Back to School

So, here's the update now that I'm about to go to sleep in my dorm room once again. Last week was my last at home, and it went really fast. I had a fantastic sendoff from both my genetic and tae kwon do families, then my dad and I drove to school on Saturday. I saw my dorm friends that evening. Sunday, we did the shopping trip to Target, and I got to move in today. It was a little odd because I was out with theater friends last night and didn't get nearly enough sleep to be as energetic as I was.

My dorm has been renovated. Not the big structural stuff, but everything is now spruced up and lovely and clean and new looking. Somehow, they incorporated really modern furniture into our Hogwarts common room style lounges and it still has a wonderfully homey, old building feel. And we have cool wallpaper. My room has had some changes as well. The desk lost its shelving and has been painted a steely blue-grey. The dresser is now green. I have a new desk chair and the bedframe is different. New mattress pad. The carpeting is gone and I think it's a terrazzo floor now. The walls were painted, so no more cracks in the corners. They also removed one of the closet doors, so it only closes halfway now, but that may be on its way back.

I gave my furniture a different layout this year. My bed is still in the corner away from both the door and the bathroom, but I have a spot for my snack bin in the opposite corner next to the dresser then my purple cube grid, desk, and fridge. My three-drawer cart is shares the foot of my bed with the trunk.

The new fixtures I brought with me are a body pillow, quilt, mattress topper, and rugs, all of which I love. My decorating is a bit simpler: I have my Exploding Tardis poser above my head, then the Hunger Games poster that has lived in each of my dorm rooms, and my two China watercolors (a panda and a landscape) between the mockingjay and the mirror. The opposite wall has my Chinese shadow puppets, collage poster, Chinese calligraphy, and, to inspire good work this year, my research poster lives above my desk. My bed is super fluffy now, the rugs are a fantastic accent, and I'm just really happy with my room.

Since moving in, I've been meeting the new members of the dorm. I'm surprised by how many are transfer students, and each one I have met has been wonderful. When you meet a bunch of new people, it makes mathematical sense that some of them might give you a weird vibe that you might not get along, but I genuinely think that I can have a friendship with each of the people I have met. It's really exciting to me.

Things haven't been eventfully exciting, but I'm so happy to be back home at school with my friend-family. It is so amazingly awesome to see these friends I have been missing for three months (which felt a lot longer than three months), and I feel very positive about the way things are beginning.

Today is awesome because I am happy with my home.

American G-ds by Neil Gaiman (no spoilers)

I literally finished this book then opened my computer to write about it, so it's all very fresh. This was a book that I have been interested in reading for three or four years now, but never committed to finding myself a copy. I had also been discouraged by some of my friends who had read it because they thought some of the content would intimidate me. Well, I liked it, and now I'm going to tell you why.

I thought the plot was very interesting. The idea of G-ds based on what people believe in rather than a set faith was really interesting and relevant in an increasingly secular society. Gaiman counterpoints mythical G-ds like Loki and Odin with a modern crew, one of whom is called Media.

I liked Shadow. He was a likeable character as a result of his flaws. The book begins with him in prison, so you already know he isn't perfect, and you don't really know what to expect from him. He does exceed expectations in most cases.

I liked the mythical imagery that Gaiman used. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll leave it at that.

Now for the critique:

I didn't really know where the book was going until I was about two hundred pages into it (my copy was 588 total). That's a lot of effort and commitment to something that you might not even enjoy. I also didn't like that the chapters were each about thirty pages long, so it was hard to find a stopping point when I didn't have time for the entire thing. There also weren't many characters that I liked in the sense that I want to make fanart about them or the things that they say. I guess I'd say I liked the book, but there are other books that I've liked better. I think The Graveyard Book was more my style in the canon of Neil Gaiman.

That's about it. Do I recommend it? Yes. Am I going to re-read it? Probably not, at least not for a number of years. Will I keep my copy or sell/donate it? Keep. Mostly because it has a pricetag from China, but I also respect the work enough that I don't want to give it up.

Today is awesome because I finished my book!

"Grenade" The Song

I hate Bruno Mars' song "Grenade," and I have ever since the first time I heard it. The chorus goes like this:

I'd catch a grenade for you
Throw my hand on a blade for you
I'd jump in front of a train for you
You know I'd do anything for you
I would go through all this pain
Take a bullet straight through my brain
Yes I would die for you baby
But you won't do the same

I really hate these lyrics because of their implications regarding the meaning of love. I just have this mental picture of some guy making a point to find a way to cause himself bodily harm to prove to a woman that he cares deeply for her. All I can think is that if I saw a guy stab himself because he has some convoluted idea that I would find it romantic, I probably wouldn't even talk to him in the first place.

I think that popular culture and popular music especially have this very superficial sense of what love is. These media avenues glorify a life of debauchery and promiscuity, constant clubbing, judging people by how they look (and, yes, One Direction does this as well; the song is about not knowing she's beautiful, not how much these guys value her intellect or ambition), and keeping crazy standards of how to express your feelings for another person.

There's another song, "More Than Alive" by Luke Conard/ALL CAPS, and the lyrics of this song detail all the little things that make the singer love the significant other. It names things like holding hands at a rock show (wrock? could be with that demographic), getting beat in Tetris, sharing a grilled cheese sandwich, and "fixing your car on a Sunday afternoon." I really like this song because loving a person in real life is about all the everyday things you do together that feel special because you do them together.

I also strongly believe that the ideal of romantic love is upheld as the ultimate way to love, rather than having more of a cultural emphasis on familial love or love between friends. These less glorified types of love are what we experience the most because as romantic interests come and go, family and friends are still around. They aren't going to go out of their way to prove their love through surviving bodily harm; these are the people who bring you medicine and soda when you're sick, who listen when you have a problem even though they don't have any obligation to care, the ones who appreciate you when you don't do anything particularly special but it makes a difference to them.

I've been thinking a lot about this because I have long drive times and started listening to popular music ever since my first Dance Marathon when I decided I had to make an effort to actually know some of the music they play to be able to do a good job lighting it. Popular music is so fixated on romance and clubbing that I'm getting to the point where I'm numb to the content and the beats and singers sound the same (thanks to Melodyne or similar software, nobody actually uses autotune). I just wish there were more stories being told through song and I miss the good stuff being what's fresh. I also wish it felt less weird to say "love you" to my best friends the way it is acceptable to say it to my family.

So that's my rant about why I hate the song "Grenade." The lyrics stink and emphasize a stupid hormonal reaction that is misconstrued as love.

And with that, I leave you with Baby Monkey Going Backwards on a Pig 

Today is awesome because I got to be with my family.

Tae Kwon Do, Possible Futures, and Doctor Who

I will openly admit that it's been nearly a month since I've posted at all, and longer than that since I've posted anything of substance. Not sure how meaningful this post will be, but I will try.

It's my last week at home before starting junior year. Three years of college. That's insane!! It's gone by really fast and I kind of still feel new to this whole thing. I have a lot to look forward to this year, especially the surprise renovations to my dorm, and I really can't wait to meet the new freshmen. I've been corresponding with a few of them who seem really awesome and I really want to meet them.

Anyway, this week is going to go really fast. I have family stuff Monday and Tuesday to occupy my time, Thursday I have a bunch of finishing up/final visit plans, and I leave on Saturday, so Wednesday and Friday are all about packing. That bit should be easy, though, since I'm mostly taking back clothing as that's the majority of what I took with me from school to go to China. I still can't believe that actually happened.

During my six weeks at home, I really haven't done much of anything, which is exactly what I needed. I spent time with my family (including a quick vacation with the parents), got in those singular hello-goodbye visits with my high school friends as they all left for school before me, and mostly was lazy then went to the gym and Tae Kwon Do.

Tae Kwon Do is always an amazing thing to come home to. My school has a really fantastic community, and I am always happy to return to those friends. No matter how long I'm gone or what I've forgotten (and it took me a week to get all my stuff back this time around), they are always supportive and cheerful and make me feel welcome and appreciated. There are few places where you can find such a special group, and I've loved my time with them this summer. I especially turn to this group now that I'm in an official 15-month countdown to my second degree promotion test, and they're helping me drill my stuff while I'm home to be able to practice while I'm away. This activity is more than just a sport that I do; it's an art, a community, a philosophy, and the thing that gets me through the weeks that would otherwise be empty.

As I'm preparing to leave for this third Fall Quarter, I'm really not having any of the feelings I've had during previous breaks as I've had to detach from one life to go into another. I think since China I've really begun to come to terms with the fact that my childhood home will probably not be my adult home and that part of my growing process is that I'm not here as much as before. As a kid, I never really thought about the idea of moving somewhere else, but in today's world my career might just take me elsewhere. It is painful to think about a possible permanent detachment from these familiar places and people who I have come to care about so deeply, and there should be a "but" that spins this to be a positive about my future success and how I can always come back, but nothing really dulls the pain of missing people. It's true that there is a positive aspect to it, but that doesn't make the leaving less difficult when there's no timeline to come back.

I guess I've become rather somber in my deeper thoughts, but in other news DOCTOR WHO HAS BEEN AMAZING!!!! I've loved the way this season has been written so that each episode is self-contained and can be given a "movie poster" graphic preview. The characters are developing in directions they otherwise could not have taken, and the way that the Doctor is going back to the end of Martha attitude and Amy had to pull a "Runaway Bride" Donna Noble type reality check for him was really telling of the way that these characters are growing. Moffat and Chibnall have been writing some fantastic twists into the canon (especially who those Daleks on the Asylum are...heartbreaking!). It's just so good! And I still do a happy dance every time "Blink" comes on BBC America. That's actually what I've been doing on the weekdays: sleep in, watch Doctor Who on BBC America, then eat lunch, gym, TKD, home for dinner with the fam. I really love this show.

I'm going to wrap things up here. I was clinical, gushy, nostalgic, and excited all in one post. Enjoy.

Today is awesome because I got to make family recipes with my mom and grandma.

Driving Peeves

Ever since my parents moved, driving has been a lot more frustrating for me. Our building is on a divided road, and we are on the side that runs away from everywhere I ever go on a regular basis. I have to go in the opposite direction to turn around and get where I'm going. Travel times now have an additional 15 or so minutes, and I just feel farther away. Part of that travel time is simply because there are a bajillion traffic lights that constantly stop me and/or a kajillion parked cars that I have to drive around. To top it all off, schools have started up again, so now I have to worry about school zones, school buses, extra pedestrian traffic, and extra car traffic from parents picking up their students.

I'm kind of a stickler for the rules of the road; I mean, I actually read the book before taking my test and I know a lot more of the laws for trivia purposes. Right of way is the big one that I yell about while I'm driving, but my favorite trivia type law regards seat belts. In my state, if the driver is over eighteen years of age, the passengers in the backseat have the option not to wear their seat belts.

So, here's a list of my top five pet peeves about driving:

1. Incorrect right of way. The driving laws dictate whose turn it is, and driving is all about taking turns. That's what makes things go smoothly. If I'm turning right or going straight and you're turning left, it's my turn. If you've been waiting at the stop sign but the person in front of you just went and I'm also at the front of the line, it's my turn. If I'm on the road and you're coming out of a driveway, it's my turn. Wait your turn!

2. Unnecessary honking. This was more in China than in the US since EVERYONE honks in China just to let you know they're there, but if I'm waiting at a red light where I'm allowed to turn on red, but I see cars coming that you can't see, don't honk at me! It makes me angry and less likely to go until it's green just to be spiteful.

3. Heavy traffic. Heavy traffic makes people extra stupid because they just want to get where they're going. It bothers me when people drive like they're the only ones who have a destination because it makes things less safe for the rest of us, and I don't want to crash because you couldn't be on time for whatever it is you're rushing to.

4. Unexpected construction/road closures. I was driving yesterday, and I got to a point in the road where there was a police car blocking my lane. He directed me to turn right into a neighborhood, where the rest of the traffic from the major road had also be redirected, and I had to snake around through this unfamiliar residential area and wait in the longest stop sign line of my life. Then I couldn't make my usual left turn. Then I had to go to the perpendicular main road that I hate driving on because of the traffic. I was frustrated and frazzled by the time I got where I was going, and I would have taken a different route altogether if there had been some indication of what was going on.

5. Traffic lights. In the US, we have a lot of traffic lights that are placed very close together. If I can figure out a route that avoids traffic and traffic lights, I take it because I hate traffic lights. I think that much of my drive time is spent sitting at red lights, and it feels ridiculous, especially when a stop sign could be just as effective. I understand that traffic lights are safer, but if they're not based on sensors and timers, then I just end up sitting for a long time at a red light while nobody is coming from any other direction. And they're always all red when I actually have a destination.

I know there are rebuttals to any and all of these points, but this is what frustrates me most. I just really want a vortex manipulator (they're more precise than a TARDIS, though I'd love one of those) or the ability to apparate or teleport. Any of the above. All of the above.

Today is awesome because I updated my computer.

TV, Books, and Movies from the Summer

This summer I consumed a fair amount of media while I was away. Plane rides around the world are pretty long. So, here's the list and a brief summary of my impressions of what I read and watched.

LOST: I really liked this television series. The first season kind of bothered me a bit because it had little plot direction, but the detailed character profiles help understand who these people are as the story progresses. I think it was probably a very frustrating series to watch while it was still on because so many things are left unanswered, but it has amazing continuity when you watch it all at once. The ending is very controversial, but I think it wraps the story and answers my questions. I appreciate that the writers tried to conclude their series rather than have it stop abruptly, as the fabulous Joss Whedon series did. Overall, I enjoyed watching LOST. I recommend it, but you need to be patient.

Brave: Brave was so good!! The plot is pretty predictable and not terribly creative to get its message across, but the execution is really fun. My favorite characters were the three younger brothers; everything they did made me laugh. Beautiful animation in the moment when Merida shoots the arrow. It easily facilitates conversations about if parents listen to their children. I left very happy. Make sure to watch past the credits! There's an additional scene. 

Howl's Moving Castle: Now, this was not a first-time watching for me, but I watched this movie in China when I was having a lazy day, and it reminded me why I love it so much. The animation is fantastic, the plotline is fun, and it reminds me of the Animated Film Club from high school.

How to Train Your Dragon: I have not seen this movie until this summer, and that has been a mistake. I actually watched it three times in one week because I liked it so much. The animation of light, water, and fire is amazing!!! I loved the way they brought life to the dragons to make them transform, and the human characters were quite funny. The soundtrack of this film is superior.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Once More with Feeling:" I ended up re-watching this episode (and actually buying it) because I had a thought while frustratedly studying Chinese characters that I was just "going through the motions," which is the opening song of the episode. At this point, I can sing along to all of the songs and recite most of the lines along with the episode. I also watched a bunch of behind the scenes videos, and it made me love the episode and series even more. It's just awesome.

WIGS: This webseries, free on YouTube, is all about women in the modern day. There are multiple story lines about individual fictional women and they air one at a time. I started watching WIGS when it began in the spring, and I think there are eight out right now, and my favorite is Lauren. I highly recommend watching this channel, because it is extremely relevant and important.

Other Webseries I love: Squaresville, Job Hunters, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (seriously watch this!!!)

Anna and the French Kiss: This novel by Stephanie Perkins was a fun, kind of fluffy, summer read. It is about Anna, a high school senior whose father decides to send her to School of America in Paris (SOAP) for just the one year. It follows her journey through the year when she has to adjust to living in a foreign country where she does not speak the language, living independently, having to make new friends, and still go to school. She ends up falling in love with her best friend, drama ensues, and the it concludes. I think my favorite part was that I read about Anna feeling helpless because she couldn't speak French while I was going through the same thing in China. Highly recommend as a fun book!

Rossum's Universal Robots: I will admit, this was a book assigned for a class that I dropped and couldn't sell back. However, I decided to read this play after watching Joss Whedon's Dollhouse because one of the final episodes makes a reference to it, so I wanted to understand what it was talking about. The play is about a company that manufactures humans, but the humans are missing any extraneous parts, including free will, except over time the robots take over the world and kill all the humans. The play follows the humans in charge of creating the robots as they deal with both the business and ethical sides of the manufacture of people. It's good, but unless you have a specific reason to read it, it's less easy to get through than a fun novel.

I think that's about it for things I went through during the summer. I mean, in China I saw Peking Opera, an acrobatics show, and a puppet show, but I wrote about those in my China blogs, so I exclude them here. I'm currently reading American G-ds by Neil Gaiman, but I'm not very far. I like it so far, but there's about 500 pages to go. I've mostly been watching stuff on BBC in the mornings and Doctor Who specials when they're on. I'm super psyched for the new season to start on Saturday!!!!

Today is awesome because I put together a scrapbook and have Tae Kwon Do tonight.

AAAAND Home

I've been home for two weeks now. It's nice, and I have accomplished absolutely nothing. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday August 12: travel for a 36-hour day. Dinner at home, unpack.
Monday August 13: lunch, shoe shopping, visit grandmothers, tae kwon do
Tuesday August 14: join the gym, lunch with friend, more shoe shopping, tae kwon do
Wednesday August 15: go to the gym
Thursday August 16: gym (first swim of the summer!), tae kwon do
Friday August 17: lunch with grandma, afternoon with mom, family dinner at Chinese restaurant
Saturday August 18: tae kwon do, clothes shopping with mom, visit friend in evening
Sunday August 19: sleep in (9:15, jetlag milestone!), market, dinner with grandma
Monday August 20: Target, lunch with two friends, gym, tae kwon do
Tuesday August 21: gym, tae kwon do
Wednesday August 22: friends lunch, movie with another friend (Brave was so awesome!!)
Thursday August 23: grocery store, gym, tae kwon do

Other things that have happened this summer: I have fallen in love with How to Train Your Dragon, watched all of Lost, read Anna and the French Kiss and Rossum's Universal Robots, and blogged every day in China (except for the five days I was without computer, when I journaled). So, basically, no BEDA this month because I did 51 daily blogs this summer already.

I'm mostly doing a whole lot of nothing while at home. I have a date for my second degree promotion for tae kwon do (December 2013), and I'm going to start working on a project next week to make a photo book to print of my pictures from China. I ended up taking 1700 photos/video, so there's really a lot to go through to choose for that album.

Tae Kwon Do has been amazing. It's so great to be back at the school with the family, and I love feeling like I still know what I'm doing. My sacred classes are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and my sleeping schedule dictates whether or not I go on Saturday. My Tuesday/Thursdays are especially meaningful to me, and I wouldn't trade those dojang hours for anything.

Since I've had so much free time and my brother has now begun his post-college job, I've been thinking (worrying) a lot about The Future. It's mostly because I have too much time on my hands so I start to plan, but I am now at the stage of my four-year plan when I need to figure out the what and where. More importantly the what because the where will follow and I may not have a choice there, but until this week the where didn't matter. I think the value I'm placing on location is reactionary to having spent two months out of the country. Anywho, it's all going to be fine and I just need to keep on track and do my research so I can figure out what I want and go get it (the last two steps of the aforementioned plan. It has been a very good plan.).

And, speaking of Who, September 1!!!! I'm pretty psyched for the new season of Doctor Who, and Asylum of the Daleks premieres on September 1. I've been watching mostly BBC America during my days of nothing, and they have had a lot of adverts and specials lately to get fans excited. Mission accomplished.

So, yeah, ramble-y blog post about my two uneventful weeks at home. I guess I'll write some book/television/movie reviews since there has been quite a lot of media in my summer. I do have more things scheduled in the next week! Some lunch dates and doctor's appointments. Things just aren't as adventurous as they were in China, so I feel like there's not much to post about beyond saying that tae kwon do class was amazing, which gets boring for people who weren't there after so many days in a row.

If you want to know about China, check out chinasteph.blogspot.com

I'm going to stop now because this is getting cynical.

Today is awesome because of Tae Kwon Do class!