Water is clear...
Air is clear.
Glass is clear.
But I would say that my water is a bit murky,
my air a little cloudy,
my glass somewhat hazy.
But that's ok. I'm happy now because it was completely opaque.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Water
Water is clear...
Air is clear.
Glass is clear.
But I would say that my water is a bit murky,
my air a little cloudy,
my glass somewhat hazy.
But that's ok. I'm happy now because it was completely opaque.
Air is clear.
Glass is clear.
But I would say that my water is a bit murky,
my air a little cloudy,
my glass somewhat hazy.
But that's ok. I'm happy now because it was completely opaque.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Mexico or Germany?
Next summer I need to go somewhere. I'm starting to get the itch to travel again...No, I take that back. It's starting to overwhelm me. I've been dying to get back out into the wide world beyond Kentucky since Last year, and my brief two weeks in Germany last spring only made me want to head back out even more.
Will I ever want to settle down?
I'm 20, and while I'm young, I want to go places and see things. I want to learn other languages and understand other people. I've started unofficially learning some Russian from a friend of mine, and I've got this little bit of French I picked up during high school...I could get my fluency in five languages within the next two or three years if I try hard enough. But I'm not quite ready to start working on the new ones yet. I want to go back to Mexico or Germany. The question is, which one do I pick?
Mexico is cheaper (but only by about $200). I've not been there since the very end of 2004, and I can't believe that. There's also a good deal of help I could contribute there...
Germany is where I feel a bit more involved. Having lived there for a year, keeping in constant contac with friends from there, and the good public transportation is a plus. Europe is really fascinating, but also a good place to relax.
I really hate having to decide. Part of me wants to go to Germany for a while, then head to Mexico immediately afterward. Part of me wants to spend the whole summer abroad. Part of me wants to slap both of those other parts in the face.
Anyway, any input? Flying to Mexico will cost roughly $530...Germany will cost anywhere from $800-$1000...but if I start saving now, it shouldn't be a problem...There are also other things I'm considering...Grad school, immediately employment...It's all too much. I have no idea what I want to do right now.
Will I ever want to settle down?
I'm 20, and while I'm young, I want to go places and see things. I want to learn other languages and understand other people. I've started unofficially learning some Russian from a friend of mine, and I've got this little bit of French I picked up during high school...I could get my fluency in five languages within the next two or three years if I try hard enough. But I'm not quite ready to start working on the new ones yet. I want to go back to Mexico or Germany. The question is, which one do I pick?
Mexico is cheaper (but only by about $200). I've not been there since the very end of 2004, and I can't believe that. There's also a good deal of help I could contribute there...
Germany is where I feel a bit more involved. Having lived there for a year, keeping in constant contac with friends from there, and the good public transportation is a plus. Europe is really fascinating, but also a good place to relax.
I really hate having to decide. Part of me wants to go to Germany for a while, then head to Mexico immediately afterward. Part of me wants to spend the whole summer abroad. Part of me wants to slap both of those other parts in the face.
Anyway, any input? Flying to Mexico will cost roughly $530...Germany will cost anywhere from $800-$1000...but if I start saving now, it shouldn't be a problem...There are also other things I'm considering...Grad school, immediately employment...It's all too much. I have no idea what I want to do right now.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Metal=Loud
And that's what I'm around Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 PM to 12:30 AM. It's my new job, and I have to say, I like it more than I thought I would. I work at Briggs and Stratton as an operator in power testing. That means I am one of six people who are responsible for testing the engines and setting the speed on them. There are six different jobs to be done on the line, and I'm finally starting to feel fairly comfortable with them. (After three days of working)
Other than that, life is life. Bible studies are happening Monday nights at my apartment; I'm working on research papers; I'm spending time with friends...That's my life, and I'm pretty content at the moment.
I am also deciding to cut meat out of my diet for a while. Last week was my "experimental vegetarian week," and it went surprisingly well. I ate meat on Wednesday and Saturday, and that's because I was supporting things dealing with our German program. On Monday I had French onion soup (with beef broth), but the rest of the time it went fairly well. I haven't had any meat since Saturday, and I don't see any in the forecast at least until this Saturday (another Bratwurst grill with some of the language professors, language majors, and random people), and I might not eat any then. Sepa la bola.
But I feel pretty energetic now...I'm proud that I'm cutting out meat, because I've been eating healthier foods as a result. The book "Being Vegetarian for Dummies" has been a huge help...anyone wanting to make the transition should check it out.
Anyway, other than that, there's not a lot to say. If you're reading this, feel free to post a comment. If you'd prefer a different language, let me know, and I'll switch. I write so that people can keep up with me, and I'll switch to suit your preference...to a certain extent. Das heisst aber nicht, dass es sich nicht genauso wie jetzt anhoeren wird. Pero no creo que sea un problema del idioma...
In conclusion...
Keep it real.
~Bustaaaaa
Other than that, life is life. Bible studies are happening Monday nights at my apartment; I'm working on research papers; I'm spending time with friends...That's my life, and I'm pretty content at the moment.
I am also deciding to cut meat out of my diet for a while. Last week was my "experimental vegetarian week," and it went surprisingly well. I ate meat on Wednesday and Saturday, and that's because I was supporting things dealing with our German program. On Monday I had French onion soup (with beef broth), but the rest of the time it went fairly well. I haven't had any meat since Saturday, and I don't see any in the forecast at least until this Saturday (another Bratwurst grill with some of the language professors, language majors, and random people), and I might not eat any then. Sepa la bola.
But I feel pretty energetic now...I'm proud that I'm cutting out meat, because I've been eating healthier foods as a result. The book "Being Vegetarian for Dummies" has been a huge help...anyone wanting to make the transition should check it out.
Anyway, other than that, there's not a lot to say. If you're reading this, feel free to post a comment. If you'd prefer a different language, let me know, and I'll switch. I write so that people can keep up with me, and I'll switch to suit your preference...to a certain extent. Das heisst aber nicht, dass es sich nicht genauso wie jetzt anhoeren wird. Pero no creo que sea un problema del idioma...
In conclusion...
Keep it real.
~Bustaaaaa
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Cracking My Knuckles
I'm trying to think of something to write. I like to write regularly, but if anything exciting happened this week I was too tired to realize it.
It was a slow one. I spent some time with friends, convinced my Spanish professor to let us have one more day added to our Fall Break (which is all day Friday), and had dinner with a friend I haven't talked to in a while.
We had our first official Bible Study of the home church on Monday, which went quite well.
Other than that, I suppose I should say (in regards to my last entry) that I'm dropping EDU 303. Maybe I'll take it again next semester. Maybe not. I feel like the old woman who lived in the shoe...except my shoe looks like this...
Her's looked a little more like a boot...
But I'm the same as her...
I really don't know what to do.
It was a slow one. I spent some time with friends, convinced my Spanish professor to let us have one more day added to our Fall Break (which is all day Friday), and had dinner with a friend I haven't talked to in a while.
We had our first official Bible Study of the home church on Monday, which went quite well.
Other than that, I suppose I should say (in regards to my last entry) that I'm dropping EDU 303. Maybe I'll take it again next semester. Maybe not. I feel like the old woman who lived in the shoe...except my shoe looks like this...
Her's looked a little more like a boot...
But I'm the same as her...
I really don't know what to do.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Ph.D. or Señor Buster?
http://www.princetonreview.com/grad/research/articles/decide/phd.asp
The thing is, my Spanish professor threw out the idea. I mentioned here that the education program is filled with BS courses and homework, so I've wondered if that will affect my decision at all. Maybe I'll go ahead and get teaching certification, but starting early on a degree that promises about five years of constant research, starvation, and teaching sounds better than getting into something that might not be as enjoyable for me.
Why would I get a Ph.D? Questions I'm asking myself right now are:
Would I rather teach in college?
Would I rather be doing than teaching?
Do I want to be a student for another five years?
What are the advantages of actually getting a Ph.D?
Can I do the work?
The problem with me is this; I love to read. I love to be social. But I HATE doing work for things that don't interest me. That's where I'm having my biggest problem in my undergrad years. I hate to do homework. Will I enjoy reading books without ceasing, summarizing them, gathering information for a thesis, and in effect building my own project?
I think, at least for this semester, I'm going to stay in the education program here at MSU regardless of my nagging feeling that it's a mountain of you-know-what. I'll be writing research papers for my German and Spanish classes, so I'm hoping to get a feel (at least a small one) of what it's like to do that all the time.
What if, in the end, I get a Ph.D. and teach in high school? With such a high degree you're looking at (from what I've gathered) an approximately $35K increase in pay. Not that I need the money that badly, but if I like studying (and I do, in the sense that I like learning) and can get after doing something I love, then why not jump on it?
But I'm still wondering about becoming a missionary...I'm still thinking about the advantage of graduating with a very open job market that will help me pay off all my debts immediately, and even though I'm sure I want to be involved in language, traveling, culture and education, I'm not sure exactly which route I'll take now that I've come this far. The road forks off at least four different ways, and I believe for right now I can rule out the one that says interpreting. But the immediate choices (just to list them) are:
*Ph.D.
*Teaching certification
*Interpreting
*Getting out of school as quickly as possible in order to do mission work
*Dropping the education degree and hoping I can be hired to teach with BA's in German and Spanish
They all sound on some level appealing. Money is an issue, but only on the level of actually getting the money I'd need to do these things. For grad school, it's not too hard to get that paid for with teaching assistantships and things. Mission work would be, I believe, the most expensive. I'm not at all worried about lower pay later. I just don't want to be in debt the rest of my life.
I've been looking for a good way out of this blog, and since nothing's come up, I'll stop now.
~Buster
The thing is, my Spanish professor threw out the idea. I mentioned here that the education program is filled with BS courses and homework, so I've wondered if that will affect my decision at all. Maybe I'll go ahead and get teaching certification, but starting early on a degree that promises about five years of constant research, starvation, and teaching sounds better than getting into something that might not be as enjoyable for me.
Why would I get a Ph.D? Questions I'm asking myself right now are:
Would I rather teach in college?
Would I rather be doing than teaching?
Do I want to be a student for another five years?
What are the advantages of actually getting a Ph.D?
Can I do the work?
The problem with me is this; I love to read. I love to be social. But I HATE doing work for things that don't interest me. That's where I'm having my biggest problem in my undergrad years. I hate to do homework. Will I enjoy reading books without ceasing, summarizing them, gathering information for a thesis, and in effect building my own project?
I think, at least for this semester, I'm going to stay in the education program here at MSU regardless of my nagging feeling that it's a mountain of you-know-what. I'll be writing research papers for my German and Spanish classes, so I'm hoping to get a feel (at least a small one) of what it's like to do that all the time.
What if, in the end, I get a Ph.D. and teach in high school? With such a high degree you're looking at (from what I've gathered) an approximately $35K increase in pay. Not that I need the money that badly, but if I like studying (and I do, in the sense that I like learning) and can get after doing something I love, then why not jump on it?
But I'm still wondering about becoming a missionary...I'm still thinking about the advantage of graduating with a very open job market that will help me pay off all my debts immediately, and even though I'm sure I want to be involved in language, traveling, culture and education, I'm not sure exactly which route I'll take now that I've come this far. The road forks off at least four different ways, and I believe for right now I can rule out the one that says interpreting. But the immediate choices (just to list them) are:
*Ph.D.
*Teaching certification
*Interpreting
*Getting out of school as quickly as possible in order to do mission work
*Dropping the education degree and hoping I can be hired to teach with BA's in German and Spanish
They all sound on some level appealing. Money is an issue, but only on the level of actually getting the money I'd need to do these things. For grad school, it's not too hard to get that paid for with teaching assistantships and things. Mission work would be, I believe, the most expensive. I'm not at all worried about lower pay later. I just don't want to be in debt the rest of my life.
I've been looking for a good way out of this blog, and since nothing's come up, I'll stop now.
~Buster
Monday, September 17, 2007
Blogging de Nuevo
I think I'm back on with the blogging. The summer was so boring and long and hot that blogging just didn't sound worth doing. However, now that I'm back in school, getting pissed off at professors and meeting new people all the time, blogging is back in for me.
Anyway, to catch you up, I worked all summer in the pharmacy and moved back to Murray on August 17th. That night I had a little sleepover, because I didn't have furniture in my apartment. It was fun, but some key people were missing.
I've finally got everything I own in the apartment (well, except my bedframe), and it looks full and comfortable, for the most part. Monday nights is bible study night. A few of my friends were talking about making cookies, so it's going to be at my place this Wednesday. I cook for friends (mostly because I don't like to cook for just myself...my roommate is gone a lot).
So far, I'm enjoying the apartment, except for worrying about bills and rent. We've finally turned off the air conditioning because the weather has finally moved into my favorite kind. I slept last night with the window open and nearly froze. I wore a long sleeved shirt today. I like that for some reason.
I'll give you the titles of my classes...see what you think:
SPA 323 Advanced Spanish Culture
SPA 460 Short Stories and Poetry
GER 331 Advanced German Language Practice
GER 450 German Literary Masterpieces
EDU 303 Instructional Strategies for Teachers
They sound great, I think, but, for the most part, I'm not happy with them. SPA 323 is with my favorite Spanish professor, but his class is boring (and starts at 8 AM)
EDU 303 is the biggest crock of BS I've ever encountered (with a few useful things hidden along the way...the teacher bores us, says she can tell we've been given too much information, and throws even more on us)
My Spanish 460 class has great content...we read Spanish poems from the 1500's onward that are really great and I've enjoyed getting to know, but the class is filled up with stupid talks about poetic devices (syntax, synthesis...shi, ehm...)
What else? German 331 is stressful. My class has people who are fantastic, and others who are awful, but I've made a new friend there, who I call my protegee. He taught himself German in a year and a half online, but has trouble understanding people who speak it to him...
German 450 is by far my favorite class with my advisor/favorite professor. Enough said there.
And I think I should say enough said for everything right now. I'm hungry and need lunch.
I have GER 450 today, and then I'll be working in the Modern Languages Department (grading papers...I'm worried about how I'm going to do it when I've got 210 students...it takes me every bit of 2 hours to grade 70 quizzes)
Anyway...lunch time.
Anyway, to catch you up, I worked all summer in the pharmacy and moved back to Murray on August 17th. That night I had a little sleepover, because I didn't have furniture in my apartment. It was fun, but some key people were missing.
I've finally got everything I own in the apartment (well, except my bedframe), and it looks full and comfortable, for the most part. Monday nights is bible study night. A few of my friends were talking about making cookies, so it's going to be at my place this Wednesday. I cook for friends (mostly because I don't like to cook for just myself...my roommate is gone a lot).
So far, I'm enjoying the apartment, except for worrying about bills and rent. We've finally turned off the air conditioning because the weather has finally moved into my favorite kind. I slept last night with the window open and nearly froze. I wore a long sleeved shirt today. I like that for some reason.
I'll give you the titles of my classes...see what you think:
SPA 323 Advanced Spanish Culture
SPA 460 Short Stories and Poetry
GER 331 Advanced German Language Practice
GER 450 German Literary Masterpieces
EDU 303 Instructional Strategies for Teachers
They sound great, I think, but, for the most part, I'm not happy with them. SPA 323 is with my favorite Spanish professor, but his class is boring (and starts at 8 AM)
EDU 303 is the biggest crock of BS I've ever encountered (with a few useful things hidden along the way...the teacher bores us, says she can tell we've been given too much information, and throws even more on us)
My Spanish 460 class has great content...we read Spanish poems from the 1500's onward that are really great and I've enjoyed getting to know, but the class is filled up with stupid talks about poetic devices (syntax, synthesis...shi, ehm...)
What else? German 331 is stressful. My class has people who are fantastic, and others who are awful, but I've made a new friend there, who I call my protegee. He taught himself German in a year and a half online, but has trouble understanding people who speak it to him...
German 450 is by far my favorite class with my advisor/favorite professor. Enough said there.
And I think I should say enough said for everything right now. I'm hungry and need lunch.
I have GER 450 today, and then I'll be working in the Modern Languages Department (grading papers...I'm worried about how I'm going to do it when I've got 210 students...it takes me every bit of 2 hours to grade 70 quizzes)
Anyway...lunch time.
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