Rant of the Day: Junk Classes

So I know I'm very strange but I've come to realize over the past year or so that I do actually enjoy learning. I do understand that the majority of College students do not feel the same way and are most likely in college to a)party b)meet someone to marry or c)make money. However I would like to rant today on classes which teach laziness and the acceptableness of using anything and everything to make money. Newsflash: This just in, especially if you claim to be a Christian, life is NOT about money.

I was doing my very first reading for my very first homework this semester for my Fiction Literature class which appeared to be the most professional seeming classes on my schedule thus far last night. We were to read an excerpt from The Canterbury Tales, the part with the Miller's Tale and the Reeve's Tale. So I'm innocently reading this classic literature, in fact one of the first novels written in English, and I come upon some very graphic and vulgar language which I was quite shocked to have found in such a prestigious work of so-called art. Ok so maybe it's not that big a deal for people who are "normal" I'm sure that some tv shows or songs or movies portray these types of "art" all the time. However this is me we're talking about, sheltered little Christian school me. So I got quite offended. But not completely for nothing.

My first thought was, "ok, maybe this is just a slip-up, maybe she didn't really mean for us to read this version of the text." However when I went to class today she addressed it directly and said that she knew we'd all be surprised that she would assign it to us to read, but she said that the word had been brought directly from the original text and was therefore okay. The idea is shock and awe. Chaucer takes the same approach to getting points across that I have observed Burning Coal Theatre Company takes. Do not want!

The second thing that came to mind was not only how it insulted me, but how it degraded me as a woman. If you know me, you know I am most certainly not a femenist by any means, however when you just lay things out there for all to see it makes me feel like I mean nothing. It brings back the feeling that since I am a woman I cannot go certain places and do certain things because it isn't safe, because some people treat us like we are only objects to be owned. This really bothers me because God says He loves me and that I am very important and beautiful, however when you have vulgar language like this, it really demeans me. I know that myself and other women are quite capable, but I think about my cousin Mira. She is so small and adorable, however she's grown up part of her life in a culture where it seems she has been taught that she is only good for being a wife and cooking and cleaning. This breaks my heart for her, because she is so sweet and smart and creative that she can do so much more.

The question that finally came to rest in my mind was this: "How is this funny?" Now this is rhetorical, but it really bothers me. When we spoke about it in class, the entire class laughed it off. Why? Are we really that immature? Is my professor really that immature as to stoop to that level to win the approval of her students? Is this the kind of academia that we praise so highly? I'm not impressed.

Let's aspire to something higher than that, please.

Elyz

Dear Freshmen,

Dear Freshmen Class of 2014,

How can I encourage you? This past year has been unexplainable. I hope you have already begun to feel the freedom and responsibility settling in. When I left home last year I had no idea what to expect, and so I hope to give you all a few things I wish I had heard this time last year.

1) Err on the side of being too professional. First impressions on professors are everything, if a professor thinks you are a certain stereotype they will bill you as that for the entire semester. And they will grade you as such. It's almost like food service in that the professor is always right. Use humility and tactfulness in all your dealings with them and you should make the grades you deserve.

2) Don't go home every weekend. While I love my parents I may have gone home one too many weekends. Enjoy the freedom and get used to enjoying your own company. This really has been the hardest lesson for me so far, considering I have been deathly afraid of being alone. But you will enjoy this year so much more if you can be comfortable with going to a movie or going shopping by yourself. One thing that's helped me the most is using this time to be alone with God. Which you absolutely can never have too much of. And when all else fails: Wander. I have gotten so much out of just wandering around campus talking to God and running into friends. Don't ask how, but I have.

3) Let yourself make mistakess. (I originally went back and deleted the extra s, but then that seemed hypocritical.) Trust me, you WILL make mistakes, and big ones, but if you bash yourself over the head for every single one you will be a very unhappy person. Laugh it off. If you've read my blog from the first day last year you can clearly see, this took me awhile to understand too. But what you don't know was that the first semester I made all A's and the Dean's list as well as scoring a first role in my first audition. Not to say this is of my own doing, it was all God's work and He alone deserves the glory.

That's all that comes to mind at first glance, but if you ever have any questions feel free to comment them or facebook them to me and I'll try to help. In closing, pursue God; He loves you so fiercely it'd be a shame to close without echoing what I am sure you already know. Christ loves you so much, don't take it for granted.

Have fun!
Elyz

the end of life as you know it (disclaimer: very girly)

I used to hate movies like PS: I love you and 500 days of Summer, and I never knew why. I hated that there was no happy ending like every other fairy-tale movie. I hated seeing the main characters going through hard times and it wasn't until recently that I discovered that this was because I'm paranoid. Not in the creepy mental-case way, but in a way that I think we all are for awhile. We've been so conditioned to think that life is one simple story. Girl is born, grows up in a happy family with 2.5 siblings, meets one boy who changes her life and is absolutely perfect, never wants anything else in life, gets married and lives (you guessed it) happily ever after. Occasionaly Hollywood thinks it's clever and adds in a girl who finds this happiness in a job or epic journey instead however it fits the mold pretty acurately.

So what happens? The first time you truely believe you've found that "happily ever after" and it turns out that it's not, then what? It reminds me of that illustration about the teabag and the carrot. When placed in hot water a teabag will change its surroundings making them sweeter and completely altering the end product. The carrot, however, is filled with the hot water and turns limp and weak changing almost nothing about the hot water. When we choose to start again, fresh, with hope and a God who is strong enough to make us sweeter through the hard times we can really grow, not only in the Lord but also as a person. It frees us to a completely wide open future which is so completely in God's control that we don't HAVE to worry about the finer details.

However, we can always shrivel back up if we're not careful. Self-pity is a huge temptation and leads quickly to this selfish lonely choice. I heard a challange once that whenever you're feeling bad for yourself the best remedy is to go help someone else, while not mentioning at all your problems. I pass that challange on to you, because it really does take your mind off your troubles and encourages you because you are being a blessing in someone else's life.

I've discovered something important lately. Life isn't just one simple story, it's made up of many interlacing complex threads of good and bad times which leads to one glorious finale. While there is a happily ever after, it has absolutely nothing to do with us finding fulfillment in the things of this world. I told Christ this morning that I wanted to spend today with Him, that I wanted today to be about me and Him and He showed up in full force. I would encourage you, He wants to spend time with you, and I promise it won't be boring. Everyday has new lessons and blessings to learn. Him who has ears let him hear. I've been saying that a lot lately but it's so true for myself as well.

God is NOT a tame God. If you ask Him to, He will bring you to the end of life as you know it and into a life that is far beyond what you thought to ask for.

Psalms 126:5-6

~Elyz~

Life isn't fair.

"Life isn't fair. You see I...I will never be king, and you...*dark chuckle*...you'll never see the light of another day..." *The Lion King*

So my mom is watching a Bible study video by Beth Moore and she's talking about how life isn't fair. I started out thinking selfish things like, "Yea I know!" and thinking about how poor and pitiful my life is...

She continued to talk about some Indian women she met on a mission trip and what poverty and devastation they live in. She talked about how she felt so guilty for living so well when they were stuck in such a terrible place. Ouch. I'm not saying my life is perfect but comparativly I have so much, it makes me feel so unworthy of what I have. If I cannot be content with all the many many blessings God has given me, how will I ever be happy? I have so much to learn sometimes, but at least He's there and always will be.

"Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say Rejoice."
Elyz

Dear Bloggers,

I'm terribly sorry about the long delay, I've been running ragged these days. It is March and finally leaning towards Spring-like weather. I feel each day has been a completely new novel of its own so I'll probably have to catch you up very briefly. To make a potentially very long story short...

The show I auditioned for I was offered a role as well, the show was Amadeus and I was a shadow. I continued on to audition for Into the Woods, a musical by Stephen Sondheim, which I also made, this time playing Milky-White, a cow. Finally I auditioned recently for Macbeth and recieved the roles of Donalbain and Caithness, also being a part of the ensemble. We are now in rehearsal for this show and I am proud to announce I have my first speaking role in University Theatre. The actors and technicians have all been nothing but wonderful to me and are becoming very good friends whom I rely on greatly.

Which leads me to Drew. During Into the Woods, Drew and I came to the conclusion that we weren't as compatible as we had once thought. Due to many reasons which I will not detail, we broke up on February 20, 2010.

Since that day God has been turning my world upside down. I have learned so much it's really amazing. Everyday I walk with Him to class and hold His hand, I'm depending on Him so much it's hard to think of myself as alone at all when I let Him be near.

Freshman year is turning out very differently than planned, so I've decided I'm done planning everything. While I will still plan out for some things I'm not deciding my future anymore, because that's gonna be what God wants it to be.

"Everything's changing and I don't feel the same"

~Elyz~

Thoughts cont...

So...

I sat there for about an hour, when he finally showed up, really late, and taught one semi-section. Which must have taken about 5 min. in totality. And then he let us go...

So I am left with a couple hours before work will start. So here I am, in the Coffee House under Mitch's Tavern sipping on a Mocha Vienna and typing up my blog.

I like this...

Content,
Elyz

Thoughts:

Hey!

I am sitting in my MA 103 class right now it is 8:06, the class begins at 8:30... So today my thought is on time management. I have been late twice so far to my first mon., wed., fri. class, and very very early to this class (for now the second time). I have also been early to Amadeus practice twice and cutting it close once. I don't know what it is, but I just can't seem to hit it right on time or like 5 min. early.

I've been on time everyday for work, thankfully, but between judging times for buses and times for walking and all that, I've become mostly boggled.

Oh! Another fun fact: I slept through last night without tossing and turning for the first night since I've arrived here on campus! Which is kindof bitter-sweet.

I'll post the continuation of this while at work, most likely, or I'll be doing homework...

Thanks for listening!
Elyz