Monday, August 30, 2010

A Morning at the Gun Show

What a day I had yesterday! My alarm went off at 6AM and so my day began. At 7:30AM it was off to the Greensboro Gun and Knife Show. My dad and I were volunteering again for another campaign so we made our way inside the Colosseum. When I stepped through the doors and before me was one of the most amazing, beautiful sights I have ever seen: guns and knives as far as the eye could see and a bunch of people exercising their Second Amendment Right by carrying their guns around over their shoulders!

Of course the guns were not loaded, but it would still be intimidating to the person who is not used to such practices. I, for one, was born and raised in the rural South and grew up around guns and shooting. But I had never been to a gun show in my life and it was an amazing sight that I will never forget. I also met some great people who were volunteering with the same campaign and we had some stimulating conversations!

Oh, yeah. Then I went home and wrote a four page paper. YEE-HAW!

No, I don't have a picture. Sorry.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Thursday, August 26, 2010

One of Those Moments

Today, I was feeling the stress and the tension building again, so I went outside and immediately felt the sun on my face. The sensation was so wonderful that I had to go down off the deck and sit on the swing in the back yard. Once there, I looked out on the rolling hills ahead; the green touching the blue of the sky. Then I closed my eyes and just sat there for several minutes in the silence, thanking God for letting me have this moment of pure beauty. I would not have given that little bit of beautiful peace for anything. The sorry truth is, though, that I could have a whole lot more moments like that if I would simply let myself breath;if I could just be still and know that He is God.

In other news, I got a haircut that I absolutely love!

Monday, August 23, 2010

First Day of School

Today went surprisingly well! I got up at 7 and did my coffee and exercising routine. I was able to do more of my reading for my Making of the Christian Mind class (which I love). At 10am I got to work, got more school done, and went home. Now I am sitting in my living room chilling.

I guess that it's just strange for me to actually have everything on my to-do list finished before 5pm. It is a new and wonderful feeling! I think I'm going to keep this up.

Tomorrow is Research Methods. I only have one chapter left to read plus my initial discussion post, so hopefully it will go as well as today has gone.

God, please give me strength.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Shopping

I know it sounds really bad, but I went shopping two days in a row. On Friday, it was digital cammera shopping; on Satureday, it was clothing shopping. I really didn't buy that much, but what I did buy, I absolutely love. I bought some shirts, but the biggest finds were the Cristal D'Arques Paris (drinking glasses)that I found for $8.99 (box of six). Unfortunately, when I got home and looked on the computer for the rest of line (Harmony), I found that it was discontinued. Oh, well.

On a more productive note, I finished most of next week's readings in all of my classes! Yeah! That means that next week will go slightly smoother. Warning, tomorrow's post may not be so carefree.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Music, Sweet Music

Music is one of those integral parts of my life; I can't imagine life without it. Today, I did not have to work, so I slept until 10:00 AM (no, I'm not joking). When I woke up, I started the coffee maker and finished some reading I wanted to get done for what I call my "Global Problems" class. After about an hour of reading about problems and negative issues, I decided that I needed to create some positive energy. So what did I do? You guessed it! I did some exercise! After that, I felt much better.

To continue on in this spirit, I jacked up some Family Force Five in the bathroom while I was showering. When I got downstairs, I fixed a cup of green tea and turned on the sounds of Michael Buble and thought about nothing important. As I write, I am listening to Norah Jones; next I will put on Owl City. Maybe later I will finish next weeks reading in Research Methods...

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

A Long Weekend

First off, the reason I have not posted in so long is that my laptop power adaptor broke. I was so mad because I just bought this laptop three months ago! Oh, well. Anyhow, I had a great Monday; I finally got my new checking account, bought my new cell phone (which I love), and got to look through my Research Methods course. I have a feeling that it is going to be my favorite class this semester.

As for my reading, I have not been reading my fiction like a good little girl; I have been reading ahead in my courses. I know that this is a good thing, but I know that I am going to want to read something entertaining as soon as school starts instead of wanting to do it in the summer when I should have. But such is life.

Please pray for me that I will not get so overwhelmed that I shut down.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A Much Better Day!

Today happened as it was meant to! I set my alarm for 7am and I got up, worked out, sat and drank coffee in the silence, got to work, read 75 pages of Atlas Shrugged, the first two chapters of Persuasion, got home at 5:30pm, and am presently enjoying The Princess Bride with a cup of green tea. All in all, this was a wonderful day that went as planned; I hope to see many more of these days in the coming semester. I am not under any kind of illusion that would make me believe that every day will go as smoothly as this one has thus far, but I am encouraged.

Is there anyone out there that has any ideas about good stress relief activities?

Also, I'm looking for a productive hobby; any suggestions?

Monday, August 9, 2010

Not My Best Day Ever

My day started with my dad knocking on my door. In a split second, everything that I had forgotten in sleep came rushing back to me. I had to be at work in 30 minutes! I jumped out of bed at lightning speed, threw some clothes on, ran down the stairs (without falling and breaking my head!), dumped some coffee in a travel mug, and headed out the door.

How did this happen? Well, I really have no definite answer to that question. But my theory is that my alarm went off and I subconsciously turned it off; I did set it last night and I did turn it on.

As of right now, I am researching and outlining an essay for a contest. I know, why the heck would I do something so stupid as to waist my last two weeks of summer writing about a 1, 000 page book that I am still in the process of reading? This is not my day for answers, so don't even ask.

Yesterday I started Pilates. Can I just say that it is not as easy as it looks. Wow, that is some kind of workout!

What happened to the word of the day thing? Like I said before, no answers today. This is what happens to me when I wake up late: I am in reactionary mode for the entire rest of the day.

I don't even know what this post is about!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

My Happy Place

Finally! I finally got to go back to one of my favorite places in the world: Barnes and Noble. I could walk around that store for ages on end without feeling the faintest bit of boredom or restlessness. There, I have the two things that I need: coffee and books of all kinds. Even though I could have bought half of the books in the store, I only walked out with one: Persuasion by Jane Austin. I love this book above all of her others, including Pride and Prejudice (which is saying a lot). I think the reason that I love this book so much is because of the fact that the main characters, in spite of themselves, continue to love each other even after being apart for eight years. It is the constancy of affection that makes it, in my opinion, the most romantic of all the Austin masterpieces. And the masterpiece is finally mine; I have no idea why I have not bought it before today.

Over all, I was glad to get out of the Milton-Danville area for a change.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Thoughts About the Future

O.K., the past few days have been woefully uneventful. I have been doing nothing but following blogs, commenting, reading Atlas Shrugged, and thinking about the future. I am having the hardest time figuring out where I want to go to grad school and what I want to specialize in, whether I want to join the military full time before I go to grad school or part time while I go to grad school, etc. Being an adult has its perks, but there are also some drawbacks.

I feel like I should stick with my first area of interest within international relations: strategic studies. I have always been extremely interested in geopolitics and geostrategy; the first book related to politics that I read was The Commanders by Bob Woodward. I was about 14 and I remember being completely taken in by the complexity of the national security process. But even though national security and strategic thought were my gateway into the vast world of international relations, I have sense been interested in conflict resolution, international development, and area studies (Russia and the former Soviet Union in particular). The problem is that there are to many options.

I need some insight soon because I want to start making a reading list that will prepare me for my specialization. God give me wisdom.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

My Ayn Rand Journey

I finally got into one of the novels on my reading list. It is called Atlas Shrugged and it is by a woman named Ayn Rand. So far, it seems that every other line is a philisophical question or statement. In the introduction to the book, it is made clear that Ayn Rand was an avid journal keeper. Appearantly, she journaled extensively on the subjects covered in Atlas Shrugged for years!

From what I have read in the first seventy pages (of one-thousand!), it appears that the story takes place durring a major economic down-turn and that the characters are each on a personal journey of self-discovery. Each of the characters that have been indroduced thus far are extremely caught up in their work and are trying to make sense out of the crazy world in which they live. It seems like the one thing they have in common is their tendancy to throw themselves into their work in order to cope.

I look forward to experiencing the lives of these extremely unique characters, especially Dagny Taggart. Here is an exchange that I found interesting:


--"I don't like the thing that's happening to people, Miss Taggart."
--"What?"
--"I don't know. But I've watched them here for twenty years and I've seen the change. They used to rush through here, and it was wonderful to watch, it was the hurry of men who knew where they were going and were eager to get there. Now they're hurrying because they are afraid. It's not a purpose that drives them, it's fear. They're not going anywhere, they're escaping. And I don't think they know what it is that they want to escape. They don't look at one another. They jurk when brushed against. They smile too much, but it's an ugly kind of smiling; it's not joy, it's pleading. I don't know what it is that's happening to the world." He shrugged. "Oh, well, who is John Galt?"


In closing: Who is John Galt?