties with language (which they couldn't see) by seeing their limitations emerge over time. (or, maybe i became more perceptive at seeing their insecurities as i became more adept as a student.) here's the deal: if you are spending all your time just trying to master forms, and irregularities of the language, and esoteric vocab, you're doing it just to hide your insecurities, and what you aren't doing is addressing the grander issues of just how cool Greek literature is. so never let the pimply-faced morphologists get you down when they make you feel insecure about the nuts and bolts. simply take my word that they'll never have any insights whatsoever (that haven't been spoon fed to them by other pimply-faced philologists) into what makes the world of greece so worth studying. never loose sight of the fact that you are learning greek to get to the greeks who wrote it. and that's worth it.

Doozy

It is pouring outside right now.

The thing is, here, because its so effing humid, the moisture in the air condenses into storm clouds, and then it starts raining. And its a perfect summer shower.

It's so odd, because that definitely doesn't happen (or doesn't happen a lot) back at home.

I'm studying in this 80 degree rainy weather, but I'm trying to pretend its something like 50 degrees by drinking some hot tea and slow-jamming it. Makes me want a lover, or something to love.

Other things today: I am at a straight B. Must do better. ugh.

After that fail of a test today, I decided to take a walk. I walked myself some 25 city blocks just to get to a k-mart! well, not just to go there, because I did want to explore more of the city and to get onto the other side of the river, and going to k-mart gave me a destination. While it was good to get out and explore, I'm not gonna lie, there was definitely a time when the area became shady and I got scared because I was by myself.

Later, I took the subway home--and how excited am I to have a subway?!? although I don't think I'll ever get over the initial smell of a subway--you know it when you smell it--the cars themselves were quite clean (cf. european metros/underground).

Oh yes, and the biggest thing that has happened is that my team won the world cup!! Viva La Furia Roja!

So proud, so happy, so history in the making!

I'm sad that Torres had such a disappointing tournament, but on the other hand, how hot is Jesus Navas?

Must watch more spanish futbol.

Currently listening: Taeyang, "I need a girl"

Baby I need you, boy you need me too.

Day Two- A picture of the Beach

there was never a truer statement.

just a few notes

while I'm scrambling to study for my test on Monday.

1) I really failed at Greek this week-- translation isn't so bad, but my quiz scores have put me in the C range. I suspect I'll need to take advantage of extra credit assignments because I need to, not because I want to :(

2) Getting caught in summer rain in philly is something else. something quite nice actually. No need to bundle up--I was walking around in a skirt and cardigan-- because its still quite warm out, just rainy. Oh, and everyone was still wearing sandals/flipflops. I kind of felt stupid with my orange rainboots on. But, because of that fall this past summer(?) I'm a bit afraid to run around a city while its raining and I'm wearing flipflops. I don't need another head injury, thanks.

3) My boxes finally arrived yesterday! I was so incredibly happy that I finally got my stuff in (or, at least, partially). I think my happiness was largely due to the fact that a) I wouldn't have to kill anyone from USPS and b) all my shoes lined up on my shelves looked pretty, or reassuring, or something like that.

4) Tomorrow is the world cup final!! So excited you can't imagine. Going to see the match at some sports bar (my treat for being good this weekend, but really, I didn't have anywhere in particular to go or anyone in particular to see haha).

5) There's a farmers market open so close to where I live, its great!

Okay, back to studying.

The Photo Challenge! Day 1

Day One.

From my dear, brave, friend, Ashley's Blog: She's Come Undone

The (Revised) Photo Challenge

Day 01 - A picture of yourself
Day 02 - A beach picture that you have taken
Day 03 - A picture of your street
Day 04 - A picture of where you went today
Day 05 - A picture from your morning
Day 06 - A picture that inspires you
Day 07 - Post a picture from a recent vacation
Day 08 - Post a picture from your commute
Day 09 - Take a picture today that showcases motion
Day 10 - A picture that you took at one time that you love
Day 11 - Post one of the oldest pictures you have in your Picture folders
Day 12 - A black and white photo
Day 13 - A picture from last summer
Day 14 - A picture taken with your cell phone
Day 15 - A picture that you edited
Day 16 - A picture of you more than 10 years ago
Day 17 - A picture of what you wore today
Day 18 - A picture of you and a best friend
Day 19 - A favorite picture of yours
Day 20 - Any picture that you want!

Greetings

you have no idea how many drafts of this post I have. I didn't know quite what to say, and to be honest, I've been to busy to sit down and properly post.

however, today I had my first meltdown in Philly.

There's a lot of things going on, personal, financial, and scholastic, and while I'm quite used to being stressed, almost nothing gets me more upset then when I have questions and the people in charge cant/wont help me.

Um, hello, sorry to inconvenience you, but this is MY LIFE HERE so can you stop being a douche and talk to me? Or, better yet, can I talk to you without going through 500 burning loops of death via the automated telephone service?

School is tough man. 3 hours of class everyday. But that's not even the part that's rough, it's the homework. The first day, it took me like 12 hours to complete the assignment, yesterday, I didn't even finish the homework. Its 3 hours of class and something like 8 hrs** of homework. That's like, my whole day.

**8 hrs, but I havent done this in 2 years so my Greek is so ridiculously bad. I feel like a failure in this class, and I'm desperately trying to jog my memory to get Greek back. But as it is, an 8 hour assignment takes me something like 12 hours. No freaking joke.

That doesn't leave a lot of time for very much else. I've only really had time to explore things within like a mile radius (hey I don't have a car!) so I'm hoping to get out this weekend to see something of the city beyond west philly.

And no, I haven't yet had a Philly cheesesteak.

Also, its HUMID here. blistering heat/humidity is probably the biggest adjustment here. I feel like I'm in the freaking PI. Gross stickiness, bleh.

Um... what else? The campus is beautiful. I feel like I'm going to an actual school now. All brick and wooden doors and just overall tree-ness makes me happy.

Now if I could stop getting lost...

ALright this took me too long to type up. Must study. Study or die.

"I bless the Lord who counsels me; even at night my heart exhorts me. I keep the Lord always before me; with the Lord at my right, I shall never be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure, For you will not abandon me to Sheol, nor let your faithful servant see the pit.
You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever." Psalm 16: 7-11.

Beloved

July 1, 2010

oι φιλoι,

I has been my sincerest wish that I could offer your something more—something more eloquent, something more profound, something more than these words on paper— but I was entirely at a loss. Forgive my lack of grace.

When I think of moving of Philadelphia my heart clenches in my chest. I am overcome with remorse. I grow considerable more despondent as the days go by and my departure looms near. I have loved everything about San Diego. But as much as this place—and its wind, sand, and stars, have irrevocably marked me, so much more have you, dear friend.

For you are the very colors of my life.

And so the thought that we must part—for a time as yet undefined, breaks my heart more than I can say. I regret not being able to bear witness to the greatness that is your life.

You should know that I am nothing without you.

And you shall remain irreplaceable in my life. No matter where I venture, or whom I may meet, nothing and no one can replace the memories I have with you, my friends.

I am fully aware of how lucky I have been to have thus known you. And I want to let you know how proud I am of you and what you’ve done in your life. You will continue to do great things.

Let’s continue on.

I will end this simply.

Thank you. A thousand times, thank you.

Be well. Be happy.

Live Beautifully.

Until we meet again~~

Bringing it Back

So I've noticed (or rather) it's been pointed out to me, that on my Tumblr I don't actually blog. I spam my tumblr with images, and videos but don't really say anything. To be fair, I think my tumblr is all at once, an instantaeonous visual representation of the things I find interesting at any given moment, but at the same time, superficially so.

Thus, I'm bringing this blog back.

And to celebrate, a picture haha:



I'm jealous.