Things just keep happening to prove that the Illini are undisputably the best team in NCAA basketball. Kansas gets blown out by Villanova, Duke loses at home to Maryland, then Georgia Tech beats Wake Forest in OT. Amazing. The Illini are playing on another level. Even when the scrape out wins like they had to against Iowa they maintain their poise and are able to come out ahead. It's been a real joy to watch them play. It's almost completely taken my mind off how little the Cubs are doing this offseason. But that could be another whole blog entry.
So classes this semester seem pretty tough. I'm going to writing my ass off for 415 but hopefully I'll hone my skills and do a kick ass job if I get an internship this summer. My 411 class is making me reconsider the possibilty of law school after college because I think it's really interesting. I still really don't think I want to be a lawyer. But I guess it's an option to keep thinking about.
So I'm kind of sad about how things seem to be shaking out this semester. I know last semester was unique and amazing and probably not repeatable. I thought things were going to change but it's still kind of sad that they did. Our big, dysfunctional family is changing. Significant others, housing changes, and other things have made things different. I guess I wouldn't feel so apprehensive about it if something in my life was changing. But as it is, things for me are remaining the same. I guess I can't complain though.
So my dad told me yesterday that my grandpa had to go to the hospital because he was having chest pains. Last time he had chest pain they lasted for 5 days before my grandma finally made him go to the hospital. He was having a heart attack that time. Dad said they did tests and they didn't think it was a heart attack this time but they were keeping him there for more testing. I'm really not ready to think about losing my grandparents. They really are two of my greatest heroes in life. I don't come from a very big family, but family has always been important in my life. I think my grandfather has instilled this in me. I did a report about his life when I was in fifth grade that taught me a lot about him. One thing that struck me was that he talked about how he always hoped he'd find a career that he really enjoyed but he never did. But what kept him going in life was his family. For a while he worked as an insurance salesman. It was a good job and paid well, but he gave it up because he didn't feel like he got to spend enough time with his family. He gave up a lot because his family was that important to him. I'd love to write a book about him if I ever get the chance.
SONG OF THE MOMENT:
Ambulance - TV on the Radio
Tonight is pretty much the last time until may that I won't have something school related hanging over my head. That sucks to think about. I get the distinct feeling that this semester is going to kick my ass. But you know what? I could use a good kick in the ass. My classes for this semester are:
Journalism 405: History of American Journalism
Journalism 411: Law and Communications
Journalism 415: Reporting 2
Rhetoric 406: Advanced Poetry Workshop
English 419: Shakespeare II
I have class and work pretty much from 9 or 10 till 4:30 with a break around noon for lunch Monday through Thursday. That's gonna blow. But the AWESOME thing is going to be NO CLASS ON FRIDAYS! I'm going to try very, very hard to make the best of all that free time. A lot of reading, a lot of watching movies, hopefully a lot of writing, and of course a lot of drinkin'.
I started downloading episodes of The Wonder Years lately and I realizecd I'd forgotten how awesome that show was. It's one of my favorite shows of all time. I'd forgotten how much it influenced the way a looked at life growing up. Not to mention it's just funny. I wish Daniel Stern would narrate my life from the future.
Anyway, look for a bunch of poems to come this semester in the other blog and hopefully some other stuff like articles for my reporting class if there's anything interesting and hopefully some stories. And possibly even...a screenplay? Stay tuned.
SONG OF THE MOMENT:
Ode to Kevin Arnold - Ludo
This is my first entry of the year. It is a year that came upon me unremarkably. Save a little drunken revelry and broken glass, I doubt I would have noticed that I came at all. I don't make any reslolutions because I already have enough goals that I'm afraid I won't accomplish that I don't need to make new ones.
I've been watching a lot of movies lately. A lot of really good ones. Over the break I've seen Ocean's 12, Meet the Fockers, Phantom of the Opera, The Life Aquatic, Spanglish, Closer, Sideways, and Finding Neverland. I would recommend them all. I've also watched the first three seasons of Seinfled on DVD and both of the audio commentaries on the Garden State DVD. I've been doing a lot of relaxing I guess you could say. At home it doesn't really seem like there's much to do other than go to the theatre to see movies or watch something at home. I went to the Art Instiite which was fun and as always a good source of creative motivation. I've been reading a lot lately too. I finished the Jean Thompson book, read White Noise by Don De Lillo and a volume of poetry each by Ray Carver and Galway Kinnell. I really dug the last volume in the Carver collection and a poem called "The Avenue Bearing the Initial of Christ into the New World" by Kinnell. Right now I'm rereading On the Road, which is cool because I've always liked the way Kerouac fictionalized autobiographical material. It's something I've triend myself a lot to varying degrees of success. I plan on finish On the Road and hopefully reading a book called Vernon God Little before classes start again.
I guess I don't really have too much to say other than that. It's been a relatively uneventful break, which is fine by me. Plenty of time to relax, get to see some friends and family, and get some energy back for the coming semester. It's going to be a tough one. I'm looking forward to it though. Anyway, that's all for now. Hopefully more fun things to come once the new semester gets underway.
SONG OF THE MOMENT:
Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice