My wrists are so sore from breakdancing today.



Today, Nomadic Wax, an international fair trade record company, came to Amherst and gave 7 of us Jeffs lessons in freestyling, djing, break dancing, and beatmaking. It was incredibly fun. My favorite was beatmaking and using this program called reason to make beats which we will then freestyle with next week at a performance. There will also be a break battle. AHHHH!

I liked learning how AMERICAN hip hop is, how much improvisation is involved, and how much art is involved. Really eye opening.

There was a b-girl (break dancing girl) from France, who taught us how to break. Her name was B Girl FraK (look her up on YouTube!)

There was also an Italian D.J and the head of the company actually went to Hampshire and studied the relationship between hip hop and political change in Senegal.

Supercooldude.

I had fun with Crystal, making fools of ourselves freestyling.

And now I'm listening to Outkast (atl represent!)

forever, foreveever, foreverever?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYxAiK6VnXw

Adaptation

Before I left for Amherst, the scariest thing I thought I would have to face and adapt to was the New England winter. As the weather got chillier, I thought to myself, "This isn't so bad." Now, with highs barely reaching 20 degrees Fahrenheit and a 30 degree day feeling like summer, I feel like I've completely adapted. The secret to getting through winter here is learning to get used to snow and cold, and buying a good pair of boots, gloves, and a hat.

Although I've gotten used to it, summer still seems really far away when there's two blizzards around the corner (after already having 2) and I hear about 70 degree weather at home and school being delayed because of rain. Laughing, I think to myself that if this were Winston, there wouldn't have been school for a month (or more).

At any rate, I don't think I'll be getting Seasonal Affective Disorder anytime soon, which is a good thing.

This weekend:
Sparkle Ball
Hip Hop Workshop with a fair trade record company (IDK how that works)
Geo HW (Identify minerals)
BLST Reading Form and Last 12 pages of book
French chapter
Photo shutter speed/d.o.f assignment and process film

Nostalgia

I was looking back on my old blog posts, and saw a line that amused me about my first day at Amherst (during orientation): "The air here smells like education." I was probably drunk on excitement at the moment. However, my first few moments at Amherst were memorable; I remember the hot weather, the peace demonstrators in town, the crowds of freshmen students wandering around with their parents, and the green quad filled with cars. I was nervous about my roommate, and classes, and money, and making friends. It was the most awkward and amazing week of my life. I learned so much, went camping for the first time, and learned how to live with another person. Everything felt new and different, I was adapting to life "up north" and I was still excited about the Ice Cream and fro yo at Val. That was a good feeling, and I'm sad I've lost it as work started up and things got more stressful. However, I'm glad I met so many new people who I would never have associated before. I'm planning great things, and doing new activities, and learning everyday. The air DID smell like education, and possibility, and a new beginning. Now it smells a bit more like soy sauce and snow mush, but that's alright. I'm remember why I love Amherst so much and how grateful I am to be here.

life

I'm so disorganized. I can't even put together an interesting blog post which no one reads anyways. That's why I use lists so often.
I have recently created a Xanga (I know right?) because a friend of mine blogs on Xanga. So I think I will start "blogging" for real now and not just spilling out incoherent thoughts.
If you want to follow it, you need a Xanga. Retro, right? It's almost hipster.
Well that's about it.
Hello my one follower, Aly!

So far...

I'm kinda thinking this semester will be way less writing intensive then the last (I had at least 15 papers, mostly short ones, to write since i had 3 writing intensive classes). I'm wondering if I should've taken a writing intensive French class instead of conversation...which is tres simple...ehh. But then I remmeber that I'll be reading a book a week for Black Studies, as well as spending most of my daylight hours in the darkroom for photography. :D :D
Also, the geology final project is supposedly killer. Wooooot!
I'm sososososososososo excited!!!!!

Tomorrow is Monday.
Tomorrow is the start of a new semester, new professors, new classmates and new (mountains of homework).
Tomorrow is January 24th...
ACK!

___
Things that I'm worried about
-intro to black studies. a.k.a the class that teaches you how to read/write effectively, the class where you read a book every week and complete a 20something question log, the class that only meets once a week for 2.5 hours.
-getting into photography. but i have philosophy and religion as options if necessary.
-participation...participation...participation.
-balancing all this with quidditch and ultimate (in season, now).
things i'm happy about
-having a job. i need oatmeal money!
-the big paycheck that will be coming my way anyday now..i have my eye on a canon ae-1 on ebay...
-new classmates
-GEO! i've heard so many good things...i'm excited. i hope i won't be disappointed.

well, let's do this.

looking back

The following will be a stream-of-consciousness description of 2010. Warning: may not make a lick of sense. I felt like saying "lick", embracing the southernness while I still can, y'know?

Graduating, beach trip, first "real" phone, first "real" phone accident, senior sleepover, sleepovers with certain german kids and certain cool kids, multiple all nighters (none for school reasons), disappointments, surprises, good food, cafeteria food, first camping trip, first time to NH and VT, first time playing in an ultimate frisbee tournament, 2nd and 3rd time playing in an ultimate frisbee tournament, first time joining a humanitarian organization, becoming a film snob, french movies, hitchcock, new england snow, new england dougnuts, new england cider, new england beauty, starting a quidditch team, meeting new people, forgetting old ones, reconnections, awkwardness, pretentious people, dealing with pretentious people, dealing with procrastinators, being "motherly" (what a crazy kid), staying up too late, dancing dancing dancing, first dance show, first time liking grilled cheese, appreciating home, appreciating warmth, building my cold tolerance (10 degrees? nbd.), loving and hating, growing up, staying the same.