I could think of less stressful ways to spend a Saturday morning. :-D The SAT is a mere two days away for me. I have the chance to take it again if my score is poor, but of course I want to give it my best shot the first time around, and as those of you who have already taken it know, it's a long process and a bit mentally grueling. Your prayers are appreciated, and anyone who is taking it Saturday will have my prayers as well!
Note that I have been reading War and Peace, but falling miserably short of my quota. I guess that's not surprising, given school and writing...but a little discipline is all it would take. :-P
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
A Mighty Big Project
Well, as my sidebar indicates, I've undertaken to read War and Peace. I got it for Christmas, as the venerable Pevear and Volokhonsky team had not long hence released a translation of it. It was your example in large part, David, that inspired me to take it up now, with a couple school books out of the way. I intend to set myself between at least 30 to 50 pages at day, so that I can finish it in about a month. I'm 20 pages in, and it's already quite fascinating. The translators have obligingly put a list of major characters at the beginning, so I hope I shan't grow too confused as I buzz-saw through the rest of its 1216 pages. :-P
In other news, I am considering taking Patrick Henry's summer drama class in late June, provided it doesn't conflict with any other summer plans. That should be fun, if I do decide to do it. More near in the calendar, I will be visiting Hillsdale and Grove City this April, and will at last get to meet David in person, which is of course most exciting. :)
In other news, I am considering taking Patrick Henry's summer drama class in late June, provided it doesn't conflict with any other summer plans. That should be fun, if I do decide to do it. More near in the calendar, I will be visiting Hillsdale and Grove City this April, and will at last get to meet David in person, which is of course most exciting. :)
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Collegiate Schizophrenia
A thought struck me today. Colleges are most incongruous in their attitudes and actions toward prospective students. The scenario goes something like this.
Fresh-faced high schooler: All right! PSAT's out of the way. I hope colleges like my scores.
Sycophantic Director of Admissions: Mr. Smith, we feel sure that you are just the right fit for our academically broad, culturally rich, ethnically diverse college! We live in the ABSOLUTE MOST BEAUTIFUL AREA OF THE WORLD. Our professors will blow your socks off with their talents, which the survey America's Best Colleges has raved about as "pure genius" and "the nonpareil tour de force of all academia." We have a 2:1 student to faculty ratio, societies named after every letter combination of the Greek alphabet, a world-class sports team in every known sport from football to Sorry! to go-moku, a 25,000 acre botanical garden, guaranteed five minute bus ride access to nine symphony halls, thirty eight restaurants, fourteen shopping malls, over sixty brew pubs and 499 of the Fortune 500 headquarters (internships abound here!!). Our students come from all 50 states and every country except Antarctica. They hold to every known world religion and ideology (including the largest Ba'hai and animistic fellowships on any campus). We also offer superb need-based financial aid, which allows people from the ENTIRE spectrum of backgrounds to attend. With over 1,200 courses in everything from nuclear physics to an ROTC in the Swedish milita, you can set out on an unparalleled career path, and become a better world citizen.
Feel like challenging the norm? Want to be an achiever? Like being exposed to people different from you? This may be the college for you!! Just go online with your user name and password and request the booklet I've written, 87 things you need to know for your college search. Johnny, we can't wait to hear from you!
Fresh-faced high schooler: Boy oh boy, that sounds great! I think I'll apply there.
--Six months pass--
Suddenly purple-faced Director of Admission: All right, pencil-neck. The burden is on YOU to prove that you're qualified for this college. You'd sure better be able to encapsulate all your life's struggles, your greatest weaknesses, and what measley skills you can contribute to this college in a five hundred word essay, and throw together a bally good transcript, or by Jingo, this is the last you'll hear from us! Do I make myself clear? You may think you're a jolly good student. You might think your academic accomplishments have marked you for greatness. Yeah? Prove it! We don't have time for slackers!!
Fresh-faced high schooler: Um...I just wanted to play Sorry! in your 25,000 acre botanical garden...
Has anyone else been getting deluges of e-mails and letters from colleges? It can be rather amusing. ;-)
Fresh-faced high schooler: All right! PSAT's out of the way. I hope colleges like my scores.
Sycophantic Director of Admissions: Mr. Smith, we feel sure that you are just the right fit for our academically broad, culturally rich, ethnically diverse college! We live in the ABSOLUTE MOST BEAUTIFUL AREA OF THE WORLD. Our professors will blow your socks off with their talents, which the survey America's Best Colleges has raved about as "pure genius" and "the nonpareil tour de force of all academia." We have a 2:1 student to faculty ratio, societies named after every letter combination of the Greek alphabet, a world-class sports team in every known sport from football to Sorry! to go-moku, a 25,000 acre botanical garden, guaranteed five minute bus ride access to nine symphony halls, thirty eight restaurants, fourteen shopping malls, over sixty brew pubs and 499 of the Fortune 500 headquarters (internships abound here!!). Our students come from all 50 states and every country except Antarctica. They hold to every known world religion and ideology (including the largest Ba'hai and animistic fellowships on any campus). We also offer superb need-based financial aid, which allows people from the ENTIRE spectrum of backgrounds to attend. With over 1,200 courses in everything from nuclear physics to an ROTC in the Swedish milita, you can set out on an unparalleled career path, and become a better world citizen.
Feel like challenging the norm? Want to be an achiever? Like being exposed to people different from you? This may be the college for you!! Just go online with your user name and password and request the booklet I've written, 87 things you need to know for your college search. Johnny, we can't wait to hear from you!
Fresh-faced high schooler: Boy oh boy, that sounds great! I think I'll apply there.
--Six months pass--
Suddenly purple-faced Director of Admission: All right, pencil-neck. The burden is on YOU to prove that you're qualified for this college. You'd sure better be able to encapsulate all your life's struggles, your greatest weaknesses, and what measley skills you can contribute to this college in a five hundred word essay, and throw together a bally good transcript, or by Jingo, this is the last you'll hear from us! Do I make myself clear? You may think you're a jolly good student. You might think your academic accomplishments have marked you for greatness. Yeah? Prove it! We don't have time for slackers!!
Fresh-faced high schooler: Um...I just wanted to play Sorry! in your 25,000 acre botanical garden...
Has anyone else been getting deluges of e-mails and letters from colleges? It can be rather amusing. ;-)
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Enza Ousted by Government Forces After Short Coup
Thank you for your prayers, my friends! The Gorgon Enza is relinquishing her hold with extreme reluctance, but that she is relinquishing it is beyond question. :) We missed church as a family today for the first time in about 14 years, barring trips (on which we've tried to find a local church anyway) and one closed highway. That was unfortunate, but I'm thankful that we are healthy and safe enough to go as regularly as we do!
I'm having to catch up on some school over this weekend, but 'tis not a monumental amount, and not much of it requires exceptional concentration or acumen. I'm finding The Scarlet Letter interesting. Being a 19th century romantic novel, it feels heavily overblown compared to modern writing, and the symbolism and foreshadowing is often so obvious that Hawthorne can feel like a sneaky reviewer spoiling his own plot--but it's rather fun, nevertheless, despite its rather skewed vision of the Puritans. Hawthorne does seem to be a fairly good observer of human nature, and his style, which is a deliberate throwback to the 17th century, is chock full of long sentences, archaic language and phrasing, and spellings like "clew" for clue. I don't know if readers in Hawthorne's day were just not expected to be as perceptive as now, or if keeping readers guessing wasn't the point--but in any case, it's an interesting read.
I'm also having a lot of fun with Kiriana...I think this chapter I just finished (except for a bit of editing) is going to be the last really peaceful one for quite a while!
I'm having to catch up on some school over this weekend, but 'tis not a monumental amount, and not much of it requires exceptional concentration or acumen. I'm finding The Scarlet Letter interesting. Being a 19th century romantic novel, it feels heavily overblown compared to modern writing, and the symbolism and foreshadowing is often so obvious that Hawthorne can feel like a sneaky reviewer spoiling his own plot--but it's rather fun, nevertheless, despite its rather skewed vision of the Puritans. Hawthorne does seem to be a fairly good observer of human nature, and his style, which is a deliberate throwback to the 17th century, is chock full of long sentences, archaic language and phrasing, and spellings like "clew" for clue. I don't know if readers in Hawthorne's day were just not expected to be as perceptive as now, or if keeping readers guessing wasn't the point--but in any case, it's an interesting read.
I'm also having a lot of fun with Kiriana...I think this chapter I just finished (except for a bit of editing) is going to be the last really peaceful one for quite a while!
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