Hello, friends! If all is going as planned, I am on a plane bound for China by the time you're reading this.
My friend Amber and I have had an amazing opportunity open up to us to serve the Lord in China. We've been able to see His hand in all of the planning steps along the way.
We would be honored and humbled if you would join us in praying for us for the next three weeks while we teach English and encourage Chinese Christians.
You're also welcome to join us via our blog at http://thechinaadventures.blogspot.com/.
Since our computer time will be very limited (if we have any access at all), most of my time will be spent updating that blog rather than this one. So don't panic if I don't appear on your dashboard for three weeks. I will do everything my power to return safely and share with you all of the wonderful ways we saw God work.
Thanks, friends,
<>< Katie
Showing posts with label English. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Free Candy
"Didn't I just see you walk by?" Matthew asked.
I had just walked from the English building to Quick Snacks for a candy bar and back to the English building for class. When I walked in chomping on a Snickers, my classmates started drooling. Even though class was about to start, I asked the professor if I could run back and get candy bars for the seven of us unfortunate enough to have class all afternoon. Of course, he said yes. So back to Quick Snacks I ran and passed Matthew for the second time in five minutes.
Matthew: We have free Twix right here.
Katie: No thanks. They want Snickers and Kit Kats.
I walked away.
I turned around.
Katie: Wait, did you say free?
Matthew: Yes.
Katie: As in I don't have to buy them?
Jacob: You're an English major; what other definitions for the term "free" are there?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, mock me. It's cool. Everyone does it.
Free.
Surely there had to be some catch. Why would some college boys be sitting on a swing offering free candy bars? These weren't the unfun Fun Size candy bars either. These were normal-size candy bars. The kind next to the check out aisle at Wal-mart that we always begged our parents for and our parents always said no. Yeah, those. For free.
Free.
No charge. No catch.
What have you gotten for free today?
What have you given for free today?
Let me rephrase the question: What have you done today without expecting anything in return?
How have you given of your time? How have you given of your resources? How have you given of yourself?
Seriously.
What have you done today without expecting anything in return?
<>< Katie
I had just walked from the English building to Quick Snacks for a candy bar and back to the English building for class. When I walked in chomping on a Snickers, my classmates started drooling. Even though class was about to start, I asked the professor if I could run back and get candy bars for the seven of us unfortunate enough to have class all afternoon. Of course, he said yes. So back to Quick Snacks I ran and passed Matthew for the second time in five minutes.
Matthew: We have free Twix right here.
Katie: No thanks. They want Snickers and Kit Kats.
I walked away.
I turned around.
Katie: Wait, did you say free?
Matthew: Yes.
Katie: As in I don't have to buy them?
Jacob: You're an English major; what other definitions for the term "free" are there?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, mock me. It's cool. Everyone does it.
Free.
Surely there had to be some catch. Why would some college boys be sitting on a swing offering free candy bars? These weren't the unfun Fun Size candy bars either. These were normal-size candy bars. The kind next to the check out aisle at Wal-mart that we always begged our parents for and our parents always said no. Yeah, those. For free.
Free.
No charge. No catch.
What have you gotten for free today?
What have you given for free today?
Let me rephrase the question: What have you done today without expecting anything in return?
How have you given of your time? How have you given of your resources? How have you given of yourself?
Seriously.
What have you done today without expecting anything in return?
<>< Katie
Friday, March 4, 2011
China-Bound
Secretly, I've always dreamed of going to China. In my dreams I've always envisioned my future husband and me going and bringing home a child. As always, God had a different vision. (But I haven't given up mine).
An opportunity has been made available for Amber and me to go to China for three weeks this summer. We will be teaching English but--more importantly--we will be witnesses for Christ.
"Being called" to do something was not part of my church lingo growing up, and I've really wrestled with what it means to "be called" to China. I haven't quite figured it out yet, but I am perusing this opportunity with the intention of doing God's will rather than not doing it because I'm unsure if it's His will or not. (My friend Ron gave me that advice years ago and it was pretty much the best advice ever).
Even though there is still a lot of unknown, I officially submitted my application today. Now I need your help, friends.
1. Pray. Pray. Pray. Right now. Pray for me as I venture on this journey. Pray for Amber and all of the other volunteers we'll be working with. Pray for the people already in China. Pray for safety and health. Pray for us as we prepare to answer tough, blunt questions about our faith. Daily. Pray. Pray. Pray. Please.
2. I have no idea where on a college student's budget I'm going to come up with $3,000 to pay for the program. I firmly believe that God provides. Support letters, bake sales, begging on my hands and knees... If you have ideas or can support us financially, leave a comment or shoot me an email (katieaxelson [at] gmail [dot] com). Even just a dollar or two helps because God can use anything!
3. If you have any materials, teaching advice, donations, etc. We'd love to hear it. Haven't really thought that far ahead, but it's never too early to start planning.
My calendar officially doesn't end until August now! I'm really excited to see what God does with this trip! This is my first trip to a foreign country where I don't speak the language. I'll let you know how well Chinese people speak Spanish and ASL... I don't promise to blog every other day while I'm in China, but I will try to update you all periodically.
Thanks!
For His glory,
<>< Katie
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"
Isaiah 6:8
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
An opportunity has been made available for Amber and me to go to China for three weeks this summer. We will be teaching English but--more importantly--we will be witnesses for Christ.
"Being called" to do something was not part of my church lingo growing up, and I've really wrestled with what it means to "be called" to China. I haven't quite figured it out yet, but I am perusing this opportunity with the intention of doing God's will rather than not doing it because I'm unsure if it's His will or not. (My friend Ron gave me that advice years ago and it was pretty much the best advice ever).
Even though there is still a lot of unknown, I officially submitted my application today. Now I need your help, friends.
1. Pray. Pray. Pray. Right now. Pray for me as I venture on this journey. Pray for Amber and all of the other volunteers we'll be working with. Pray for the people already in China. Pray for safety and health. Pray for us as we prepare to answer tough, blunt questions about our faith. Daily. Pray. Pray. Pray. Please.
2. I have no idea where on a college student's budget I'm going to come up with $3,000 to pay for the program. I firmly believe that God provides. Support letters, bake sales, begging on my hands and knees... If you have ideas or can support us financially, leave a comment or shoot me an email (katieaxelson [at] gmail [dot] com). Even just a dollar or two helps because God can use anything!
3. If you have any materials, teaching advice, donations, etc. We'd love to hear it. Haven't really thought that far ahead, but it's never too early to start planning.
My calendar officially doesn't end until August now! I'm really excited to see what God does with this trip! This is my first trip to a foreign country where I don't speak the language. I'll let you know how well Chinese people speak Spanish and ASL... I don't promise to blog every other day while I'm in China, but I will try to update you all periodically.
Thanks!
For His glory,
<>< Katie
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"
Isaiah 6:8
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Sunday, October 17, 2010
I have been rejected
As part of my English major, I have to take a Communications class. Someone please explain that one to me. All I know is I would much rather write about donating blood or girls tumbling from walls than yesterday's bank robbery on 15th and Main St.
My optimistic attitude about this class quickly moved to dislike. I even mentioned it to one of my English professors.
Professor: You know, you could have taken Poetry Writing instead of Communications Class.
Katie: I know, but I thought this would have been the lesser of the two evils.
Professor: You would have had more fun in the other evil.
Well, I think out of boredom, some of very clever lines have flowed through my fingers in this class. And let me tell you, they're not about the hit-and-run that happened around 10pm last night...
The professor handed us a speech asked us to write an article about it, and said, "You're going to like this one." I'm not sure if it was out of spite for the professor or spite for the class, but I was determined for prove him wrong. It was pretty easy. This was a Steve Jobs speech, and I'm a Windows girl. The irony is that this post was written from a Mac.
With a Shaun Groves post about fear pulled up as an incentive to finish the assignment, I began to read the speech. Naturally, I did everything my English background told me to do: critique, analyze, examine. Well, that's apparently a big no-no for journalism, but I didn't really care. I figured I would turn the filter on later.
Somewhere around the middle of the speech, I moved from loathing the assignment to tolerating it. Although I did not agree with all of the theology, Jobs was making good points.
"I had been rejected, but I was still in love," he said.
Jobs was talking about being fired from his own company, but I think that's a line that can be applied to a plethora of different aspects of life.
"I had been rejected, but I was still in love."
For me, the application that shines through most clearly is in writing. I submitted a piece that I thought was a sure-thing, but it was rejected. That's a hard pill to swallow, especially for someone who can't swallow pills.
"I had been rejected, but I was still in love."
I was rejected, but I still love to write. Just like Jobs continued to pursue a dream that eventually turned into the development of Pixar and NeXT, I am continuing to pursue a dream. Who knows where it will turn out.
This is what I do know: God gave me a passion for writing. It is one of my strengths. There is no way that He isn't going to use it for His glory. I am willing to suffer through every Communications class required for my English major just to see that come to fruition.
<>< Katie
My optimistic attitude about this class quickly moved to dislike. I even mentioned it to one of my English professors.
Professor: You know, you could have taken Poetry Writing instead of Communications Class.
Katie: I know, but I thought this would have been the lesser of the two evils.
Professor: You would have had more fun in the other evil.
Well, I think out of boredom, some of very clever lines have flowed through my fingers in this class. And let me tell you, they're not about the hit-and-run that happened around 10pm last night...
The professor handed us a speech asked us to write an article about it, and said, "You're going to like this one." I'm not sure if it was out of spite for the professor or spite for the class, but I was determined for prove him wrong. It was pretty easy. This was a Steve Jobs speech, and I'm a Windows girl. The irony is that this post was written from a Mac.
With a Shaun Groves post about fear pulled up as an incentive to finish the assignment, I began to read the speech. Naturally, I did everything my English background told me to do: critique, analyze, examine. Well, that's apparently a big no-no for journalism, but I didn't really care. I figured I would turn the filter on later.
Somewhere around the middle of the speech, I moved from loathing the assignment to tolerating it. Although I did not agree with all of the theology, Jobs was making good points.
"I had been rejected, but I was still in love," he said.
Jobs was talking about being fired from his own company, but I think that's a line that can be applied to a plethora of different aspects of life.
"I had been rejected, but I was still in love."
For me, the application that shines through most clearly is in writing. I submitted a piece that I thought was a sure-thing, but it was rejected. That's a hard pill to swallow, especially for someone who can't swallow pills.
"I had been rejected, but I was still in love."
I was rejected, but I still love to write. Just like Jobs continued to pursue a dream that eventually turned into the development of Pixar and NeXT, I am continuing to pursue a dream. Who knows where it will turn out.
This is what I do know: God gave me a passion for writing. It is one of my strengths. There is no way that He isn't going to use it for His glory. I am willing to suffer through every Communications class required for my English major just to see that come to fruition.
<>< Katie
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Home Sweet Home
It's times like this I love being home.
(before dinner)
Dad: Ok, Mom, we've got steaks and hot dogs for dinner.
Katie: I'm eating the steaks. They're eating the hot dogs.
That was followed by a shockingly normal steak dinner. We all like our steaks at varying cooking stages from still mooing (that's me) to shoe leather (that's Mom), and Dad never manages to get them onto the right plate. Chunks of meat the size of the plate fly through our kitchen on steak night.
Dad's in the kitchen putting the uncooked steak in the freezer bag and vacuuming it shut.
Dad: Katie, you want to pump this?
Katie: No, thanks, I only like to pump the wine because it makes a great popping noise when you uncork it.
(I feel like such a little kid but it seriously entertains me for ten minutes).
Christina: Ooh! I should learn to say that in Dutch.
(No one in our house speaks Dutch... nor are we Dutch)
Christina: Yeah! Mom! Let's learn Dutch together because that way we can speak in code and no one will understand.
Mom: Since everyone is going away to college and it's just the two of us, we could just speak in English.
Dad: Tina, how's Jake?
Christina: I GOTTA LETTER!
Dad: Laura, how's your Jake?
Laura: He's good. He says it's hot.
Dad: Katie, how's your Jake?
Katie: I'm the only one in the family who DOESN'T have a Jake.
Dad: You do have a Jake but his name is Chris.
Mom: It's still a four-letter name.
Katie: Last time I counted "Chris" was five letters.
Oh, and there was another conversation that I can't re-type here, but it was inspired by the story I told on Tuesday...
<>< Katie
(before dinner)
Dad: Ok, Mom, we've got steaks and hot dogs for dinner.
Katie: I'm eating the steaks. They're eating the hot dogs.
That was followed by a shockingly normal steak dinner. We all like our steaks at varying cooking stages from still mooing (that's me) to shoe leather (that's Mom), and Dad never manages to get them onto the right plate. Chunks of meat the size of the plate fly through our kitchen on steak night.
Dad's in the kitchen putting the uncooked steak in the freezer bag and vacuuming it shut.
Dad: Katie, you want to pump this?
Katie: No, thanks, I only like to pump the wine because it makes a great popping noise when you uncork it.
(I feel like such a little kid but it seriously entertains me for ten minutes).
Christina: Ooh! I should learn to say that in Dutch.
(No one in our house speaks Dutch... nor are we Dutch)
Christina: Yeah! Mom! Let's learn Dutch together because that way we can speak in code and no one will understand.
Mom: Since everyone is going away to college and it's just the two of us, we could just speak in English.
Dad: Tina, how's Jake?
Christina: I GOTTA LETTER!
Dad: Laura, how's your Jake?
Laura: He's good. He says it's hot.
Dad: Katie, how's your Jake?
Katie: I'm the only one in the family who DOESN'T have a Jake.
Dad: You do have a Jake but his name is Chris.
Mom: It's still a four-letter name.
Katie: Last time I counted "Chris" was five letters.
Oh, and there was another conversation that I can't re-type here, but it was inspired by the story I told on Tuesday...
<>< Katie
Monday, May 10, 2010
Reading Day
Little secret: I am not athletic. Sometimes if I'm by myself I walk so fast that I'm winded by the time I get where I'm going, but that's the closest I ever get to running. Sports are not my strength. I played basketball in 5th grade and I got really good at catching the ball...with my nose. I spent enough nights at the eye doctor getting my glasses fixed that I realized the WMBA was not in my future. Fathers are supposed to teach their daughters how to throw and catch; somehow I missed that lesson. In seventh grade I took up tennis because I had a weapon against the ball. It wasn't long before I figured out my strongest spot on the tennis court was at the net because there's minimal running involved in a volley. I played for six years but then I graduated high school and now the most exercise I get is ten minutes on the Wii Fit. Knowing this about myself, I don't know why I ever thought this was a good idea.
Classes were cancelled on Friday, so we hosted our biannual kickball game. Last year the English department started a new tradition where we play kickball once a semester. For a year we played teams that basically boiled down to English Education vs. English Writing. Well, then the science department got jealous and in a cowardly way challenged us to kickball, calling themselves the superior department. If they were so superior I don't know why they needed to bring the math department with them in order to beat us but whatever. They won this past fall, and Friday was our opportunity to earn our ball back.
We had more players than they did, so some of our players didn't get to play in the field. Elizabeth and I took ones for the team and just kicked and cheered. My first two kicks I was out before making it to first base. My third kick I made it all the way to second but we already had two outs and the play at the first made three. My fourth kick I managed to eventually get all the way home scoring a point for the good guys. English won 16-12!
Sometime in the two minutes between when I got back to my apartment and when I was planning on getting in the shower, Chris called.
"Come play ultimate frisbee!"
Little known fact, it was one of my secret goals before graduating to play ultimate frisbee. It's kind of our school's favorite game, so I didn't think it would be right for me to graduate without playing. Even though I have one more year I figured now was as good a time as ever; plus, I was already sweaty. Oh, and still fighting this cold, minor detail.
"I'm not very good at frisbee," I told Chris.
"That's ok; I am," he said. Between the two of us we could be two average players.
I held my own and even touched the frisbee a few times. I didn't score, but Hannah (the girl I was guarding) didn't score either... except the first one which didn't count because it was part of warm ups. I really did enjoy myself and the "Oh, my gosh, I'm so out of shape and thirsty" feeling that I had for an hour. But I lived.
After getting cleaned up and eating Japanese for dinner, a few of us went to see a movie. It was 8:00 and I could have gone to be (mind you, I hadn't yet been awake for 12 hours that day). I almost made it all the way through the movie, too, but in the last ten minutes I made a mad-dash from the theater. Since I'm pretty prone to bloody noses, no one really thought anything of it. Nope, it's going to be a long time before I eat Japanese food again. :-( Other than for those few minutes, I feel fine; it's weird. Whatever. Although, more than that I'm more upset my no-puking streak has to start over at just shy of three years. Before that random stomach bug in the middle of July (who the heck gets sick in July? The kids I babysat...) it had been six and a half years. That's still my record. Oh, well. One day I will break it!
Happy Reading Day, Katie... next year you should stick to reading on Reading Day.
<>< Katie
Classes were cancelled on Friday, so we hosted our biannual kickball game. Last year the English department started a new tradition where we play kickball once a semester. For a year we played teams that basically boiled down to English Education vs. English Writing. Well, then the science department got jealous and in a cowardly way challenged us to kickball, calling themselves the superior department. If they were so superior I don't know why they needed to bring the math department with them in order to beat us but whatever. They won this past fall, and Friday was our opportunity to earn our ball back.
We had more players than they did, so some of our players didn't get to play in the field. Elizabeth and I took ones for the team and just kicked and cheered. My first two kicks I was out before making it to first base. My third kick I made it all the way to second but we already had two outs and the play at the first made three. My fourth kick I managed to eventually get all the way home scoring a point for the good guys. English won 16-12!
Sometime in the two minutes between when I got back to my apartment and when I was planning on getting in the shower, Chris called.
"Come play ultimate frisbee!"
Little known fact, it was one of my secret goals before graduating to play ultimate frisbee. It's kind of our school's favorite game, so I didn't think it would be right for me to graduate without playing. Even though I have one more year I figured now was as good a time as ever; plus, I was already sweaty. Oh, and still fighting this cold, minor detail.
"I'm not very good at frisbee," I told Chris.
"That's ok; I am," he said. Between the two of us we could be two average players.
I held my own and even touched the frisbee a few times. I didn't score, but Hannah (the girl I was guarding) didn't score either... except the first one which didn't count because it was part of warm ups. I really did enjoy myself and the "Oh, my gosh, I'm so out of shape and thirsty" feeling that I had for an hour. But I lived.
After getting cleaned up and eating Japanese for dinner, a few of us went to see a movie. It was 8:00 and I could have gone to be (mind you, I hadn't yet been awake for 12 hours that day). I almost made it all the way through the movie, too, but in the last ten minutes I made a mad-dash from the theater. Since I'm pretty prone to bloody noses, no one really thought anything of it. Nope, it's going to be a long time before I eat Japanese food again. :-( Other than for those few minutes, I feel fine; it's weird. Whatever. Although, more than that I'm more upset my no-puking streak has to start over at just shy of three years. Before that random stomach bug in the middle of July (who the heck gets sick in July? The kids I babysat...) it had been six and a half years. That's still my record. Oh, well. One day I will break it!
Happy Reading Day, Katie... next year you should stick to reading on Reading Day.
<>< Katie
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Coffee Shop
I have a secret. One I've never shared before.
Some day I want to be a coffee shop dwelling writer. I haven't decided yet if I want to be the sketchy person perched in the corner silently observing or the social butterfly who hops tables from the time the coffee shop opens until it closes. I don't know but I'm willing to set aside my dislike for coffee and hatred for the lingering coffee shop smell to achieve this goal.
The long process towards reaching this goal began on Wednesday. I had a nice chunk of free time in the afternoon. My plan was to do go right after lunch, do homework until my meeting at 3:30, finish the meeting quickly, and then write for fun until dinner.
Around 1:45 I walked in to the coffee shop and ordered my favorite drink: a decaf peppermint mocha. Lucky for me, my punch card was full so I got a free venti! Normally I order a tall, so I figured the venti would last me until dinner. It didn't but that's ok. See! I'm on my way to being a coffee drinker!
I found an open table and for the next hour or so I worked relatively diligently. Of course, I did take a break from preparing for my poetry workshop to enjoy some people watching or have a short chat but nothing too substantial.
That is until Jessica found me. I knew I was in trouble when she pulled out the chair and sat down across the table from me. By this point it was about 2:30 and my homework wasn't done yet. She had a coffee date at 3, so I didn't panic. I could still use that last half hour to finish my work and then write for fun (not blog) afterwards.
At exactly 3:00 the bell on the door to the coffee shop rang and in walked Dr. Zirci. It was actually ironic because Jessica and I had just been talking about his wonderful family.
"You're in my office," he teased me.
"Actually, I'm in the coffee shop," I teased back.
"That's my table," he argued.
"I don't see your name on it," I countered.
"This exact table is my office from 3-5 on Wednesday afternoons," he said pulling out a syllabus to show me he does indeed have coffee shop office hours at that time. What a fun professor!
Before he could kick me out of his office I invited him to join me. The three of us engaged in conversation until Jessica's coffee date arrived and I changed tables for my meeting. We left Dr. Zirci alone in his office.
At 4:15ish I returned to my seat next to Dr. Zirci ready to write.
"What are Katie and Dr. Zirci doing?" I heard a voice behind us.
"I don't know. Maybe she needs remedial help," a second voice answered.
"She's definitely not in Anatomy and Physiology; she's an English major. Plus, they're laughing. I'm pretty sure A&P isn't that funny."
"You're just jealous," I wanted to say but I didn't. Instead, I stole a glance at the time on his computer: 5:00. We'd been talking for a solid forty-five minutes; forty-five minutes of my precious writing time had dwindled away. Have you ever tried to write for fun in a coffee shop sitting side by side with a professor who's also your adoptive father? Let me tell you, it doesn't work very well. However, I don't regret it. Instead of writing, I spent forty-five minutes watching YouTube videos, looking at photos, and sharing life.
Sure, my story's not any further along but the time was well-spent.
Be real-life social today. Don't wait for people to join you in the caf because sooner or later dinner will be over and your conversation will wrap up (unless you're David). Don't wait to see wh appears in your apartment because it's only a matter of time before you'll disappear into your bedroom to do homework. Intentionally place yourself somewhere where you will interact with others and do nothing but fellowship. Put aside your plans to share life. Oh, and facebook/ blogger doesn't count, sorry. :-)
<>< Katie
Some day I want to be a coffee shop dwelling writer. I haven't decided yet if I want to be the sketchy person perched in the corner silently observing or the social butterfly who hops tables from the time the coffee shop opens until it closes. I don't know but I'm willing to set aside my dislike for coffee and hatred for the lingering coffee shop smell to achieve this goal.
The long process towards reaching this goal began on Wednesday. I had a nice chunk of free time in the afternoon. My plan was to do go right after lunch, do homework until my meeting at 3:30, finish the meeting quickly, and then write for fun until dinner.
Around 1:45 I walked in to the coffee shop and ordered my favorite drink: a decaf peppermint mocha. Lucky for me, my punch card was full so I got a free venti! Normally I order a tall, so I figured the venti would last me until dinner. It didn't but that's ok. See! I'm on my way to being a coffee drinker!
I found an open table and for the next hour or so I worked relatively diligently. Of course, I did take a break from preparing for my poetry workshop to enjoy some people watching or have a short chat but nothing too substantial.
That is until Jessica found me. I knew I was in trouble when she pulled out the chair and sat down across the table from me. By this point it was about 2:30 and my homework wasn't done yet. She had a coffee date at 3, so I didn't panic. I could still use that last half hour to finish my work and then write for fun (not blog) afterwards.
At exactly 3:00 the bell on the door to the coffee shop rang and in walked Dr. Zirci. It was actually ironic because Jessica and I had just been talking about his wonderful family.
"You're in my office," he teased me.
"Actually, I'm in the coffee shop," I teased back.
"That's my table," he argued.
"I don't see your name on it," I countered.
"This exact table is my office from 3-5 on Wednesday afternoons," he said pulling out a syllabus to show me he does indeed have coffee shop office hours at that time. What a fun professor!
Before he could kick me out of his office I invited him to join me. The three of us engaged in conversation until Jessica's coffee date arrived and I changed tables for my meeting. We left Dr. Zirci alone in his office.
At 4:15ish I returned to my seat next to Dr. Zirci ready to write.
"What are Katie and Dr. Zirci doing?" I heard a voice behind us.
"I don't know. Maybe she needs remedial help," a second voice answered.
"She's definitely not in Anatomy and Physiology; she's an English major. Plus, they're laughing. I'm pretty sure A&P isn't that funny."
"You're just jealous," I wanted to say but I didn't. Instead, I stole a glance at the time on his computer: 5:00. We'd been talking for a solid forty-five minutes; forty-five minutes of my precious writing time had dwindled away. Have you ever tried to write for fun in a coffee shop sitting side by side with a professor who's also your adoptive father? Let me tell you, it doesn't work very well. However, I don't regret it. Instead of writing, I spent forty-five minutes watching YouTube videos, looking at photos, and sharing life.
Sure, my story's not any further along but the time was well-spent.
Be real-life social today. Don't wait for people to join you in the caf because sooner or later dinner will be over and your conversation will wrap up (unless you're David). Don't wait to see wh appears in your apartment because it's only a matter of time before you'll disappear into your bedroom to do homework. Intentionally place yourself somewhere where you will interact with others and do nothing but fellowship. Put aside your plans to share life. Oh, and facebook/ blogger doesn't count, sorry. :-)
<>< Katie
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
"Please"- a Pantoum Poem
Backstory: I'm the editor of our English department newsletter; I inherited the problem of trying to get it published online. After a year of gently reminding, pleading, and sometimes even whining, I've decided to be a bit more aggressive. Dr. Vance is in charge of the English website, and he keeps promising to put the newsletters online. He's also my Creative Writing professor who is strongly encouraging me to explore poetry. Dr. Vance wants me to write poems; I want Dr. Vance to put the newsletter online. This is what comes out. (Not a finished product).
"Please"
If only I were clever,
I'd have a poem about viewing the newsletter* online,
but we both know we'll see it never.
Oh, it would be so fine.
I'd have a poem about viewing the newsletter online,
the joy of having a new website,
oh, it would be so fine
to show the newsletter in a new light.
The joy of having a new website,
the PDFs are ready to go,
to show the newsletter in a new light,
but why is the process painstakingly slow?
The PDFs are ready to go,
and every month again I try,
but why is the process painstakingly slow?
This has become my battle cry.
And every month again I try,
but we both know we'll see it never.
This has become my battle cry,
if only I were clever.
I'd have a poem about viewing the newsletter* online,
but we both know we'll see it never.
Oh, it would be so fine.
I'd have a poem about viewing the newsletter online,
the joy of having a new website,
oh, it would be so fine
to show the newsletter in a new light.
The joy of having a new website,
the PDFs are ready to go,
to show the newsletter in a new light,
but why is the process painstakingly slow?
The PDFs are ready to go,
and every month again I try,
but why is the process painstakingly slow?
This has become my battle cry.
And every month again I try,
but we both know we'll see it never.
This has become my battle cry,
if only I were clever.
<>< Katie
*Author's Note: I edited out the newsletter name for privacy reasons. Since meter doesn't really matter in this pantoum, I don't feel the need to replace it with a two-syllable word. Instead, the word "newsletter" will suffice. However, the real name flows off the tongue better.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Catch Phrase
For being an English major, I'm shockingly bad at Catch Phrase. The words pop up on the screen and those words I want to say are ones I'm not allowed to use. It helps me to know Keith, who speaks almost as many languages and I do, isn't good at it either. He just sits there and screams, "OOHH!, OKAY! UHHH!!!"
I, on the other hand, stare blankly, "I don't know who this is."
"It's a person," someone guesses.
"Yes, a man."
"Describe him."
Okay, if I don't know who a person is, how on earth am I going to describe him? Lucky for me, Allyson started shouting out mens' first names and hits the right one, Jack. My entire team began listing famous people with the first name Jack. When I heard, "Jack Nicholson" I threw the controller at Nikki, sitting behind me on the couch.
"That's not what it says!" Nikki exclaimed. She'd been peering over my shoulder, enjoying my struggle. "It says Jack Nicklaus."
"Are they two different people? I don't know who either one of those people are," I admitted. A year ago I would have struggled and continued the game, lying, if necessary, that I'd heard someone say "Jack Nick-claus."
David leapt to my rescue explaining who each person was, and they gave my team a point anyway.
This same thing happens in Apples to Apples all of the time. I'll throw people-cards cluelessly if I don't have anything better to put in. Sometimes the other players find the choice hilarious and I win; other times they find the card offensive. Oops.
Learning to ask questions and admit when I don't know something,
<>< Katie
PS: I do know that text messages reading, "WHAT NO BLOG YET??? Are you alive? Are you conscious? Did you get eaten by a walrus? You do realize it's almost 4 and thus you have 8 hours left to blog" really mean "My day is not complete until Katie updates her brilliant blog. Perhaps she has forgotten about my dependency on reading it and therefore I shall remind her."
I, on the other hand, stare blankly, "I don't know who this is."
"It's a person," someone guesses.
"Yes, a man."
"Describe him."
Okay, if I don't know who a person is, how on earth am I going to describe him? Lucky for me, Allyson started shouting out mens' first names and hits the right one, Jack. My entire team began listing famous people with the first name Jack. When I heard, "Jack Nicholson" I threw the controller at Nikki, sitting behind me on the couch.
"That's not what it says!" Nikki exclaimed. She'd been peering over my shoulder, enjoying my struggle. "It says Jack Nicklaus."
"Are they two different people? I don't know who either one of those people are," I admitted. A year ago I would have struggled and continued the game, lying, if necessary, that I'd heard someone say "Jack Nick-claus."
David leapt to my rescue explaining who each person was, and they gave my team a point anyway.
This same thing happens in Apples to Apples all of the time. I'll throw people-cards cluelessly if I don't have anything better to put in. Sometimes the other players find the choice hilarious and I win; other times they find the card offensive. Oops.
Learning to ask questions and admit when I don't know something,
<>< Katie
PS: I do know that text messages reading, "WHAT NO BLOG YET??? Are you alive? Are you conscious? Did you get eaten by a walrus? You do realize it's almost 4 and thus you have 8 hours left to blog" really mean "My day is not complete until Katie updates her brilliant blog. Perhaps she has forgotten about my dependency on reading it and therefore I shall remind her."
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