Russian

I have decided that these are going to be the three languages I'm going to be taking for the B.A.
1) Italian
2) Russian
3) Spanish


I'm up for a challenge so I think I can do this and anything else I pursue in life.

The double P: Priest and Psychology

These two are completely unrelated. It just seemed a little catchy. Well, maybe I'll be able to analyze Priest from a psychological point of view tomorrow.

After my biology exam tomorrow I am going to see the movie Priest. It will be a celebration of the end of finals and finishing the semester. My dad gave me a free movie ticket so I don't even have to worry about paying for it. It will be a delightful escape from reality.

On a different note:
Someone in my psychology class solicited from the class a writing assignment for the psychology research requirement. He got caught naturally. It's good to see that the professor caught him so quickly. It's a shame to see that people are so oblivious to the fact that they will get caught for academic dishonesty, which is clearly stated in every syllabus for every course.
Since the professor has to deal with this, the grades for psychology will be delayed in being posted. Normally the exam grades are posted within a day of the exam or even the evening of the exam. To know that they won't be posted for a few days makes me nervous. I want to get a good grade on this exam to maintain an A in the course.

(As a nice side note: I got an A in Western Civilization: 1648-Present!)

I can tell this movie is going to be underrated or ignored due to Pirates of the Caribbean

It looks better than Pirates of the Caribbean

My sister's husband agrees.

Playlist blurb

1) I like the term "blurb." It's just a good word that's completely underused.

2) I'm trying to get through my David Bowie playlist completely. I've listened to it all, just not all the way through.
So far I'm on day three (four?).
And I just got to the end of it. I don't even have his entire collection either.
I'm missing one or two albums.
That's David Bowie for you.

Takes up all your time.

David Bowie and his wife Iman. 

For all those Bowie fans out there: You can't even be jealous of this because it's just such a wonderful photo.

This is from Bowie's Pinups album.

For those who don't notice the woman:

That's Twiggy.

This is the photo shoot that made her famous.

Bowie has that effect on people.

David Bowie invented the mullet.

Seriously.

He combined two different hairstyles together and created the mullet.

Rednecks be grateful.

And that is my daily plug on David Bowie.

Summer

Today I had to withdrawal from my summer courses. I don't really have to explain why other than the fact that my dad's getting a major surgery done on his shoulder. I'll have to be helping out a lot around the house and such because he'll be incapacitated as well.
So the first thing on the list is to find a job.
I really really really hope that I can still do something with school though, since I absolutely insist on keeping my mental capacity at the maximum potential for my age. Who cares about physical exercise when you can be a genius?! Naturally, I am not serious.
I talked to my linguistics professor briefly about doing volunteer work on experiments in the psycholinguistic research department. He said to email him so we could set up a meeting. I really really hope that I can do something this summer with experiments and such, especially since two graduate students working on a project already had recommended for me to ask about it. Equipment is expensive so to be able to work with it for free is a great opportunity. I just pray that I'll be able to do something.
If I get a job (which I really need one) and that's it then at least I'll be able to catch up on some reading that I've been meaning to get to. There's a silver lining to everything, right?
I think things are really catching up to me now that I know I have nothing set in stone to keep my mind busy. I've been keeping myself so busy that I don't give myself time to think about things going on for more than a few minutes. The best thing going on this summer is the Josh Groban concert, which is coming up very quickly! Definitely something to look forward to.
This Friday a friend is coming to visit until Saturday. I am so excited. I'll finally be able to play The Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit game for the first time in years. (Challenging myself does not count.) No one else wants to play with me. I promise I'm not as good as I used to be since it's been so long since I've played. I'm saying this as I'm looking at 12 Tolkien books lined up on the top of my desk. (To the right of that are Fight Club and Ouran High School Host Club. To the left are my biographies/autobiographies of musicians- including David Bowie and Aerosmith. On top of the Tolkien books are Legion, Yes Man, and other such movies. Says a lot about my personality.) Anyway, it'll be great to see her again.
It figures though that the thing that would make me officially crash is not being able to take summer courses. College courses are something that I really look forward to. Of course I'll be able to take fall courses, and I am so grateful for everything I have been given. This is just that small thing to really feel the weight pressing down on the family. The wave is finally crashing on me.
However, I will persevere and be strong.
My parents need a strong supportive network, and I refuse to fall apart in front of them.

Sunday

Today was a good day, which was much needed after weeks of death, illness, and stress.
I went to Church today and it was great to see everyone. It made me realize how much everyone cares for others there and I feel truly blessed to know such wonderful people.
After that I went to a Ladies Tea Party with some of the women from the Church. It was a really fun time and extremely cute. It was the perfection of a real tea party: Finger foods, pretty hats, carriage rides, and cute little doggies.
I really felt God's spirit strong in everyone today, which was such a wonderful feeling. It was a removal from the hectic stresses of life, and a placement into a peaceful place where you could just chat with wonderful people and listen to God's spirit all around you.
It started to feel as if a storm was coming when we were about to leave. We had perfect timing today. Or maybe it was God reminding us that we shouldn't be there all evening haha.
Either way, I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful day.

Oh my goodness.

I just saw a picture of a 14 year old girl smoking.
The picture was on facebook.
Do her parents realize everything she's doing?

I pray for the youth.
I pray that this country isn't completely Godless.
And I pray that someone will stop that 14 year old from smoking.

Loki

I think Loki is the best villain every in any superhero movie. I really don't see him as a villain, just a victim of the circumstances he was put in. It's a little bit of the nature vs. nurture dilemma. In this case it's a bit of both.

His entire story is really heart breaking in so many ways, and it just seems like he can't catch a break. The poor guy has circumstance upon circumstance build up his character. Throw in the mischievousness that he inherits and you get the explosion of evil. Besides the whole "I want to destroy the world" thing, I really don't see him as evil. Throughout the entire movie I just kept thinking, "What if Thor was placed in his position?" I'm sure Thor would've destroyed the world when he was five, given his temperament. Or maybe if Loki didn't have to pick up the pieces that Thor left after his little rampages. But most of all- he was never really accepted as a son by his "father", and all he ever sought was his approval. With the power he was given and his more sly attitude rather than Thor's blunt force, it's no wonder he ended up that way.
For some reason I can't help but think of Faustus or Paradise Lost when I talk about Loki.
True, Loki did have a choice to turn back and not become the villain (Faustus), but he was also deceived (Paradise Lost).

Naturally I am analyzing a character in a movie way too much.
But given how awesome Loki is, he deserves a little attention.

When it rains, it pours.

I shouldn't be in class right now. I've been fighting a fever since yesterday, and I'm pretty sure that the university doesn't want people with fevers in class. I normally don't get fevers so I'm wondering if I'm sick from stress or if it's just a bad cold. Either way I'm sure stress had some part to play in it.
I can't miss any class though since I was out all week last week. Finals are coming up and I have an exam this evening for math (which I didn't study for since I was completely out of it yesterday). Everyone at home (and in Japan -Corrinne-) said that I should stay home, but I must get all of my work done that I already missed and I don't want to have to make up more work. I refuse to let it get me down.

I would like to add that yesterday every professor I spoke with privately about my absence had to ask what happened to my brother. It was a bit aggravating since these matters are extremely private and I would like to focus more on what I need to do now to keep myself busy. The details of my brother's death are extremely tragic and something I would not like to tell professors who I will probably never see again. However, my linguistics professor just asked if I was okay and how I was doing since last week. (And if I got the video he wants me to watch.) Interestingly enough, he is the only professor I'm taking a class with next semester. I knew there was a reason why he was my favorite professor (other than his genius).

After linguistics yesterday I got really sick. It was quite embarrassing that I had to run out of the classroom so I could lean over a trashcan as everyone walked by and watch me get sick. I had two friends there for support (thank you so much Clem and Jodi), which made it a little better. I don't think my linguistics professor saw, and there weren't many people who showed up for class. Today I have plenty of water and Gatorade to help keep that from happening again.

When it rains, it pours.
Luckily I have a wonderful umbrella that shows me the stars.

Back to class

I'm back to class today, and I must say that I don't think I'm entirely prepared for it.
I have to persevere and the semester is almost over, so I am thankful that I can be done soon and rest until summer session starts. Luckily, my professors have been entirely understanding so far and have been helpful in getting back into their courses. My biology professor said that she wants to prolong a quiz in bio lab until next week, and my psychology professor is sending me a power point on the chapter I missed. I still have math and bio lab today, but with God's help I'll be able to get through this.

My brother's funeral was on Friday, and it was the hardest thing my family has had to do. There were so many people there that it was great to see how many people loved my brother. My pastor and his wife came to show their support and my friend from Church came to support me as well. They are such lovely people. The entire flight crew shut down at my dad's work to come to my brother's funeral, and pilots in other areas didn't fly in his honor. One of my family members arranged to have the ROTC chief from my brother's high school to present a flag of honor to my mother since my brother was extremely passionate about ROTC. That was too difficult. My mother had held it together well enough to that point, but she broke down entirely then.
When they buried my brother I couldn't handle it. I had seen him the day before the funeral since the funeral was closed casket, but this was too difficult. To know that I can never see him again in life and to see him buried was the point where I could finally understand that he had passed. Everyone put a rose on his casket, the immediate family last.
My heart aches for his daughter, who will never know her parents. Her mother passed when she went into labor and now her father passed. We will be able to help her know her parents. She is all we have left of them, and she is all of the good qualities of them.

I pray that God will protect my family through this difficult time and help them be strong.