Katie Go Now!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Don't Stress (A How-to)

With three 700-level classes and amazing friends that occupy my time away from them, you think I'd be a bit stressed about everything I have to finish in the next two weeks.

I'm not. A bit frustrated from time to time when I hit the obligatory roadblocks (thank you Frank Warren...), but there has been relatively little freaking out on my part. I think this is an effective anti-freak-out recipe:

1. Turn off the computer.

2. Go outside and TAKE NOTICE of how amazing the world is. (i.e.: birds. mud. new music. centipedes that miraculously appear on your notebook during Archaeology lecture. yeah, that happened.)

3. Call somebody and make them smile. (Do NOT mention your impending stress. Do NOT call an exboyfriend.)

4. Bake cookies that contain everything sugary in your kitchen.

These recommendations are a product of the standard Radina's/BFF hangout procrastination. 100% Grade-A effective, kind of guaranteed. Well, maybe Grade-B. If you do this too much, you won't get As.

-Katie

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

A Standard Good Day

and the quotes that added laughter.

8:20am- breakfast with Diana and Meg-o. Double latté by Frank and Jo.
"I'm a BLT, bitch!"
"These should go here."

9:30am- Intro to Archaeology. I finished the WHOLE Collegian crossword.
...I don't remember much that was said.

11:00am- phone call with mommy.
"I bought you Thumper pajama pants!"
"And I'll wear them!"

12:00pm- Language consultant meeting with my Kenyan friend Danvas.
"I wouldn't even say that. I'm not Swahili."

12:35pm- Discussion of Paul's missionary journeys with a couple of homeless, bearded missionaries who are hanging out on campus this week. They wouldn't shake my hand because I'm a woman.
"Look at how much kids are amazed with the world. Why are they like that? Because the world is amazing. We've just gotten used to it."

1:05- Philosophy of Religions with Andrew Arana. Bill next to me to say "Nietzsche fails" about a dozen times. And the prof asked me to hang out with his 8-year-old daughter and prep her for their move to France.
"An important philosopher once said that you can't step in the same river twice."
"Wasn't that Pocahontas?"

2:20- run into Erin Fisher. Hug!

2:30- Digital Ethnography. Videos and discussions and planning for the first annual Diggie Awards.
"So next week class isn't here, it's in the RV out back?"

4:30- Zumba!

6:00- Challenge worship practice. UCC's grand piano.
"Bob Dylan wrote it, Hendrix made it famous, and Dave Matthews did THAT to it. Whatever THAT is. But the Hendrix version is so... silk."

8:30- catch up with Chris.
"If you came to my graduation party, my grandpa would freak out 'cause you're white."

9:00- Geek fun on Google, and not a bit of homework.

This has been a good day. And if you have time, go find those bearded missionary guys! It'll definitely be the most interesting conversation of your day.

-Katie

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Let a band or artist describe your life.

Pick a band/artist: Disney
("What movie is that from?!" Click the links.)

1.Are you male or female: Kiss the Girl

2. Describe yourself: Supercalafragilisticexpialidocious

3. How do you feel about yourself: Stand Out

4. Describe your ex-boyfriend: Beauty and the Beast (kidding. kind of.)

5. Describe your current boy situation: Someday My Prince Will Come

6. Describe your current location: Not in Nottingham

7. Describe where you want to be: Just Around the Riverbend

8. Your best friend is: Never Had a Friend Like Me

9. Your favorite color is: Colors of the Wind

10. You know that: A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes

11. What’s the weather like: Topsy Turvy

12. If your life was a television show what would it be called?: Circle of Life

13. What is life to you?: The Bare Necessities

14. What is the best advice you have to give?: You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!

15. If you could change your name what would you change it to?: Belle

16. Your view of politics?: Just Can't Wait to be King

17. Your age?: Why Should I Worry?

18. Your religion: God Help the Outcasts/ I Wanna Be Like You

19. You at your worst?: Poor Unfortunate Souls

20. You at your best?: When You Wish Upon a Star

-Katie

Thursday, April 23, 2009

While we're talking about strangers

This week I did a rare thing and took the Jardine shuttle to the Union.

It was early in the morning and I was on the verge of being late to meet a friend for some project help.

Random guy next to me: backwards hat, huge diamond earring, awkward white kid peach fuzz, oversized "sk8r" shirt. (My thoughts: "tool." Again, it was very early.)

He smiled when I sat down and said, "Happy Monday."

How friendly! I smiled back and said thanks. He kept up the nice small talk, mostly about classes. And aside from responding to everything I said with "rock on, rock on." he really wasn't that much of a tool.

As we were getting off the bus, I noticed his iPod earbud in one ear.

"What are you listening to?"
"Ray Charles."

...I guess you never really know about people.

-Katie

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

So Pervasive! (An Outcry)

Text,
call,
Facebook/Google/i/Chat,
Twitter,
Skype,
Blogspot,
Wordpress
... nine different ways to know where you are, what you're doing, how your day has been... not including the fact that, if you're reading this, we possibly live within the same zip code.

I just read an article about Twitter on Relevant Magazine. It was brilliant and very much in line with some things that have been on my mind lately. (Here it is.) Jon Starcke and I even had a conversation about this during the twilight of one of the best weekends ever. He refuses to participate in Facebook, seeing it as a narcissistic way of participating in life with others, of selfish one-sided community. He even used the term "relational masturbation", and then I realized how deeply he cares about truly connecting with others. In so many ways, he is right!

Texting and calling are on that list, but the frequency of my phone making any noise during the day is slowly dwindling. If my phone made a noise every time someone contacts me via chat, Facebook or Twitter (which you can do, of course!) that wouldn't be true.

I wonder how many of my friends don't feel a need to contact me "just to say hi", because they already know that I'm in the library listening to Mates of State and thinking about all of this. Maybe they feel a bit closer to me because my thoughts are constantly pinned up across their online dashboards.

(I really don't mind that this is the case with Jess, Rachael, Blandine, or Magali. They live in Europe.)

If that's the case with you, let me tell you something: I don't feel close to you right now. I don't know that you're reading this! (This is mostly directed to Jake, out of pure frustration that he never called or texted me back on the one rare weekend that we were both in Wichita. It could also be roughly directed to Haley, who I literally have to stalk if I want to spend any time with her.) There are several people like this in my life, and it kills the happiness of seeing them once I realize that everything I was so excited to share with them in person is already part of the cloud of social facts they've acquired when they don't have time to be in touch with me.

Read that Relevant article. There are so many ways that the pervasive awareness of your friends can be beneficial rather than distancing. Use it right! Share things! Be creative! If anything, just be PRESENT.

I'd really appreciate it.

-Katie

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Don't Judge Me


Some of my friends are... SO... republican.

And I love them.
Just as much as I love everyone who wished me a "Happy Zombie Jesus Day."

I'm loving the rain too. Really.

Mom commented (while running through the Westlink parking lot this morning), "The weather's not supposed to be like this on Easter!"

I replied with, "Mom, the date of Easter was arbitrarily chosen by the church about a thousand years ago, and it's mostly based on old pagan traditions. Maybe it never does rain on the actual anniversary of the Resurrection, but we'll never know, will we?"

She just glared at me.

Dad would have laughed.

-Katie

By the way... I HATE Warner Music Group. They disabled my YouTube videos! Jerks.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Dear April,

I wish you knew yourself as well as I know myself.

When I saw one of those annoying quiz invitations on Facebook, I clicked "Ignore" as usual. Not just because it was annoying and I don't care, but the title was "What is your life theme song?" A Facebook quiz to tell you what song best describes your life? Psht. I'm very well aware of what song fits me.

"Far Far", Yael Naim. Regardless of the day or my mood, this fits. A random online quiz probably knows nothing about her except in reference to the MacBook Air. In short: you don't know my life.

So, April, what song would describe you? I bet you don't have any idea; you're clearly having some trouble figuring yourself out right now. But my guess would be something like Avril Lavigne, to keep it mainstream since everyone has to deal with your crap right now. But any moody, angsty, I-hate-my-dad, Chucks-and-neckties style female artist would fit. You're supposed to be pleasant and enjoyable, not some pre-teen with an overdramatic identity crisis.

If I want all 4 seasons in 2 days time, I'll watch the Travel channel.

Love,
Katie

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

This Tuesday Morning

I must have gotten off on the wrong Tuesday foot today since there was no breakfast with Diana, but I cannot focus! Wait... I haven't been able to focus since last Tuesday. This could be problematic. I have a paper due in about 20 minutes, and I haven't started it. And I'm blogging. Oops?

For the fourth time this semester, random French guy walked by my table in the union chatting with someone on his little European cell phone. Freaking hang up and talk to me! I just want to know where you're from! But no, he just picked up his espresso and (once again) walked out of my life forever. *sigh*

Last night, I couldn't sleep. So I made garlic bread and went super-grammar-nazi on our collaborative essay for Digital Ethnography. Yeah, you'll thank me later. Now I'm listening to Beatles covers and wondering what the heck I'm going to talk to Danvas about for my Swahili research.

Woah! Matt Snow is here! Time to be late for class.

-Katie