is actually a chairlift
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Lepidoptera
I confess I do not believe in time. I like to fold my magic carpet, after use, in such a way as to superimpose one part of the pattern upon another. And the highest enjoyment of timelessness-- in a landscape selected at random--is when I stand among rare butterflies and their food plants. This is ecstasy, and behind the ecstasy is something else, which is hard to explain. It is like a momentary vacuum into which rushes all that I love. A sense of oneness with sun and stone. A thrill of gratitude to whom it may concern--to the contrapuntal genius of human fate or to tender ghosts humoring a lucky mortal. ~Nabokov, Speak Memory
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Me, in 2006
Rifling through high school memories today, I found my college application essay, as well as an "about me" profile that my English class did before we were all imbibed by the world of social networking (posted on the hallway wall of all things). It was very refreshing to enter the view of a warm, unworldly but super passionate, younger me:
HARVARD APPLICATION ESSAY
It is extremely hot in South Africa, but as I walk into the small, bustling town a gentle breeze eases the suns heat. The climate of the rolling hills varies considerably from that of the tranquil wetlands I departed from only yesterday. My feet ache slightly and my shoulders shift under the familiar weight of my backpack. There is music coming form the center of town and women garbed in colorful skirts walk purposefully from hut to hut. A close look at the baskets they are carrying shows them to be full of vegetables like cabbages, onions, potatoes, madumbies, and pumpkins. I make my way to a little store near the plaza. I approach the man at the counter and begin to pull out a guide book to attempt to ask directions in Isizulu, when he lets me know he can speak English. "Can you tell me how to get to the museum?" I ask. He sets me in the right direction and I step back outside into the sun. Taking a seat on a large rock, I slide my backpack off and pull out another well-worn book. The wind feels good on my sweaty back, now free of its burden. I flip to the page on Zulu artifacts with faded black and white pictures. Soon I'll be seeing them in full color, but perhaps there's time for a quick swim before my visit.
Whether or not any of this happens is inconsequential. The point is not that I travel to Africa or learn about ancient artifacts, but that I have an intense passion for experience. If I study volcanoes in Iceland, or perform Shakespeare in a repertoire theater here at home, I know I'll be experiencing something that excites me. Excitement and experience are the most vital parts of learning. I believe that my achievements so far come from my passion for experience, my thirst for knowledge. I sincerely desire to expand my educational background for my own self-enhancement. I always question further and act on my interests, whether that be by forming Read-A-Loud Thursdays or discussing the theory of entropy with my science teacher after class. Curiosity is one of the traits I appreciate most. I believe that conformity hinders personal experience and I value originality. I value my originality. I like that I have Robin Hood movie marathons, climb the hill behind my house to read poetry aloud, create intricate family trees for characters of Greek mythology, tape drawings of Plato's Allegory of the Cave to my binder, research the first age of Tolkien's Middle -Earth and comb thrift stores for classical literature to begin my personal library. I hope to find others who share this idea of fun, people who believe education supercedes the superficial. I also want to become environmentally and politically active, visit as many places as I can, and quite simply, become as knowledgeable as I can. Although I value good grades, a good college and a good job, I value intellect most for my own progression. While I may never see Africa or experience all the things I hope to, it is the places my mind will go that will ensure I have a rich life.
(I really hope I researched South Africa when I wrote that...)
ABOUT ME
I don't have long term goals. Unless you count such wishes as to have the Dream of Scipio and hear the Music of the Spheres. Philosophy is awesome and I desperately wish I could take a class. My ideal schedule would include astronomy, astrology, mythology, African history and culture, calculus, English, Environmental protection, Politics/Government, photography, and every theater class ever. I want to learn to speak Russian and Chinese and German. That would have to be an A and B schedule day...
My sense of humor is subtle like that in my writing. In person, however, it's clever and full of rhetoric. Speaking of rhetoric, my most embarrassing moment happened during a rhetoric class. I was supposed to come up with a pair of opposites but instead I ended up shouting "Spatula." I don't know why. I was confused on the instructions.
I need to make two disclaimers right about now.
1) I hate the question "What's your most embarrassing moment?" It's stereotypical and boring. And how many people actually remember?
2) I hate goals. In theory they're very helpful and useful, but I'm a bit sick of them. Everywhere I've gone for the past twelve years I'm asked to create goals. They are always strained and sound fake or obvious.
I dislike the fact that I just talked about what I hate. I'm generally a positive person, or at least too logical to be depressed. "I always see the mason jar as full, although it's full of wine." Here's where I might tell you where that's from if I didn't find it utterly pretentious to mention it. Pretentiousness is my biggest pet peeve. My 14 year old sister Laurel and I obsess over it. She's pretty much the coolest person in the world. The two of us live with my mum and Montana, our 25 year old cousin. Maybe she's 26. I'm not good with ages. But I am good with birthdays.
I absolutely can't wait for Outdoor School; living outside, teaching at the river (often in the rain) and the other student leaders.
I love theatre, Shakespeare, and acting. My dream job would be either an actor ON STAGE, an author, saving the environment, or helping Africa (like I said I'm a bit weak in the goal department). If there was a job being an expert on middle-earth history I'd do that on the side.
I am obsessed with Lord of the Rings and reading. I bought/received/took 92 books my junior year. No joke--it's an addiction. But not a dangerous one--if I bought them they were only 50 cents at Salvation Army, like all my clothes. I love my T-shirts. And no I don't have my license.
Some obvious differences, but have I lived up to your expectations highschool me?
HARVARD APPLICATION ESSAY
It is extremely hot in South Africa, but as I walk into the small, bustling town a gentle breeze eases the suns heat. The climate of the rolling hills varies considerably from that of the tranquil wetlands I departed from only yesterday. My feet ache slightly and my shoulders shift under the familiar weight of my backpack. There is music coming form the center of town and women garbed in colorful skirts walk purposefully from hut to hut. A close look at the baskets they are carrying shows them to be full of vegetables like cabbages, onions, potatoes, madumbies, and pumpkins. I make my way to a little store near the plaza. I approach the man at the counter and begin to pull out a guide book to attempt to ask directions in Isizulu, when he lets me know he can speak English. "Can you tell me how to get to the museum?" I ask. He sets me in the right direction and I step back outside into the sun. Taking a seat on a large rock, I slide my backpack off and pull out another well-worn book. The wind feels good on my sweaty back, now free of its burden. I flip to the page on Zulu artifacts with faded black and white pictures. Soon I'll be seeing them in full color, but perhaps there's time for a quick swim before my visit.
Whether or not any of this happens is inconsequential. The point is not that I travel to Africa or learn about ancient artifacts, but that I have an intense passion for experience. If I study volcanoes in Iceland, or perform Shakespeare in a repertoire theater here at home, I know I'll be experiencing something that excites me. Excitement and experience are the most vital parts of learning. I believe that my achievements so far come from my passion for experience, my thirst for knowledge. I sincerely desire to expand my educational background for my own self-enhancement. I always question further and act on my interests, whether that be by forming Read-A-Loud Thursdays or discussing the theory of entropy with my science teacher after class. Curiosity is one of the traits I appreciate most. I believe that conformity hinders personal experience and I value originality. I value my originality. I like that I have Robin Hood movie marathons, climb the hill behind my house to read poetry aloud, create intricate family trees for characters of Greek mythology, tape drawings of Plato's Allegory of the Cave to my binder, research the first age of Tolkien's Middle -Earth and comb thrift stores for classical literature to begin my personal library. I hope to find others who share this idea of fun, people who believe education supercedes the superficial. I also want to become environmentally and politically active, visit as many places as I can, and quite simply, become as knowledgeable as I can. Although I value good grades, a good college and a good job, I value intellect most for my own progression. While I may never see Africa or experience all the things I hope to, it is the places my mind will go that will ensure I have a rich life.
(I really hope I researched South Africa when I wrote that...)
ABOUT ME
I don't have long term goals. Unless you count such wishes as to have the Dream of Scipio and hear the Music of the Spheres. Philosophy is awesome and I desperately wish I could take a class. My ideal schedule would include astronomy, astrology, mythology, African history and culture, calculus, English, Environmental protection, Politics/Government, photography, and every theater class ever. I want to learn to speak Russian and Chinese and German. That would have to be an A and B schedule day...
My sense of humor is subtle like that in my writing. In person, however, it's clever and full of rhetoric. Speaking of rhetoric, my most embarrassing moment happened during a rhetoric class. I was supposed to come up with a pair of opposites but instead I ended up shouting "Spatula." I don't know why. I was confused on the instructions.
I need to make two disclaimers right about now.
1) I hate the question "What's your most embarrassing moment?" It's stereotypical and boring. And how many people actually remember?
2) I hate goals. In theory they're very helpful and useful, but I'm a bit sick of them. Everywhere I've gone for the past twelve years I'm asked to create goals. They are always strained and sound fake or obvious.
I dislike the fact that I just talked about what I hate. I'm generally a positive person, or at least too logical to be depressed. "I always see the mason jar as full, although it's full of wine." Here's where I might tell you where that's from if I didn't find it utterly pretentious to mention it. Pretentiousness is my biggest pet peeve. My 14 year old sister Laurel and I obsess over it. She's pretty much the coolest person in the world. The two of us live with my mum and Montana, our 25 year old cousin. Maybe she's 26. I'm not good with ages. But I am good with birthdays.
I absolutely can't wait for Outdoor School; living outside, teaching at the river (often in the rain) and the other student leaders.
I love theatre, Shakespeare, and acting. My dream job would be either an actor ON STAGE, an author, saving the environment, or helping Africa (like I said I'm a bit weak in the goal department). If there was a job being an expert on middle-earth history I'd do that on the side.
I am obsessed with Lord of the Rings and reading. I bought/received/took 92 books my junior year. No joke--it's an addiction. But not a dangerous one--if I bought them they were only 50 cents at Salvation Army, like all my clothes. I love my T-shirts. And no I don't have my license.
Some obvious differences, but have I lived up to your expectations highschool me?
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