The Goodbye

In the first few weeks of school, I recall I had trouble saying goodbye to my parents and the life in the middle of nowhere I had grown accostum to. This was a big city to me when I first came here.

Well...now...I feel like it's going to be just as hard to say goodbye to what I'm not accostum to. First of all, I have more privacy in the dorms then at home. I know that sounds strange, but it's very true. And this seemingly big city...yah, not so big. More like a town area. Which is just fine; in fact I like it, but it's not quiet here. Now that I'm used to the noise, I don't know if I can sleep at home! 

Plus without my trusty high-speed internet I don't see how I can even survive! How will I download?

All jokes aside, I'm happy the trasition back is going to be for very little time. I'm going to miss being here, as wierd as that may sound. 

Another thing I'm struggling with is my first college party experience. Yep. Went to a party held by Tom for those involved in the Six Degrees play he's directing. I'm ASM. Well, I got really comfortable with all the people I'll be working with. I'm used to seeing them every day. And now I won't see them for a whole month! For a while I was really insecure here. I couldn't find anyone like me! Now I feel much more accepted and I have no friends left back where I am going. Maybe like...three. And one's moving. 

I hope this goodbye doesn't last too long!

Final's Drag

So I didn't really think, because all my classes have had rather light work, that the finals would pose much of a problem. Boy was I wrong. I'm glad I have the gym to work out my stress, even when I'm dead tired, but I am just so angry with everything. The only thing going along nicely is my English. Ironic. Because actually, Acting should be easier. And Improvisation...that should be a breeze. Yet I'm dying in that class. What do you do? Stand onstage and make things up. Easy right? RIGHT, Rea? 

I hope you guys are doing all right with your studying! I'll have to hold out a while on that writing we love oh so much, though, Candyce. LOL. I swear I'll review by January! I mean, I SHOULD have the Oron High School Host Club DVD in dub by then. I want to watch it Vic Magnogna style! 

Sorry about that personal note, guys. I'm really looking forward to and appritiating break for the first time, I think. Well, now that my Christmas shopping is almost done. Once that's out of the way, I'll be free to get myself a dorm fridge and cell phone! 

So thoughs Epicly Bad days...

Much of the time the bad days are followed by....more bad days. But for some reason, sometimes those days that follow end up being very, very good days. I'm home for the weekend! Thanksgiving! And I thought I'd cancel out my last report with a report of sunny skies! Ironically...it's raining. (I've got sunshine....! On a cloudy day....! No one wants to hear me sing.) It's so good to see my big brother after so long! I hope you're all having a wonderful Turkey Break!

-Rea

The Epicly Bad Day

Have you ever had one of those bad days where you don't want to drag yourself to the gym? Like...you had to go to the dentist and you can't eat and everything? Just...nothing could make this day worse? Except a Tsunami. Well, that's the one I had today. I'm starving! Makes me wonder what they put in that drug that makes your mouth go numb....Anyways, I wonder: What was the worst ever day you had? Just Morbid curiousity. It's the only kind I can feel right now. And I had to update the blog. This should be reserved for happy days. 

I suppose I could be curious about one unmorbid thing: What's everyone doing for Turkey Day? 

I thought I should say that one of the pictures below has two weapons in it- THIS IS NOT A WEAPON'S SUPPORTING PICTURE! It is more about the separate cultures and the differences Leon and Count D have. Leon is holding his gun (he's a cop for the LAPD in the comic) while D is holding a decorated sword that doesn't look like something he could use (D is Chinese, and he is overall a peaceful person when he can be.) This is a major difference between them...and the only picture I could find on photobucket for the third. 

I'd like to think I can make this fun instead of just an assignment and I wanted to decorate. 

Animes!

About Me

Family:

Dad, Mom, Sister, Brother. Baby in the family. Two cats and a bamboo plant.

Likes:

Internet, yes! Anime, Manga, Japanese things, techno, reading, writing, fanfiction.

Dislikes: 

Math, ewww! People who are discriminatory over race, gender or sexual orientation.

Politics:

Voted for: OBAMA!

Supports: GAY RIGHTS, animal comfort, love the trees, reduction of dependency of foreign oil and on oil in general, recyclabes.

I do not support: Abortion, poligamy (thought I'd put some funny in the serious), Hummers, private jets, non-recyclables or styrofome.

(A Note: I understand that not everyone agrees with me and I support comments about what you believe in as well. Happy to debate!)

The abortion political issue: I believe it's murder. Anything that splits it's cells is alive. A fetus splits it's cells and it's heart beats up to 3 weeks after it is conceived according to new research. Only allowing abortion in the case of death is not discriminatory because it is unconsitutional. You are hurting another person and therefore your right should be revoked. Getting an abortion because you were raped is taking it out on the child. My sister was raped and she still had the baby (No, she doesn't mind me saying this!) so it is possible to deal with the sorrow of being raped. 

The gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender political issue: I am not a second hand citizen just because I am lesbian. I shouldn't be treated as if I am not allowed to be happy. State and religion are seperate. I am not hurting anyone. Why is abortion legal but not having kids at all not legal for same sex couples? How is it a problem that I don't produce? There's plenty of kids that need families! What is free about America without rights for ALL individuals? If someone shoots at you, you don't care if the person saving you is gay! (In regards to "Don't ask, Don't tell) What are you going to do? Say "No, you're gay, don't save my life?"  It is unconsitutional to take the rights of others if they are not hurting another. Need I go on?

A little about culture...

Japanese culture is really very intersting. I know, horrible Topic Sentence, and rather obvious coming from me, but I really do think it is. It's not just Anime I like from all this. It's really the culture as well. This is sort of a responce to I think...it was...Krammer's blog...about food and cultrue. Just expanding. 

For instance, a lot of Japanese things portray ghoasts as being either enemies OR allies. You can befriend them and thier fight battles for you or play games and make you really famous. When was the last time anyone saw that in America? I think this point of view is really intersting because in a lot of cultures, ghoasts are really very dangerous and look gross and violent. Just think of something like "The Sixth Sence." In Japan, a ghoast would appear the way it's emotions are, not the way it died. If it's emotions are out of control, the ghoast would be seen in a distorted, hazy form. In America, ghoasts are thought to look the way they died. If you really want to know what I'm talking about, watch something like Hikaru No Go or Shaman King.

I would recomend Hikaru No Go more because it shows other cultural differences. One thing is drinks. The boxes of juice in Japan are triangle. Milk can still be delivered to your door! Vending machines also hot hot drinks, and when you open them, they are so hot they actually steam! Tea is served in most places.

What about games and stuff? Hikaru No Go features a game called "Go" that is rarely seen in the States. It's sort of like VERY complicated Chess, I suppose. It's more popular in Korea. When playing this game, you also sit on a mat with you knees bent and your legs beneath you, toes on the ground. Is that too hard to picture? Your legs fall asleep...but this is the proper way to sit respectfully during a cerimony. Before a game, you always say "Good Luck." and after you are supposed to say "Thank you for the game." If you want to quit the game you say "I resign" and you bow your head slightly while saying each thing, as well as while greeting others. 

Another polite factor- you never point your foot towards someone in either Japan or China. This is VERY rude. Sitting "guy still crosslegged," in other words, is rude. 

This has made me start wondering about other things- is there a country where looking people in the eyes is rude, for instance? Some things we take for granted might actually be very rude in other countries. If you think of any, please comment. I'm sincerily interested!

-Rea

A Challenge

While driving home this last weekend, I found myself staring at the land much more. I didn't have a lot of time to admire the view when I got home because I had SO MUCH to do, but I can see now that challenging myself to look at things with a new eye has worked. I appritiate much better what I see in The IE now. You guys should really try it. 

Another thing- When I was reading Davis' essay, I came across something funny. One of the people interviewed talks about Victorville, California, which is just thirty minutes from my old high school in Phelan. The way it was described....Don't trust the paper. I've BEEN there. This is either very outdated, or very, very wrong. 

-Rea

To view other posts, view my whole profile and click directly on the numbers 4 8 15 16 23 42, please. It won't let me put them up on the main page for some reason. The blogger system must hate me.

-Rea

My Placemaking Mythology

I know this is very late, but I still wanted to post about "Mythologies of Placemaking" because I now can. 

Reading this essay made me realize that I may have been making "my place" a rather lame one. It's true that I haven't always enjoyed living out there. It is the middle of nowhere, and no one knows where nowhere is...but it's not the Australian Outback I've made it to be to myself. Sure the colors are all shades of tan in my immediate surroundings, but the mountains are right behind us and right in front of us, and in the clear air up there, you can see as far as Tehachepi most days. 

When most people hear about where I live, they assume the "sense of place" must be really creepy because it's dangerous to be in a place where darkness is absolute at night and the nearest gas station is twenty minutes minimum away. But I would say the "sense of place" is less chainsaw masecure and more like a quiet field where you would sit just to get away from it all...without the grass. It's a place of true peace. Besides, nothing lights up the darkness like billions of perfectly seeable stars and the milky way and Orion right outside your window. I can't even describe the amazing sunsets that come out of the city smog and paint beautiful colors across the sky every night. It's better to see smog in a canvass than it is to smell it.

Plus, when you play your music loud, no one cares and the cops aren't called.

I guess my point is that I've made a mythology in my own place. I've called it desolate and boring, and so that's what it's become. But now, when I go home this weekend, I'm going to try to see it as a more beautiful place, and open my mind to the possibility that what it is to me now is all in my head.

-Rea