I try to attend all of the Literature-related events at my college. Most of them end up with only about twenty people showing up, which is pretty terrible considering how awesome the events are. Tonight was the seventh annual Benedictine Poetry Slam and, without a moment's hesitation, I went.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this turned out to be better than I could have imagined. Instead of a few scattered people, the entire room was full. Seats ran out early, so some people were standing, lining the hallways to the room.
Admittedly, I knew most of the people who had the courage to go up and do the open mic and the poetry slam. Some had been in my literature classes, some from my writing courses. Most of them were great. The MCs were all people from my current Lit. Class, people who worked together well and were funny.
Connor started it out with a small rapping poem and that set the scene.
I have to say that the most interesting poem I heard all night was when a guy asked for three words (banana, brownies, and cheese) and made a poem up on the spot. It was great.
Other ones concerned war, rape, love, first kisses, and other things. My favorite of the night would of had to be a poem that I'm pretty sure it was called, 'While My Pen Exploded'. It was about how the narrator had never seen a catastrophe and wished faith and help on all of the people who have.
Connor and Sam MC'd the second part, where they made jokes and Connor acted like Sherlock Holmes. It went from 18 to 5 contestants in a very short time, and all of the poems were magnificent.
I will admit that I bailed before the winners were called. Connor was dancing, Amir was shaking his head with amused despair, and I was starving.
I'm still happy I went. It was great to see so many people, mostly science majors, showing up to a literacy event.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Five Favorite Non-Profit Organizations
There are times when I'm spending so much money on luxuries that I become disgusted with myself. Right now, I made a deal with my Dad to put twenty five dollars into a bank account every month for the next year, then go after Final Four Basketball Tickets for 2013. Along with that, I've been buying teeshirts off of TeeFury, Ript Apparel, and Shirt.Woot like crazy. Sure, they've been great designs, but my wardrobe doesn't actually NEED them.
Anyway, this blog post isn't just to say what a stupid spoiled brat I am. I try to even things out by Decreasing Worldsuck. There are easy ways, like sending a card to a child who has cancer or playing Free Rice, but I try to give twenty dollars to charity each month. Some months I can't do that (just like how I'm likely to skip the basketball deal during August, when my car insurance is due), but I try.
I went through websites yesterday and collected up my Top Five Favorite Non-Profit Organizations. Here they are, in no particular order:
I'm extremely bias on this, since I'm a member, but I love the HPA. They do programs like Helping Haiti Heal and Accio Books. They run smoothly and generally have a great program. They support the values shown in the Harry Potter Books. If you haven't already, you should check them out.
If you're a Nerdfighter, you've heard John talk about this foundation. Esther was a Nerdfighter with cancer who died last year, when she was 16. The foundation supports families who need help paying for the medical care a child with cancer need. Esther was awesome and would have been proud of this organization.
3.) Donors Choose.
I especially like this program because I value education. I really like how you donate to a specific program and can choose how much you donate goes to administrative fees. My father refuses to donate to anything that has over 15% administrative fees, so I was happy to find this program that lets you choose how much goes to them. I like choosing the literacy programs, but I know some of my friends donate for the math ones. It's great because you know where your money is going.
I'm rather new to this program, but Katie pointed it out to me a few days ago. It's the program that Reading Relay will be donating their proceeds to in May. This program promotes reading from six months and up and breaches the gap between English and Science. Doctors prescribe books to families and encourage them to read to their kids aloud. They also fill the waiting room with toys that will promote literacy, rather than televisions that shut kids up.
5.) ShelterBox.
ShelterBox was introduced to me through Maureen Johnson's Twitter. ShelterBox is an organization that goes to the current place of crisis to help families immediately. People can go in together to buy a shelterbox, or they can buy a shelterbox themselves. The program is super successful and does a great job.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Don't You Know You're Awesome?
If there is one thing that constantly amazes me, it is how normal authors are.
I'm not sure why I always expect authors to be very aware of how awesome they are and unapproachable because of that. Instead, I've found every author I've met to be extremely nice, eager to sign things when asked, and generally normal people.
The first author I officially met was Holly Black, back when I was a mumbling freshman in high school. I have loved her books since I was a fifth grader and actually asked my parents to pay for my World Fantasy Convention ticket instead of physical birthday present just so I could meet her. When that day came, just two days after my fourteenth birthday and two days into my first National Novel Writing Month, I was afraid. I had no idea how to approach her. Gathering up my courage, I went up to her after the panel ended. She was all smiles and signed my copy of Valiant without any hesitation. It is the first book I ever got signed and still holds a special spot on my bookshelf.
I didn't have a chance to go to any other signings in high school. Instead, I got involved watching the Vlogbrothers on YouTube and following Maureen Johnson on Twitter. Now, both Maureen and John are extremely above average on the awesome level. I'm talking about being off the charts. And, still, they respond to people on Twitter and YouTube and just put their influence to good use. They could be like RPatts and encourage their fans to destroy people they don't like, but instead, they raise money for things like ShelterBox and This Star Will Not Go Out.
Since my first signing, I've met Suzanne Collins, John Green, Billy Lombardo, David Levithan, and others. Every time I meet one of them, I am astounded at how relaxed they are. As if they don't realize how much we idolize them.
It's kind of crazy, but if I'm ever a published author, I hope I act the same way.
I'm not sure why I always expect authors to be very aware of how awesome they are and unapproachable because of that. Instead, I've found every author I've met to be extremely nice, eager to sign things when asked, and generally normal people.
The first author I officially met was Holly Black, back when I was a mumbling freshman in high school. I have loved her books since I was a fifth grader and actually asked my parents to pay for my World Fantasy Convention ticket instead of physical birthday present just so I could meet her. When that day came, just two days after my fourteenth birthday and two days into my first National Novel Writing Month, I was afraid. I had no idea how to approach her. Gathering up my courage, I went up to her after the panel ended. She was all smiles and signed my copy of Valiant without any hesitation. It is the first book I ever got signed and still holds a special spot on my bookshelf.
I didn't have a chance to go to any other signings in high school. Instead, I got involved watching the Vlogbrothers on YouTube and following Maureen Johnson on Twitter. Now, both Maureen and John are extremely above average on the awesome level. I'm talking about being off the charts. And, still, they respond to people on Twitter and YouTube and just put their influence to good use. They could be like RPatts and encourage their fans to destroy people they don't like, but instead, they raise money for things like ShelterBox and This Star Will Not Go Out.
Since my first signing, I've met Suzanne Collins, John Green, Billy Lombardo, David Levithan, and others. Every time I meet one of them, I am astounded at how relaxed they are. As if they don't realize how much we idolize them.
It's kind of crazy, but if I'm ever a published author, I hope I act the same way.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Wait, There's Horse and Buggies in the Future?
I tend to abuse the inter-library loan system for my college.
I guess it's really meant for students who are looking for books for academic reasons and can't find them at Benedictine. I use it for whatever reading I want that I can't find at Benedictine. It is rarely academic.
My boss encourages this, truthfully. We're both lovers of reading, which is why we work at a library, and constantly complain over what we can't find in our own college's collection.
I really didn't begin to abuse it until I saw how no one minded. My boss requested the Angel: After the Fall series for me, showing me precisely how easy it was to request whatever book I wanted on a whim.
A few days ago, I asked for Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep, since I'm a Science Fiction junkie. It came in yesterday and I went missing from the interwebs to read it.
The book is the inspiration for Blade Runner, an awesome movie that everyone should watch. It's set in 2021. I love science fiction in general, so it's very unsurprising that I fully enjoyed this book.
I did, however, run into one interesting thing. My mind constantly glosses over pop culture references when reading realistic fiction. Usually, the setting is in the current time period, and I can understand exactly what they're saying. But I was awkwardly surprised to find some references in a science fiction book. Especially one that was written in the late sixties, while being set fifty years into the future.
They weren't obscure references at all. I came across a simple line on page 26, "Using a Kleenex, he dried his damaged arm."
Kleenex had been around since the 1920's and many Americans refer to any brand of tissue to be Kleenex, but it made me wonder about the word choice. How could Philip K. Dick have expected that Kleenex would still be around fifty years into the future? From my standpoint, he guessed correctly, since I can't see the brand diminishing during the next decade. Wikipedia is telling me that Kleenex is actually in the Oxford Dictionary, but I still wonder if it was when he was writing this, or if the word choice was a conscious decision.
This wasn't the last pop culture reference, either. On page 152, Dick mentions Bank of America. It had already been around for six decades when the book was published, so I guess it was reasonable to predict that it would be around for six more. But what if it hadn't? It is such a vague name that even if it had gone out of business, the audience from future generations would have understood that it is a bank.
The last reference that I made a clear note of was one that I didn't recognize: Greta Garbo. After researching, she was an actress who died two years before I was born. Which would be mean that she would have died over a decade before the setting in this book. He used Greta as a comparison for how a certain character looked. Apparently it wouldn't have mattered if he left out her name, considering that the actress chosen to play Pris in the movie looked nothing like Greta Garbo.
I might be too critical. After asking Twitter if they knew who she was, most people two or more years older than I am knew who she was. My age and younger had no idea. Now, I forget if they mention the approximate age of Isidore and Rick are, but if they are older that 28, it seems reasonable that they would know the name.
It just makes me wonder, what do others think about using popular culture references in Science Fiction? Do they approve? Or disapprove?
I guess it's really meant for students who are looking for books for academic reasons and can't find them at Benedictine. I use it for whatever reading I want that I can't find at Benedictine. It is rarely academic.
My boss encourages this, truthfully. We're both lovers of reading, which is why we work at a library, and constantly complain over what we can't find in our own college's collection.
I really didn't begin to abuse it until I saw how no one minded. My boss requested the Angel: After the Fall series for me, showing me precisely how easy it was to request whatever book I wanted on a whim.
A few days ago, I asked for Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep, since I'm a Science Fiction junkie. It came in yesterday and I went missing from the interwebs to read it.
The book is the inspiration for Blade Runner, an awesome movie that everyone should watch. It's set in 2021. I love science fiction in general, so it's very unsurprising that I fully enjoyed this book.
I did, however, run into one interesting thing. My mind constantly glosses over pop culture references when reading realistic fiction. Usually, the setting is in the current time period, and I can understand exactly what they're saying. But I was awkwardly surprised to find some references in a science fiction book. Especially one that was written in the late sixties, while being set fifty years into the future.
They weren't obscure references at all. I came across a simple line on page 26, "Using a Kleenex, he dried his damaged arm."
Kleenex had been around since the 1920's and many Americans refer to any brand of tissue to be Kleenex, but it made me wonder about the word choice. How could Philip K. Dick have expected that Kleenex would still be around fifty years into the future? From my standpoint, he guessed correctly, since I can't see the brand diminishing during the next decade. Wikipedia is telling me that Kleenex is actually in the Oxford Dictionary, but I still wonder if it was when he was writing this, or if the word choice was a conscious decision.
This wasn't the last pop culture reference, either. On page 152, Dick mentions Bank of America. It had already been around for six decades when the book was published, so I guess it was reasonable to predict that it would be around for six more. But what if it hadn't? It is such a vague name that even if it had gone out of business, the audience from future generations would have understood that it is a bank.
The last reference that I made a clear note of was one that I didn't recognize: Greta Garbo. After researching, she was an actress who died two years before I was born. Which would be mean that she would have died over a decade before the setting in this book. He used Greta as a comparison for how a certain character looked. Apparently it wouldn't have mattered if he left out her name, considering that the actress chosen to play Pris in the movie looked nothing like Greta Garbo.
I might be too critical. After asking Twitter if they knew who she was, most people two or more years older than I am knew who she was. My age and younger had no idea. Now, I forget if they mention the approximate age of Isidore and Rick are, but if they are older that 28, it seems reasonable that they would know the name.
It just makes me wonder, what do others think about using popular culture references in Science Fiction? Do they approve? Or disapprove?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Tweet Tweet
I was originally going to write today's blog about pop culture references in a science fiction novel that I'm reading. However, there have been some things that took precedence today.
I constantly marvel at how Twitter has changed my life. I've gotten actively involved in more things since joining Twitter. I reconnected with Bailey because of Twitter. I've been tweeted by authors, made new friends, and today, became a matchmaker.
Although Twitter has done some amazing things, like creating the Writer Girls Cause Chaos and our matching vlog, let's just focus on today's awesomeness.
Earlier this morning, Kelly needed to decide whether to have Wendy's or a bagel for lunch. Being that my tweeps and I are insane, Forest and I had a Rock Paper Scissor contest via Twitter to decide what Kelly would have for lunch. I won; she got Wendy's.
We were laughing about the ridiculousness of our lives when Mark and Megan started the adorable flirting they do on Twitter.
As usual, I got involved by saying what a cute couple they would make.
The next fifteen minutes were tweets from Mark, Megan, Forest, and I talking about them becoming a couple and all of us approving.
I can officially be called a matchmaker now that those two are in a nerdfighterlikeship.
This post is probably incoherent and ridiculous to most people who aren't on my Twitter feed. So, I encourage you to follow me on Twitter.
Because Twitter makes life more interesting.
I constantly marvel at how Twitter has changed my life. I've gotten actively involved in more things since joining Twitter. I reconnected with Bailey because of Twitter. I've been tweeted by authors, made new friends, and today, became a matchmaker.
Although Twitter has done some amazing things, like creating the Writer Girls Cause Chaos and our matching vlog, let's just focus on today's awesomeness.
Earlier this morning, Kelly needed to decide whether to have Wendy's or a bagel for lunch. Being that my tweeps and I are insane, Forest and I had a Rock Paper Scissor contest via Twitter to decide what Kelly would have for lunch. I won; she got Wendy's.
We were laughing about the ridiculousness of our lives when Mark and Megan started the adorable flirting they do on Twitter.
As usual, I got involved by saying what a cute couple they would make.
The next fifteen minutes were tweets from Mark, Megan, Forest, and I talking about them becoming a couple and all of us approving.
I can officially be called a matchmaker now that those two are in a nerdfighterlikeship.
This post is probably incoherent and ridiculous to most people who aren't on my Twitter feed. So, I encourage you to follow me on Twitter.
Because Twitter makes life more interesting.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Whoomp, There it Is!
I am a basketball fangirl.
I can't tell you how you get a touchdown in American football, or how long a baseball game lasts. But I can tell you anything you want to know about college basketball. Men's, of course.
My dad didn't get into basketball until he was in his senior year of high school. He'd moved to another city for his last year and only connected with a few of his classmates. Like me, he was graduating a semester early, so he had no reason to get to know these people for just a measly four months.
Still, he came close to one kid who would drag him to Freedom Hall to watch the Louisville Cardinals play. My father fell for the team fast and that is the team he is dedicated to today. And this makes November to April Basketball season in my house. If there is a game being played, we were watching it.
My sister picked Memphis as her team after winning a bracket contest when she was young. My brother was addicted to basketball since he was small and ended up playing more than watching. His team is Michigan State.
I never got into basketball, until I was in my preteens. I mean, I played on a basketball team in elementary school, but looking back, it was because my parents were going through their first separation and I thought it would make my dad happy. Finally, during the second separation, I won. I won my bracket with the Kansas Jayhawks and got to laugh at my family, who had made fun of me for picking them. They became my team.
Now, I have three teams. Living in New York, I don't get to see a ton of Kansas games before March starts. The Big East is broadcast throughout my home, so I have my BE team: Notre Dame. Basically, it's to piss off all of my family who hates them.
Last year, I adopted my final team.
My dad's dream was to go to a Final Four. I managed to hit a great year to apply for tickets. Because of the recession, there were not as many people willing to throw down the $360 to get into the raffle for NCAA Final Four tickets. I was only sixteen, probably not even legal to have done it. The internet hasn't yet found a way to prevent underaged kids with debit cards from buying stuff they shouldn't be allowed to.
The guys at work laughed at me, my brother laughed at me, my father laughed at me. They all said I wouldn't get those tickets. When the small, one page letter came in August, months after I'd submitted my information in March, I assumed it was to tell me I lost. I was wrong. I was getting two tickets to the Final Four. Not the best seats, by far, but not in front of the television either.
I had been walking to work when I read the letter. I ran home immediately, screaming, "Daddy!" He thought I was hurt. He really didn't react when I handed him the letter. He was too stunned. My mother tells me that he immediately began planning, searching hotels and the like, while I was at Rite Aid.
The next April, my dad and I took a road trip to Indianapolis. We stopped at Niagara Falls, too. We went to Ruth Chris. We went to the games. And we fell in love with the Butler Bulldogs.
It was impossible not to. I mean, the stadium was only seven minutes away from their campus. It was an amazing feeling, having nearly everyone in town be happy to see the Bulldogs there. It helped that my sister's roommate, Missy, loves Duke. I would have loved to see the Bulldogs take them down.
This year has been different. I haven't gotten to have my half a year worth of basketball. I've gotten clips and snatches and scores during classes. I got to go to a tiny bit of my sister's March Madness Party. But I've missed a lot more.
Butler is in the Final Four again. I was on the train, just barely, when they beat Florida. It was the only good news I had to hold on to. VCU beat Kansas, but that's okay, for once.
Now it's the day of the first two games of the Final Four. I'm in my Butler Bulldogs tshirt from Walmart in Indianapolis. Watching VCU and Butler trade points back and forth.
It's just not the same when I'm not home.
I can't tell you how you get a touchdown in American football, or how long a baseball game lasts. But I can tell you anything you want to know about college basketball. Men's, of course.
My dad didn't get into basketball until he was in his senior year of high school. He'd moved to another city for his last year and only connected with a few of his classmates. Like me, he was graduating a semester early, so he had no reason to get to know these people for just a measly four months.
Still, he came close to one kid who would drag him to Freedom Hall to watch the Louisville Cardinals play. My father fell for the team fast and that is the team he is dedicated to today. And this makes November to April Basketball season in my house. If there is a game being played, we were watching it.
My sister picked Memphis as her team after winning a bracket contest when she was young. My brother was addicted to basketball since he was small and ended up playing more than watching. His team is Michigan State.
I never got into basketball, until I was in my preteens. I mean, I played on a basketball team in elementary school, but looking back, it was because my parents were going through their first separation and I thought it would make my dad happy. Finally, during the second separation, I won. I won my bracket with the Kansas Jayhawks and got to laugh at my family, who had made fun of me for picking them. They became my team.
Now, I have three teams. Living in New York, I don't get to see a ton of Kansas games before March starts. The Big East is broadcast throughout my home, so I have my BE team: Notre Dame. Basically, it's to piss off all of my family who hates them.
Last year, I adopted my final team.
My dad's dream was to go to a Final Four. I managed to hit a great year to apply for tickets. Because of the recession, there were not as many people willing to throw down the $360 to get into the raffle for NCAA Final Four tickets. I was only sixteen, probably not even legal to have done it. The internet hasn't yet found a way to prevent underaged kids with debit cards from buying stuff they shouldn't be allowed to.
The guys at work laughed at me, my brother laughed at me, my father laughed at me. They all said I wouldn't get those tickets. When the small, one page letter came in August, months after I'd submitted my information in March, I assumed it was to tell me I lost. I was wrong. I was getting two tickets to the Final Four. Not the best seats, by far, but not in front of the television either.
I had been walking to work when I read the letter. I ran home immediately, screaming, "Daddy!" He thought I was hurt. He really didn't react when I handed him the letter. He was too stunned. My mother tells me that he immediately began planning, searching hotels and the like, while I was at Rite Aid.
The next April, my dad and I took a road trip to Indianapolis. We stopped at Niagara Falls, too. We went to Ruth Chris. We went to the games. And we fell in love with the Butler Bulldogs.
It was impossible not to. I mean, the stadium was only seven minutes away from their campus. It was an amazing feeling, having nearly everyone in town be happy to see the Bulldogs there. It helped that my sister's roommate, Missy, loves Duke. I would have loved to see the Bulldogs take them down.
This year has been different. I haven't gotten to have my half a year worth of basketball. I've gotten clips and snatches and scores during classes. I got to go to a tiny bit of my sister's March Madness Party. But I've missed a lot more.
Butler is in the Final Four again. I was on the train, just barely, when they beat Florida. It was the only good news I had to hold on to. VCU beat Kansas, but that's okay, for once.
Now it's the day of the first two games of the Final Four. I'm in my Butler Bulldogs tshirt from Walmart in Indianapolis. Watching VCU and Butler trade points back and forth.
It's just not the same when I'm not home.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Hello, April. I've Been Expecting You.
Welcome to April, guys.
While April isn't my favorite month, I'm certain that it will be better than March. Better than February, at least.
I have a few things going on during April.
Beyond irregularly ridiculous amounts of work to do for classes, I'm adding in a lot of extra activities.
Accio Books has been extended through April this year, meaning I have another month to collect books!
I talked the some of the other New York Chapter Organizers today and they're going to be sending members towards my Chapter, since I'm closer now. We're at 67 books and I hope to hit 125 by the end of April!
Bailey is going to be hosting some Doctor Whothons leading up the the beginning of Series Six. My dorm room doesn't get BBC America, so I'll be trying to find it online ASAP. I can't believe I'm missing my Doctor Who.
I'm putting myself on a book buying ban. I have a tendency to buy impulsive books while at Barnes and Noble. The only books I'm allowing myself to get this month are:
Physical Copies:
Sean Griswold's Head
Rival
Nook Copies:
City of Fallen Angels
Red Glove
Last Little Blue Envelope
Anything other than that has to come from a library!
Finally, with the end of 30 Days of Vlogging, I'm starting BEDA. For those who aren't familiar with that, it stands for Blog Every Day in April! I'm going to have some topic days, some rant days, and just random days of rambling.
I hope you stick along for the ride.
While April isn't my favorite month, I'm certain that it will be better than March. Better than February, at least.
I have a few things going on during April.
Beyond irregularly ridiculous amounts of work to do for classes, I'm adding in a lot of extra activities.
Accio Books has been extended through April this year, meaning I have another month to collect books!
I talked the some of the other New York Chapter Organizers today and they're going to be sending members towards my Chapter, since I'm closer now. We're at 67 books and I hope to hit 125 by the end of April!
Bailey is going to be hosting some Doctor Whothons leading up the the beginning of Series Six. My dorm room doesn't get BBC America, so I'll be trying to find it online ASAP. I can't believe I'm missing my Doctor Who.
I'm putting myself on a book buying ban. I have a tendency to buy impulsive books while at Barnes and Noble. The only books I'm allowing myself to get this month are:
Physical Copies:
Sean Griswold's Head
Rival
Nook Copies:
City of Fallen Angels
Red Glove
Last Little Blue Envelope
Anything other than that has to come from a library!
Finally, with the end of 30 Days of Vlogging, I'm starting BEDA. For those who aren't familiar with that, it stands for Blog Every Day in April! I'm going to have some topic days, some rant days, and just random days of rambling.
I hope you stick along for the ride.
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