College and the Little Things

I started college this week. :) And one word I've decided to describe it with is: Indescribable. It's everything I heard it WASN'T. Which is: fun, exciting, effortless (because I enjoy homework and having things to do), relaxing, and it met every expectation I had and exceeded. I'm so glad things worked out the way they did. The one thing I could probably do without is having to drive/ride for an hour to get to school. I'd have much more sleepy time if I didn't have to get up to leave 2 hours before class starts. But because I have these long periods of thinking/reading/sleeping time, I began to realize a few things about my situation that made me smile. I realized I'm beginning to appreciate the "little things". My example: Earlier this week I had a long day at school, I was hot and sweaty, (I probably smelled terrible) and I was crammed onto a full bus with what felt like no air conditioning. After curling up as small as i could, we departed toward the downtown campus. (The stop between Tempe and West) I continued to sweat and feel nauseous until we stopped half an hour later. My bus buddy next to me gave me a tiny wave and stood up to get off. As soon as he moved, the air vents turned on, I stretched my legs out across the seat, felt instantly relieved-- and smiled.

The little things: Learn to appreciate your bus partner getting off at the halfway point. This is beneficial to your attitude, your physical well-being, and your emotional level of frustration for the end of the day routines.

The List

I think I'm going to maintain a list of things I've always wanted to do, and come back once in a while to see if I've made any progress toward completing my list. They're in no particular order, with no order of realism or priority.

1. Learn to play the Cello
2. Visit another country (Mexico doesn't count)
3. Audition for a Shakespeare company
4. See John Mayer in concert
5. Buy a house or a condo
6. Buy a house, apartment or condo in Seattle, Washington
7. Go to New York to see a Broadway show ON Broadway
8. Throw a themed party
   
9. Student-teach Theater at Ironwood
10. Get a job as a theater teacher (prefferably at Ironwood, but I'll take peoria district anywhere)
11. Write my own music on the piano
12. Go swimming in a really cold pool
13. Adopt a pure white siberian husky and name him "Boo"
14. Get a cool job at a theater, if only as a ticket-salesperson
15. Do something adventurous like go rock climbing --on actual mountain rocks
16. Snowshoe to the Yurt again with Grandma or anyone who wants to come!
    
17. Go on another Colorado River expedition with Gram or anyone who wants to come!
18. Go to Havasupai falls
    
19. Get married
    
20. Get married by the ocean
    
21. Visit some obscure hole-in-the-wall restaurant and discover something awesome.
22. Stay in a cabin in Flagstaff
23. Go ice skating on an actual lake
24. Ride a jet-ski
    
25. Buy a vacation home on the beach somewhere in California

That's all for now. Maybe I'll add things as I think of them!

Funding my Education

About the AIMS tuition waiver and the recent controversy around cutting the program:

I'm aware of the crisis our country is facing. I'm aware it is becoming increasingly difficult to fund government programs. So my thoughts and opinions do not come from a cloudy awareness of my surroundings, I am fully aware of the circumstances. What I don't understand is if they've been considering the cut for a while, why I still received a letter saying I was entitled to a share of the money available in the program. Why did they send me confirmation of a program offering full tuition funds when that money doesn't exist? Why am I now scrambling to account for six grand I had previously accounted for, that is now gone? And my biggest question (that will offend most people): Why the hell are academic programs being cut? God forbid we take funding away from the football team. Oh no, kids need their sports. Testosterone needs its outlet.
What about me? What about a kid who can't catch, kick, run, jump, or dive to save her life? What if I spent more time focusing on my education and the academic aspect of my schooling than worrying about if I made the team?
Why are the people who are trying hard in regards to schooling being left behind while the athletes are still playing off their talent, not their knowledge?

Answer me this.

Another Great Leap

So I know about 2 people read this blog, but that's okay. I like writing anyway. :) As far as updates go I've got half a million:
-I'm a Sun Devil! Received my ASU acceptance letter about a week ago, and I'm ecstatic. I still can't believe hard work really pays off! I even received a scholarship simply for applying and being a good student in high school. This is definitely a life-lesson that won't soon be forgotten.
-Little Red? Nope. Bigger. The Baker's Wife?! Yeah. THAT big. I'm rather intimidated by the fact that I have to sing at least 2 solos plus a couple duets and the company numbers. I'm also disgusted at how high school kids' jealousy gets in the way of their common sense. Maybe they lacked common sense in the first place, but some of them are just plain rude. I'll take the higher road though, and rise above the criticism and hate-talk. I'll prove 'em wrong again. And they won't have any excuse for doubts.
-Boyfriend is good. He takes me to dinner, we record songs we've written, and he burns me CD's that have some cute songs on them. He's going to college in Tempe too, so maybe we'll get to continue this good thing we've got going. :) He's got a lot of ambition and follows through with his plans, which makes me happy and confident he'll create a good life for himself. And not just talk about it.

Happy New Year!

Wow. 2009 is here at last! It's quite a monumental year for me, and one that always seemed like it would be so far off in the future. There are so many changes that will be taking place this year, I just hope I can handle them well. I graduate this year! *Gasp!* Although it's basically required schooling, I still feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment to be graduating in the top 25% of my class. I'll be celebrating my 18th birthday, and Athena told me the first thing I have to do is call one of those advertisements on TV that says "Must be 18 or older to purchase". Haha.

As far as celebrations go, ours was pretty low-key. Played guitar and killed some zombies with the Boyfriend, ate some good food, played Jenga and other miscellaneous games to keep us awake. But when we finally sat down to watch some TV, Athena and I were out cold. I don't even remember going to bed! Hope everyone had a safe and happy new year.

Love,
Red