Thursday, February 4, 2010

Things I've learned through the first month of the semester


1. Grammar is cool and interesting. I subscribe to the e e cummings school of thought when it comes to grammar; it can be used however you darn well please. However, the study of grammar in a rhetorical setting is fascinating. Grammar is an integral part to making your argument clearly and effectively.
2. There is little that is as relaxing and thought-clearing as going to a beat-up basketball court by the train tracks and shooting around for an hour or so. This is best achieved after 9:00 PM but can be beneficial during daylight hours as well.
3. Chicano is derogatory, Latino is better, but hyphen-American is best. (I dislike this one. I think we should all consider ourselves as one cohesive unit of Americans without any title or distinction based on race. Lamentably such is the status quo.)
4. The illegal immigration debate isn't as black and white as I'd once thought.
5. Eva Cassidy has joined Ella Fitzgerald, Norah Jones, Diana Krall and Enya (yes Enya) in the ranks of women with dreamy voices.
6. Audrey Hepburn is the American dream woman. (I already knew this one, but it has hit home with greater force of late.)
7. The Law of Consecration is difficult and we often don't live up to its standards as well as we're capable.
8. The planting of tulip and hyacinth bulbs, while best to be taken care of in the fall, is an extremely enjoyable task when undertaken surreptitiously in the dead of night in snow covered dirt.
9. Banana chairs rock my world.
10. Despite having hundreds of pages of homework reading to do, one can always find time to read for personal enjoyment. Even if it's just flipping through seed catalogs whilst on the commode.
11. People like my hair long. I do sometimes, but I'm getting the urge to cut it super short, like a dog shedding its winter coat.
12. Being the activities committee co-chair isn't actually so bad.
13. It is not actually possible to suck your own eyes out of your head using only your hands and your mouth. (No this was not learned by experience)
14. Fresh foods taste better than canned and packaged ones.
14a. There is such a thing as too much macaroni and cheese, which thing I never had supposed.
15. I still dream in Spanish.
16. Seeing tulips and daffodils poking their little heads out of the ground brings hope and joy difficult to equal.

5 comments:

  1. You forgot two, "It is okay to eat a delicious fruit snack off of the ground if absolutely necessary."

    Mormon rap really can bring a lot of happiness to ones soul.

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  2. I'm glad I'm not the only one who believes #1. Few people really understand the power of carefully constructed prose and the vital existence a semi-colon or subtle nonrestrictive clause may be. Welcome to club, boy.

    I also may need to check out Eva Cassidy.

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  3. Sam Dunn. Can I just say A. how honored I am you commented on my blog B. I really do love reading your posts and C. how glad I am we share a love for tulips.

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  4. #4. I find immigration fascinating! If I ever get tired of education reform, that is my next interest.

    #9. Yes. Rockin.

    #11. ditto.

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  5. So I figured since I told Chad I'd marry you that I should see what I was getting into. I think our life together will be quite nice because, you see, I also love grammar and love to use it as I like (though my usage is pretty inferior to that employed by you Engl majors). Reason two: I love Eva Cassidy (Songbird! beatiful song), Norah, Ella Fitzgerald, and Enya. I'll have to look up Diana Krall. Suggestion of two other glorious-voiced women: Karen Carpenter and Alison Krauss. Reason three: gardens.

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