Dear readers,

Hallo!  How are things going in reader-land?  Ha!  That's kind of amusing, imagining everyone in a fanciful landscape where all you do is read.  If anyone is in reader-land, though, it's me.  Well, okay, I'm sure plenty of people are doing more reading than I, but I am doing more reading this term than I have ever done before.

I am taking:

The Immigrant Experience:
Quite an interesting class, I don't regret taking it.  Perhaps the most reading-heavy.  I recently interviewed a friend's mom to hear her story about moving from Holland to various places then to America.  It was really quite fascinating to hear her story ("In America, everything is bigger... Coke comes in a vase not a cup").

Sound Studies:
About the relatively new field of sound studies.  A lot of the things we've learned so far have to do with analyzing sound in parallel ways to vision.  For example, we analyzed "soundscapes" instead of landscapes, and identified the "soundmarks" in them (as I type those words, I am unsurprised to see red underlines).  In this class we have to write a paper every week!  It's not that bad, really, but it's quite intimidating to me.  There are also classly readings.

Fields of Performance:
A class about dance choreography.  It doesn't focus on one kind of dance, but rather on the intersection between dance and other activities, such as sports and everyday living.  There are some readings for this class as well.

And guess what I've been doing as a study break?

TRAMPOLINING!

Just kidding, I've been reading.  But trampolining sure is a funny word, isn't it?  Anyhow, I've taken to sitting in the rookery and reading books from the children's section.  I like reading children's books, and I want to write them, so it's sort of like research, seeing how other people do it, as well as recreation.   I recently read Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat, which involved a young girl and rodents with extraordinary powers.  It was fun and exciting and more than a little bit odd.

Last term, I saw one of the fabled albino squirrels!  It is said that any prediction written with a brush of albino squirrel tail hair will come true. Good thing the poachers didn't get this one.  Actually I just made that up.  It's not true!  Don't go stealing any albino squirrel tail hairs!  It's not worth risking their venomous bites! ... yeah I just made that up, too.  I saw the squirrel while I was walking back from my Latin professor Jackson Bryce's house.  He had the whole class over and he cooked delightful waffles and sausages (I also tried some pickled herring, which was weird-looking but didn't taste bad).  It was quite a nice treat. 

Here is my final painting from my painting class last term.  It is representative of finding beauty in dark places.  I discovered last term that the hard times are what can really grow me in maturity and draw me closer to God.

The moon over Goodhue one clear, dark night.   I loved seeing the clouds illuminated by the moon.

A close-up

So I know I haven't been posting very regularly, and I'm kind of okay with that, but kind of not.  So, for kicks, I think I will challenge myself to try to catch up to/stay ahead of a 10 post-per-term rate.  Currently, I am at 18 posts, and I've finished two terms, so I should (according to 10ppt) be at 21 or 22.  The way I will try to do this is by doing more shorter posts.  Short posts are more interesting anyway, right (like, are you even still reading?)? Anyways, more posts!  All in favor, say "eye!"  All opposed, neigh!  I don't understand what that means, but I presume it has something to do with the ancient feud between the Valiant Horses of the Golden Plains and the Treacherous Cyclopes from the Caves of Glumberthrall. 

So before this gets too long, I'd better peace out.

Peace,

Jon