I am in my Junior year of college, and although I retain my honors status, my wits and wiles sometimes lie thin in getting work done. I sat through three classes which were interconnected in a bloc today. The first was demanding of the above qualities, for the teacher delights on minimal hints as to the text, while encouraging application of the concepts in class exercises.
The second class is taught by a professor who is class interaction heavy - his view of the text is as a resource and wants his students to come to class prepared to engage with logical progression in provide suggestions as to application of concepts. The third is my favorite, not only because it is the last, but the professor is well-experienced and gives a broad homework question which is to be answered and brought to class to share. This encourages collaboration with other students to thresh out potential details and structure for the answers as well as ingenuity and self-education in creating the individual solutions as distinctive.
On the way outside the building, I notice the rain soaked landscape, the overcast sky. It brings to mind the Reliant k lyric "Lately the weather has been so bi-polar , and consequently so have I." (High of 75, Mmhmm). This wasn't one of the affected days, I was cheerful in the aftermath and delightedly scampered the empty streets of my downtown area. My mother warns me that I will eventually be reckoned for my reckless attitude towards crosswalks & impatience to keep moving when I have somewhere to go. I take joy in the feeling of the whistling wind as my backpack slaps in a side-to-side rhythm and my coat flares behind. I was listening to a Nerdist podcast and picked up my pace during the 8-bit theme. Electronic music is an effective pace-creator and motivator to prolong sprints. The episode's content wasn't particularly interesting at times, but the overall effect of enthusiasm and amusement of Hardwick & company's banter was pleasant.
It helped to pass the time as I awaited public transport homeward - because parking at college is notoriously frustrating and it is cost effective to buy a discount pass from the University than paying for gasoline. I have more time than I have cash flows, so it is a trade-off that I recognize and accept. I had G.K. Chesterton's "The club of queer trades" in my backpack, but didn't withdraw it as is my usual habit in deference to the still unfinished podcast. The book is a collection of interconnected short stories with a reoccurring cast. As with most of Chesterton, the story is a vehicle for the author's views of humanity in a greater point. The tales are contrived, but cleverly and deftly so. Even when I do not understand everything taking place, I want to learn quickly and thus pay greater notice to the words he chooses and themes upon which he expounds.
When I arrived home I had in mind to work ahead of my schoolwork tomorrow. My friends ran a simulation as part of a class and their scores were superior to my own experiences. After retrying the parameters for forty-five minutes, I was no closer to solving the formula for how they had managed to accomplish the feat. I scrolled through my twitter feed and happened across my internet friend @soldeglo announcing a BlogTV hangout. As I had never attended one of the previous shows - I was late or without proper access, I determined to visit this one.
It was delightful, I enjoy this lady's perspective - she is insightful, thoughtful, talented, and has a beautiful perspective on life in general. I don't recall how I first stumbled upon her channel, but I quickly became an avid follower. She reminded me of my older sister by two years who I have ever adored and looked up to my life. She was a peer, who laid voice to many thoughts that I hadn't put into words, admitted to thinking, or would have the skill to speak as she did.
I attach a great interest to other people and was soon hungering for more of her thoughts as her video blogs grew further and further apart. It was like finding a new favorite author and reading their recent releases, only to run out of fresh material and start rooting around bookshops and libraries in search of their older works. The difference here was that I was forced to view her as a real, tangible person who responded to my comments and thoughts, rather than an abstraction or ideal. It is ironic that I hate the idea of putting people into simple categorical boxes, yet I often find myself doing it to people. Nay, people are more like flowerpots - their roots run deeper and thoughts grow higher than I suspect, I can only focus on one portion at a time. They are no less complex, but I hope that my self-awareness of this pratfall trains me to question it healthily and not reduce others, but build them up, supporting their work.
I didn't want to be an aggressive stalker, but a curious observer as to what else Soldeglo held as an opinion and observation. Tonight she and her sister played piano, did impressions, and sang duets. It was charming and entertaining - it reminded me not to take my own family for granted. My younger sisters are also interesting and warrant my attention. (Often deserving more than I bestow, for I can be absent physically and mentally at times.). The sisters showed love and sisterly inside jokes with one another. While they may not always be on the best of terms - this was a treat and they enjoyed it thoroughly. I wanted to thank them for allowing friends and strangers to view a window into their lives. Jake Sidwell, by the username of Cohenism on YouTube, patrolled the text feed for his friend, kicking out the stranger strangers. I was pleased at his diligence and learning slightly more about him. Jake's work on YouTube is very well polished, he is studying the art of filmmaking and his finished products are a wonder to see. I admire him as well, but he is slightly reclusive and restrained in his internet interactions at times and I respect him all the more for that. His scripts are poetic and his speech eloquent in metaphor and associations - he has a gift for putting vague emotions and feelings into paragraphs that arrest the audience's attention and imagination.
I thank God for wonderful people like this, who remind & reinvigorate me as to the reason for living well. There is a purpose and beauty behind all this environment of nature and creation of man. I need times like these to refocus and glory in the moment I have, while it is still called today.
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