My Limited Vocabulary

Today, I had an assignment in my Linguistics class in which I had to read a list of words and check the ones that I knew the definition of. Seems simple enough, until the first section of "simple" words gives you words like valetudinarian and leitmotiv. What?

So my results came out that I know approximately 19,000 English words and the average is 20,000-25,000. Right now I'm pouting about the whole situation. As an avid reader and writer, this is a huge hit to my confidence.  My constant losses in absolutely every Words with Friends game should have given me a hint that I wasn't up to par.

So I face the dilemma, how do I learn more words? Most people say this is through reading, but I am constantly reading. I can't remember the last time I wasn't reading a book. My solution (for now, I am hoping some of you might have other suggestions) is to have a Word of the Day every day. So, be on the lookout for new words in my blogs in weeks to come so I expand my vocabulary inchmeal.

See? Inchmeal was Merriam-Webster's word of the day and my autocorrect is underlining it! I just don't understand...

Some More Moments of "Life"

So, I've started a new semester of classes. It looks like it will be another challenging one, but I'm up for it. Two creative writing courses, so that should be interesting. I didn't have anything specific to write about this week so I thought I'd play off of my older post reflecting on moments that I was really "living" this week. So here they are. Hope everyone is having a wonderful 2013 so far. More to come in the following weeks.

1. The moment I woke up on Monday morning actually excited about my new classes. 
2. Turning the radio up really loud on my trip back to Lincoln.
3. Seeing my friend again and telling stories over a smoothie.
4. The "mystery gifts" that Stephanie and I keep finding that Sarah left us in the apartment.
5. Finding out I have a new baby cousin.

Imprints in the Snow

This is a poem I wrote back in April after my friend Moriah passed away. It's not my best poem, but I thought it was appropriate to share now because there is so much snow on the ground. It was a cold night like tonight that I had in mind when I wrote this down.

IMPRINTS IN THE SNOW

Have you ever looked back at your footprints

in the snow? They have ridges and swirls. Some

rough and windblown. Some clear where your foot

pressed deep. Firm. It’s not just snowflakes that are

one of a kind.

I look back now in the hollowness of dusk. Inhale

icy air. Exhale warm clouds. I’ve set down a long

line of imprints. Feet in the streets of New York.

Feet stuck in muddy roads of Nebraska. Along side my 

mother. Holding hands with my father. Other steps alone.

Some make me hear the wind echo with laughter,

Sweeter than any melody by even your precious

Death Cab for Cutie. Other prints hold holes filled with 

icicle tears.

I see your imprints back there too. Stopped much too short.

Your new grey fuzzy boots. Size 6.

Suddenly a street light brightens the night

like a warm smile. I turn my face skyward and

stick out my tongue. Receiving each white flake 

as a gift that melts into my heart.

The untouched snow before me is beautiful.

Frightening and fragile.

I don’t want to mess it up.

But you have to take

 a step somewhere.

Even on the lonely nights.

Movies of 2012

So, it's officially 2013. Happy New Year everyone! I know I broke my promise and didn't post for over a week. But it's the holidays. I'll post again this week to make up for it. The holidays are ending, which is very sad, but we are moving onto to another exciting time of year...award season. I know this sounds ridiculous but I love watching all the  award shows in January and February. So in honor of that, I am going to review what I thought were the movies highlights of the year. This is not to say that they will receive any awards. The academy and I are usually at odds about these things.

The Dark Knight Rises-I already talked about this in one of my first blog posts. The cinematography was beautiful and it was perfectly cast. (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anne Hathaway were incredible) In comparison with the other superhero movies of the year (The Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers), it brought up real emotion instead of action sequences.

21 Jump Street-One of the most laugh-out-loud movies I've watched in quite some time. I just went to this one with friends when we had nothing else to do and loved it. I hope Jonah Hill continues to write scripts, because he created an amazing one on his first shot. Channing Tatum is hot this year, but I think this movie showed he has more than a hot body. He actually has great comedic timing.

Animated Movies- I love animated movies. I saw some great ones this year too. I think Madagascar 3 was the best of the series. I laughed not just because it was cute but because it was genuinely funny. Recently I saw Rise of the Guardians and that was fantastic too. A great take on the characters every child knows and had great animation. Sweet for Christmastime too.

Alan Arkin in Argo-This movie was an amazing story and I'm glad I saw it, but it wouldn't have been half as entertaining without Arkin. He contrasted the serious events with dry humor to make it great. He was perfect for the character.

The Hobbit- I just saw this a few days ago and was very very impressed. I loved that book because it was about a quiet reader who lives out his adventures. I think Peter Jackson did it justice even though I was occassionaly irritated because things were different than the book. I cannot think of a better Bilbo Baggins than Martin Freeman. Just his facial expressions were fantastic. The scenery was beautiful and exactly how I imagined. I can't understand how Jackson is able to create that every time. It was amazing overall.

I know there are many things missing. First of all, I did not see The Hunger Games or The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I have stated before my pet peeve about great books made into movies and haven't convinced myself to give them a chance yet. I do love Jennifer Lawrence and bet she did wonderfully though. Also, I still have not seen Les Misérables or Silver Linings Playbook or Hitchcock and cannot comment on that yet, but they will hopefully be seen before the Oscars so I can have solid opinions. I don't want to see Django or Zero Dark Thirty. I just hate gory movies or war movies and I expect them both to be just that.

Once again Happy New Year everyone!

You Are What You Love

I am currently stuck in a recliner because my cat decided to fall asleep on my lap. My dog is snoring on the chair beside me and her leg keeps shaking so she must be dreaming. It smells like pine needles, but only because of a candle on our end table since we have a fake Christmas tree this year. I love the sound of the keyboard as I type, especially when the rest of the house is so silent. Even when my family is all at school and work, it is good to be home. :)

As I was sitting here, I realized that I wrote a note to myself over a month ago to write a blog post about something and I never got around to it, so I'll do that now. For my Meryl Streep movie class, we watched a movie called Adaptation with Nicholas Cage. I know this movie has very high ratings on almost every website and someone reading this may love the movie, but I personally found it more bizarre than funny. I thought I'd like a movie about writers as a writer myself, but I didn't. I'm not here to review the movie though. I'm only here to discuss one quote.

"You are what you love, not what loves you. I decided that a long time ago."

Although this is probably just a rewording of something that many people have said, it was something that I mulled over for quite some time before writing it on my "to blog" list. I know I often decide my worth by that people that love me and the reasons they love me. Even if it's the little things.  A comment like "I love talking to you" makes me feel like a good listener. I am also very prone to thoughts like "that teacher hates me" or "my sister hates me" and I make myself feel worse about myself.

But I am not what others tell me I am. And neither are you. Maybe your music teacher thinks you can't sing. Or your mom and you always fight. Those things don't define you. You are the only person who can define you.

I love dad's hugs and my brother's smiles. I love laughing with my sister and playing games with my friend Sarah. I love Husker games with Hillary and cruising with Ashley. My mom is my best friend in the whole world. I love all of my pets unconditionally. I love reading a good book or getting in the car and driving somewhere new. I love chocolate, pink, and Christmas morning. That is who I am. I know and I don't need anyone else to confirm that. So who are you? What do you love?

Hope some of you are having a wonderful holiday break! Merry Christmas!

Destressing Over Break

Do you ever sit or lie down for 10 minutes and do nothing but take deep breaths? If you answered no, don't worry...neither do I. I have found this simple exercise to be much more difficult than imagined. I am a person who is easily stressed. I have been known to pop my fingers, chew the inside of my lip, pull my hair, pick at my fingers, clench my teeth, or rub my palms together, all habits caused by anxiety. Recently, I have been going to the chiropractor because of constant back problems and every time I go in, he tells me my back muscles are in knots. I get stressed and my whole body has to suffer for it. Something he suggested was the exercise above. Taking time out of every day to breathe. That was a month ago. I still haven't done it once.

I did try, believe me. I closed the door to my bedroom and turned relaxing music on. I sat on my bed and closed my eyes and starting taking long, deep breaths. Two minutes later, I found myself considering what time I needed to get up in the morning and if I should study more for an upcoming test, having completely forgotten my breathing. Other attempts ended the same. One time I even got distracted by the paint color of my wall. I have no attention span. I have no idea how I even sit through class.

Now I am home for the semester. Every assignment is turned in and there is no more classes to worry about. Today I looked up information about deep breathing. Did you know it not only relaxes muscles, but also lowers blood pressure, increases endorphins, and releases toxins from your body? And it only takes 10 minutes a day. I just need to find my inner determination I guess. I have 3 weeks in Franklin. I have time. Wish me luck!

What a Few Words Can Do

Has someone ever complimented your outfit and it made you happier the rest of the day? Or have you heard someone whisper something about you behind your back and you've never forgotten? No matter how much we say that others' opinions don't matter, they often impact the way we think and feel.
This semester, I have had some instructors that impacted my work with their comments. I have always prided myself on being a good student, so teachers' opinions matter, probably more than they should. I currently am in a theater class and a reporting class. In each of these classes, the professors have continually torn my papers apart.
I don't mean to sound arrogant, but this has never happened before. Writing has always been a strength of mine and I have become used to praise on my papers. I'm not saying I've never been corrected. But it is usually minute things that are easily corrected. Now I am suddenly not explaining myself and papers aren't flowing. Because of this, I have stressed over every word of every sentence of my final papers over the last few weeks.
Yesterday, I had a presentation for my Instructional Technology class. This is a class I have an A in and with all the stress I've put on myself for the other classes, I didn't try very hard in this class at all. At the end of the class, my teacher asked me to stay after class and I assumed she wanted to reprimand me for my late assignment the week before, but instead she smiled and said, "I just wanted to let you know that your presentation was one of the best of the class. You have a great speaking voice."
I was taken aback but I thanked her eagerly, still confused about why she needed to tell me this. She went on and said, "I know you're going to be a great teacher. I know you are trying to figure out your path in college, but I think you're on the right track. I thought you should know that." Suddenly, my worries throughout the semester went away. I told her truthfully how much I enjoyed her class and I saw her face light up in reflection of my own.
So, at the end of the semester, as everyone is filling out course evaluations, I am evaluating things myself. Just because one teacher doesn't like your work doesn't make you a bad student. Have confidence in yourself. Also, your words to others do make a difference. If you like something you see, tell that person because it might make their day. Or their whole semester.