you better lose yourself in the music the moment you own it.

you better never let it go.

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Today I had a really interesting, dynamic discussion the meaning of racism in my Black Studies class. The book we were reading described racism as an ideology where one group of people is thought to have unchangeable characteristics that make it impossible for them to ever assimilate with another group. Thus, division based on religion can't be racism because one can always convert. This led us to discussing what America's fear of Muslims is...racism, or xenophobia. I believe it's rote xenophobia; if an everyday American say a man wearing a turban or a woman wearing a hijab on their plane, they'd probably get nervous. If these people were wearing American clothing, I don't think they'd feel that fear because those people would have assimilated.

Well that's my take.
In other words, V-Day wasn't as awkward as expected-let's hope it stays that way.

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To do this week:
Study minerals
study for french quiz friday
read for blst
more prints/shoots

and today, it was warm.

the temperature rose above freezing. when i tentatively left the darkroom, marvelling at the fact that it was already dark out, i felt a strange sensation...relative warmth. it was wonderful and also slightly weird.
today, i finally successfully rolled my film. it was a proud moment. i decided it works best if i do a roll at a time and just go in and do it without thinking.

tomorrow:
-get blst book/start reading form
-study minerals
-finish/submit aci app
-shoot more
-hope for non-awkward flower situation

My Wrists Hurt

and I'm still embarrassed by my failure at free styling well:
"I'm not an alcoholic but I like to take shots
I like to take good pictures, and I'm sad when they're not."
But I learned how to "tornado" and "helicopter" and I took many shots and I learned so much and it was really a great experience.
I can't wait to get back in the lab and start making new beats on Reason, maybe adding Carl Sagan to the track...
oh ho ho.

Snow Melting

today, on the way back from my run, i saw a patch of grass. Green, wet, muddyish grass. It was a beautiful moment, inspiring me to continue running even though I'd just stumbled up a horrible hill and felt like death. The fact that the snow is GOING AWAY made me incredibly happy.
It's supposed to snow on Saturday though. BOF.

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To-do this weekend:
finishing shooting first pan/self portrait roll and make contact sheet/one print for last assignment
watch documentary/take notes and study for mineral quiz
epilogue
french c

photos, phish, foolishness

Taking photography (I KNOW I KNOW I'VE TALKED ABOUT IT IN EVERY POST FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS) is making me want to be a photojournalist...again. I know I'll be starving if I choose that route, but still, I just feel like capturing the world and making the unseen seen would be such a rewarding experience.
Today was a long day, but I learned so much. I saw amazing slides in Photo (Henri Cartier-Bresson...a master of photography. And he didn't even develop his own prints). I met up and discussed plans for applying for the Dalai Lama Fellowship which Ruodi, Crystal and I are hoping to get in order to implement a system of financial literacy workshops and an art program where students will sell their artwork for profit...in my grandma's village in Kenya. I hope it works. Regardless, I will be in Kenya this summer...if all goes well.

On the menu for tomorrow:
gym
dance (and practice breakdancing)
try shooting self portrait (can't be of self)
meeting for kenya
geo reading

Ahead

I really enjoy being slightly ahead with my work. It's so different from last semester, when I always had something to read or write or do. Now, I have more time for myself (when I'm not in the darkroom or in Geo lab) and it's wonderful. After I write this up I'm gonna look at some study abroad programs, my favorite way to procrastinate. Paris or Nice? Or Morocco or Madagascar or Senegal? Je ne sais pas.

On the menu for the rest of the week:
Finish reading geo/study for mineral quiz
Finish the epilogue of blst
GO TO THE GYM!
Meet up to talk about dalai lama fellowship
hip hop hw

The darkroom is a frustrating place.
Especially putting the film on the reel in the dark. I messed up another roll of film by reeling it on wrong. RAWR!

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In other news:
Frisbee is fun but I'm hella sore
I have a tolerable amount of reading. Ahead in BLST.
I don't like practicing late. Also there's lots of tools on my floor. Meaning college boys who think they're hot stuff. They need to shut up right....now....nope.
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Since I'm obviously not in the best blogging mood (but my normal mood is fine, je promis!) I'll just leave a haiku here.
(Those boys really need to shut UP)

keep quiet, children
no one cares about your crap
we just want to sleep

(I'm not that annoyed, I was just happy that what I wanted to say fit into those syllabic patterns.)

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On the menu for thursday/friday:
-finish hip hop homework
-3 beats at diff. bpms
-4 lines of a rap
-a dance
-next photo assignment, processing, and first prints
-blst book
-geo reading and mineral quiz studying
-current event,type up summary (french)