Dawdling...

  It's been a while.  I'm sorry loves.  I took the winter break at face value and did exactly that: break.  I read what I wanted to read and relaxed doing so; I managed four books to be exact:  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, Bossypants by Tina Fey, and Dubliners by James Joyce.  It was an eclectic and, with the exception of Joyce, fairly light bit.

...Dragon Tattoo was intriguing and I picked up the next book in the series, but I haven't been to see the movie yet.  On all accounts, Blomkvist is kind of a man-whore, I can see why people more easily cling to Salander as the championed protagonist, even though she is not at prominent.

...Immortal Life, is the Honors Institute colloquium discussion source and an unwilling read at first.  However, I was delightfully surprised with journalistic integrity Skloot managed to retain while coming so close to  her subjects.   Indeed, the Lacks family comes across not as subjects, but as good-hearted, albeit elusive, folks that happen to have information which Skloot has befriended holistically.  The story of the woman behind the most enduring human cell medium in the world and the dubious circumstances in which the original samples were procured is an utterly intriguing one that branches out the borders of the capability of humans (not always in good ways) and ultimately satisfying once you learn to end result of where her grandchildren have ended up.   

Bossypants was in short, hilariously wry.  If you are a woman who has any intention to act (or act up :), read this for the betterment of the species; it is an amazing reminder and near guidebook on taking a step back from taking yourself too seriously.  It was exactly what I needed, to defuse from the Fall semester from hell.  I've been going back to it, since to recharge my improv/sarcastic levels and it hasn't failed me yet.

Dubliners, I got as a part of a double edition that included ...Portrait of an Artist.  As a side note many thanks to my friends who know that Barnes and Nobel is highly preferred over FYE, when it comes to gift cards.  You know me well.  I picked the edition up as an indirect Christmas gift, wagering on its usefulness in my Irish History class this spring.  While Yeats gets a day on the syllabus, Joyce unfortunately doesn't, so my effort was for not.  On the upside, I've developed a wicked bad Irish accent, by reading the fifteen tales of Dubliners partially out loud, so some good has come of it.  The stories themselves are intricate, and written in what I fondly call "Middlemarch-ese"  in a dry reference to George Elliot's multi-tome that while considered a classic was, in my opinion, overwritten.  It leads one to wonder why this style is so highly considered.  Perhaps its a sophisticate way of condescending to those (all modern writers) who don't bother with telling us every detail.  Not that the style doesn't have its benefits or anachronisms, or that my preference of a more paced plot is a sad commentary.   I believe it has its place, and if I were to adapt  Dubliners for the stage for instance (which is a distinct possibility), much of the quite useless detail would go away, as I go so far as to say that it is not even metaphorically useful and provides no subtext.   

Other than that I just chilled.  I finally glazed one of the acrylics in the kitchen, it now looks warmer and not so flat, I used Slo-Dri blending medium so it also has a glossy finish to match the other two.  I worked, quite a bit.

And now it's back to the grindstone.  I'm keeping up with my readings so far, got almost all my books and I'm trying to keep from being stressed with the responsibility of finishing those application essays.  It's odd the see the two month mark come and pass for Columbia and Barnard.

Taxes and FAFSA filed my loves.  I'm out for now.

Finally done....Grades are coming in...

Fa'11 semester has come to an end after four months of what seemed to be the hairiest semester yet, for everyone.


Here's the run-down. It's gone about as well I suspected.
Early American History: B
Marine Bio: A
Marine Bio Lab: A
Performance Workshop: A
Intro to Dance: A

Current GPA (without dance grade): 3.712 (+ .018)

 

On another note, I submitted my resignation from the Marketing Chair post in Arete this morning. I figure I can still be involved in Honors activities and perhaps volunteer in the office a couple days a week. Letting go of it, will give me the opportunity to put real focus into YTC, and breathe some life into our fledgling group, the way I wanted to, with out over extending myself like I did this semester and not really achieving level best in any one thing.

Start Living, That's the Next Thing On My List... Par Trois

Dance 6 Questions Assignments (ASAP)

Q 1 : Summarize the lessons on Musical/Jazz Dance

Q 2 : What were the major influences of the Paris Opera within the field of ballet? What important innovations are seen in its history?

Q 3 : What were the major contributions of Russian ballet? What important influences are seen through its history?

Q 4 : Describe the impact of The Ballets Russe. Who were the major contributors? How did it influence English ballet? And who were the major figures important to the development of British ballet?

Q 5 : How did the NYC ballet begin, and what influence did Balanchine have on the field of ballet in the US?. How do other major contributors take part in the story of ballet in the USA?

Q 6: Outline the three periods of Modern Dance; Early Modern; the Modern Pioneers; Post Modern Dance. Who were the major contributors, and what did they do to contribute? Name the dances as well.
Turn it all in!

Dance Reviews (ASAP)

1 - Dusan Tynek - Middlegame

2 - REVISION Dance Collaborative - Exploring the Perfect World

Performance Workshop Monologue Written Analyses (11/29)
Play Review (12/12)

Marine Bio Take Home Final (due 12/12)

Brotip #1189

Dollar Store Library - Part 20

Ok, ok so I haven't made 19 past posts about my literary hauls from my local Dollartree, but I think in retrospect, I should have. It occurs I should give them props and show off just what you can get at a good location.  Today, I dropped in to get some Christmas cards and maybe a can of Spaghetti-o's for brunch.  Up at the very front they had a box of assorted brand new books on tape! This one caught my eye:

Then I snuck off to my little hideaway, the tail end of the toy/school supply isle, to check out the newest shipment of hardbacks.  They still had multiple copies of the Gay Talese memoir I've been eying for a week or two, and then I saw something new.

Not bad for two bucks...

These aren't my first finds in the Dollartree book section.  It's not even the first one this week, actually.

On Tuesday I picked up a copy of Tylers Gray's The Hit Charade: Lou Pearlman, Boy Bands, and the Biggest Ponzi Scheme in U.S. History.  Granted this was published in the pre-Madoff era, so that title is not exactly accurate anymore.  However, as an *N'sync addicted teen of the late 90s, I was always very curious about the reasons behind Pearlman's legal troubles and subsequent jailing while being behind pop biggest (and still record holding) groups.

 

A week before that, I got Extreme War by Terrence Poulos.

I kind of want to go back through now and really get a listing of all the cool books I've gotten.  Perhaps a project for the break.

Jack Kent Cooke Nomination

Hi, Ami,
You have been nominated for the Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship. Although it is one of the most competitive undergraduate transfer scholarships out there, you have an outstanding application. Thanks for the opportunity to read about all that you do and I hope you continue your journey in developing into a service leader.

Take care and all the best.

Cheers, M. Odu [Directing Professor].

A day after getting this, I still feel a bit like I'm in a dream. Is this really happening? I actually had to submit my high school transcripts for this. I got about nine sealed copies and one open so I could scan and submit them to JKCF.  I looked over the graduation report and the most intense sense of surrealism came over me.  

Everything I put forth of myself two and half years ago, and put a plan into action to get, is coming to fruition.  I was not raised with a large emphasis on how to set goals and achieve them, so this on going process is a very heartening journey.  

An old dog, learning new tricks,
Ami

Start Living, That's the Next Thing On My List... Par Deux

Dance 6 Questions Assignments (ASAP)

Q 1 : Summarize the lessons on Musical/Jazz Dance

Q 2 : What were the major influences of the Paris Opera within the field of ballet? What important innovations are seen in its history?

Q 3 : What were the major contributions of Russian ballet? What important influences are seen through its history?

Q 4 : Describe the impact of The Ballets Russe. Who were the major contributors? How did it influence English ballet? And who were the major figures important to the development of British ballet?

Q 5 : How did the NYC ballet begin, and what influence did Balanchine have on the field of ballet in the US?. How do other major contributors take part in the story of ballet in the USA?

Q 6: Outline the three periods of Modern Dance; Early Modern; the Modern Pioneers; Post Modern Dance. Who were the major contributors, and what did they do to contribute? Name the dances as well.
Turn it all in!

Dance Reviews (ASAP)

1 - Dusan Tynek (Notes/Need to write)

2 - ? 

Marine Bio Chapter Article 15-20 presentation Power Point (Present on 23rd)

-Pick and Read Article

-Presentation

Marine Bio Research Paper  E-copy of presentation (Nov 28)
-Submit

Jack Kent Cooke Essays (Due by 28)

- 500 word limit - Narrative Autobiography

- 300 word limit - Identify one event from the 20^th century that is relevant to today’s challenges.  Apply a lesson from that event to a current challenge,.

- 300 word limit -  How different a person would you be if you had been born 50 years earlier?

Memorize Liz Lemon/30Rock and Nora/Dolls House Monologues (Nov 29)

Performance Workshop Monologue Written Analyses (11/29)
Play Review (12/12)

Marine Bio Seminar Attendance "Conservation Biomechanics of Sand Tiger Sharks (Nov 29th)

-Attend

-Submit

Marine Bio Volunteer Event Attendance - Invasive Plant Removal @ S. Gandy Park (Dec 3)

Early American History Take Home Final (due 12/5!)

Three two page responses to choice of 6 questions.

Performance Workshop Final and Cold Read 3 (12/8)

Intro to Dance takehome final (12/8)3 page long essays

Marine Bio Community Service Reflection Statement(12/12, with lab notebook)

Reflect upon your community service experience. Describe what you did and explain how your efforts helped to improve water quality in Tampa Bay. Write your reflection in essay format. (Refer to guidelines presented for Exam 3.) Your response may be typed or hand-written and should be a maximum of one page in length.

Marine Bio Take Home Final (due 12/12)

Marine Bio Lab Notebook Turn In (12/12)

◊Black Box Activity

◊Survivor: Which trait is the weakest link? Natural selection game results and conclusions

◊Diffusion and Osmosis – data tables, figures and conclusions

◊Ecology Field Report – UTB (see field data below) and Gandy Bridge Site

◊Field Site Comparison: Compare and contrast the UTB and Gandy Bridge field sites. Refer to your textbook, your ecology field reports and your laboratory manual to be as technical as possible in your response. For example, characterize the biome represented by each site.

◊ Reflection statement         

Lab Notebook Reflection Statement Guidelines

1.    Respond to the following prompt: Reflect upon how the laboratory experience facilitated your understanding of the course curriculum. Refer to some specific examples.

2.    Write your reflection in essay format. (Refer to guidelines presented for Exam 3.)

3.    Your response may be typed or hand-written and should be a maximum of one page in length)