Tuesday, June 29, 2004

#1 web result in a search for "king congruence"

So get this... I just got back from The Stepford Wives (personally, I enjoyed it and thought it was good... everyone else either said it sucked or that it was going to suck, so I don't know whether my fondness of the movie is that of truly liking it, or rooting for it because it had the odds against it). Well, since I liked it so much, I decided to research the original movie that was made in 1975. So, with the aid of my trusty Yahoo!, I searched for info on it (yes, I know that Blogger is a product of Google, but I started using Yahoo! before Google ever came out and I can't bring myself to switch... there's just something about all those Os). I found the info I was looking for and then got a little bored. So I put in "king congruence" to the search field. It turns out that when it returns the top 20 web results, THIS VERY BLOG WAS NUMBER 1! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I mean, that has got to be a feat. That means that out of all the sites on the internet that are related to the words "king" and "congruence," (which is said to be out of about 21,700 sites) MY BLOG has the most hits. DANG I'm good. Take that, Tripp...

Sunday, June 27, 2004

word vomit

In the movie Mean Girls, the main character, Cady, talks about having "word vomit." It's kinda like when you have something you REALLY need to say and you can't control it from coming up... and when it does, it just comes out in a way that you weren't expecting at all. Well, I think I have a lot to say. Or at least in my mind it feels like it's a lot. Sometimes when I get to writing it doesn't seem to be much... but I feel like I have a lot coming.

First of all, Tree #3. For those of you who don't know what this elusive code name is for it is Delightful. Delightful is a fictional story about a college age girl at a fictional university in Atlanta, Georgia. The whole reason I came up with it was because I was absolutely bored at home, and the past year was so dramatic, I wanted to live it out again, but through the eyes of someone not so quite like me. However, lots of the situations in the story came from things that I have heard, seen, or have experienced. I have REALLY enjoyed writing in it and I would HATE to stop writing in it... however, I have been slacking off so much on it, that I don't feel as if I am doing it justice. I mean, I think it's a really good story. I had people believing that it was real. I had people thinking that it was a real girl at a real school with real issues. But no, it's just a figment of my imagination. One of my friends (who shall remain anonymous because I don't know if she would want to admit how addicted she is to it) fusses at me when I don't update it like I should. So, I guess what have come to is, I either need to let Delia Johnson go, or vow to keep her life up to date... I would HATE to throw away what I believe to be such good literature (you can go check it out for yourself). I mean, I am very proud of my work, and I think that the best thing for me to do is plan out a time to write at least every other day, if not daily. Maybe it will even help me build responsibility... So hold on, Delia Johnson... I still gotcha.

Secondly, this camp is making me feel so ridiculously old. I mean, yeah, it's GREAT to almost be 21, but when I look back on life, the years that these campers are in were the best of my life. People always say that college is the best time of your life... well, I think I beg to differ. There is always difficult school work, drama with friends, pointless arguments with people, trying out the whole dating game, lack of money, limbo between adolescence and adulthood... I think this is a very trying time. High school was SO awesome. No matter what was going on at school, I could always go home and relax from it. In college, it's hard to get away... you live with the people you go to class with, and there is constantly something you have to do that is affiliated with college life. In high school, you can have your school life and your home life, and it doesn't get all jumbled up. I kinda miss that. I miss being able to act like a total idiot and blaming it on the fact that I was only in high school and not mature enough to realize how decent I was supposed to act. I liked it when I was a teenager... and I knew that I was older than a kid and younger than an adult... now, it's like I want to act like a teenager, but I want the respect of the adults that I am in constant contact with. It's so frustrating. And it doesn't get any better... which leads me to my 3rd point...

Politics. I hate f-ing politics. Yesterday, Bryn, Tripp, and Bryce went to see Farenheit 9/11. They came back with all the terrible things that they learned from the movie. I HATE George W. Bush. Oh, but don't go and get upset, you staunch Republican conservatives... I don't really like Kerry either... or Nader. I wish that we could truly live in a Utopian society... and my utopia would be one that was free of politics, because politics is what gets people so fired up... and what in essence kills and controls money. So, yes, I hate politics. I have decided to move out of this country to escape it. I'm going to Australia... seriously, one day, I am.

Next week is my week off... I am glad to have a free week, but it's not like I'm gonna do anything fun. I mean, first of all, I will have class (even though it will only be an online class), second of all, my mom is expecting me to come home... and even though I enjoyed home in high school, in college, it sucks, 'cause my mom wants to treat me like I am still IN high school and keep me in and around the house doing chores and cleanin' up after her, my dad, and my brother. I would love to go somewhere... but there is really nowhere to go. I would actually enjoy staying here in Dookieblue and maybe going home for a day or two... but being at home in Greenville for a week? TRAGIC. And on top of this, I would never be able to tell my mom, "No, I don't want to come home." I don't know what she'd do. I think she'd flip.

Finally, it is a camper... This week, I have a rising 6th grader. I am SO worried about him. First of all, one day last week, Mrs. Coffey's assistant calls me and tells me that I am going to get 2 students that are both from very peculiar situations... bad home lives, not too great an economic background... well, I looked at this as a challenge. Well, when only one of the 2 showed up, I was kinda relieved. But them I realized how old this boy was... he is a rising 6th grader. The youngest kid at the camp. On top of that, his roommate didn't show, so he is all alone tonight... and he might be all week. Well, he is just so little... age wise and in stature... he is just a little boy. And you can tell how young he is, just by his interaction with the other kids. He clings to me, which I don't have a problem with, but it just makes me feel for him. I want to be around him 24/7 to make sure that he isn't lonely and that no one picks on him and that he's not scared and that he has a good time. I'm just so worried. I want him to be here, and I want him to have a GREAT experience here, but I just don't know if he is ready for it. He makes me so nervous. And on top of that... I feel like I was given this responsibility. Mrs. Coffey's assistant's exact words were "they need a mentor-type person." So, this was one of those times that God gave me something to do, and I gotta do it. I feel like it is my responsibility to make sure that he has a good time and thatn everything goes well for him. He's just so young and seems so impressionable. I just don't understand why they allowed such a young kid to come to a big scary college campus??? Who knows. I just hope I can help him enjoy his time... and stay safe.

Okay, so I think that is it. See, I guess I didn't have as much to talk about as I thought. I'm glad I got some of that off my chest. Today, Kurt said that I didn't seem very happy, and I think part of it was because I was so weighed down by that ish. I hope this is a good week...

To the campers... ENJOY YOUR HIGH SCHOOL YEARS! THEY ARE THE BEST YEARS OF YOUR LIFE!

i promise i'll do better!

I audioblogged today. When I get a break from the kids, I don't use my free time to blog. So, you will have to deal with hearing my voice for now. I promise to write eventually... maybe tonight. I have had a lot on my mind, so I really need to empty out some of my thoughts. I will say though, that the new kids have arrived... and I'm still not over the kids that left a week ago. I still think about them all the time. There is a little shout out to them in the audioblog, so you can hear it there. Other than that, there are only about 50 kids this week, so it should be pretty laid back. Maybe I will get several chances to write this week. More later...

this is an audio post - click to play

Monday, June 21, 2004

a few words before bed...

1. Western Civ final exam at 8 am... I don't know if I am more excited that it is going to be over or more frightened about taking it.

2. The kids this week are... weird... and they are loud and obnoxious, and just not the same as last week. Professionally, I really need to get over the last 2 weeks, but emotionally, I can't.

3. Yeah... Number 3 was going to be about how much I miss the kids from last week, but in an attempt to not be so redundant, we will move on to number 4...

4. I got to see Missy and eat with her, "Momma," and Hoke tonight. I love Missy... and all my other littles (Mandy, Bryn, Kate, and grandlittle, Erin).

5. It is 12:01 am which means there are exactly 51 days until I turn 21.

6. That also means that there are only 7 hours and 59 minutes until my exam commences... I guess it's bedtime.

7. But before that, Tripp started a blogspot because he obviously saw how cool mine are. Go take a look. (Please disregard the fact that I commented on his first entry twice... That really warrants a placement in dumb pe0ple, I do believe).

Saturday, June 19, 2004

sad day

I am really depressed right now. I know that it's really kinda stupid, and even sad in itself, but seriously, I am not in the best of moods. The campers that have been here for the past 2 weeks left today. I am not exaggerating when I say that they are the best group of campers that I have EVER worked with. Hands down, they are the elite. Fun, well behaved, just all around good kids. I found myself more FRIENDS with them than just a counselor to them... and that is what made this week so special.

I honestly could hang out all day with that group of kids. I could listen to Reggie's Boudreaux and Thibodeaux jokes all day... I could watch Ashwin try to dance and Matty dance circles around him all day... I could talk about Chi Omega to no end with Ryan... I could debate with David all day... I could listen to Cheech sing It's Raining Men all day... I could listen to Michelle talk in her little country accent all day... I could talk to Orange Chris about band all day... I could try to prove to Rico that I still have my "pimp juice" all day... I could listen to Alex's homemade raps all day long... I could even sit in Harcombe while they all surrounded me asking if they could leave--all day long. They were all that cool.

Throughout the disagreements, annoyances, laughs, scowls, and smiles, I had an excellent time. All I hope is that I get to stay in touch with some or all of the campers. This week alone has really made me want to come back as a counselor next year... and it's really got me nervous about next week... I know the kids aren't going to be as much fun or as cool as the kids from this week. We already have "The Archies" here... some of them are just as stuck up as they wanna be. They obviously don't know me that well...

Monday, June 14, 2004

a word from d@vid...

...seriously... it's just one word from David... the camper featured in the June 13 entry of dumb pe0ple. David isn't really dumb. He actually has a blog himself.

this is an audio post - click to play

Thursday, June 10, 2004

success!

I made a 7/6 on my Western Civ quiz last week! YAY! But, I have one tomorrow... that I have NO motivation to study for. Sad face. It's late, and today was my day off. Technically, I'm off until around 2 tomorrow, but there is that whole class mess that I have to take care of at 8 am.

Anyway, I tried to Audioblog today... hrmm... let's just say that technology sucks. It was a pretty decent post... I was complaining about how my barber, Maurice, shaved my beard off. I'm still a little upset, but everyone likes the goatee. I know the goatee looks good. I just wanted to grow out the beard... It took SO long to do, and it was finally really full. Eric Stukes commented on it yesterday as a matter of fact. Now it's gone and all that is left is the little goatee that I sported all last semester. Don't worry, I'm still hot. LOL.

Also, I have been going to the gym a lot lately... Katie and I go everyday at 2:30 and do the elliptical while watching Fresh Prince of Bel Aire. It's really fun. I LOVE Kate... really I do. But, she is so hard core sometimes... it's good to go with Katie 'cause she is just as laid back as me. Kate is a friggin' drill sargeant (LOVE YOU, GRACE)! So today we went with Nichole... that was really fun... I had my headphones on listening to "DJ Hambone's Hypermix" and Katie could hear my music through my headphones, so we sang together. It really helped pass the time on there (going backwards hurts SO much).

Anyway, I think I'm gonna go study a little more and then hit the sack... only 8 more days of class!!! 61 days to 21!

Wednesday, June 09, 2004

i was tired...

...so I blogged from the comfort of my bed.

this is an audio post - click to play

Tuesday, June 08, 2004

::drool::

That is how I feel. I feel as if I am just figuratively drooling. I mean, I am tired but awake, pissed but content, busy but bored... I'm just weird right now. I was tired pretty much ALL day today. I woke up this morning just about as tired as I have been this summer... even more tired than when I had to wake up super early to drive here to Clemson for class. I ended up taking TWO naps today... I mean... dang. As soon as I had a free minute, I got in the bed. At one point today, I even got cranky with the other counselors and after yelling at them for not doing anything productive, I stormed out of the room and went straight to bed. I'm tellin' you, I was cranky today. It's 10 to midnight now and I have 8 guys in here watching The Matrix: Reloaded. I am really glad that they wanna hang out in here (I am having a REALLY good time this week... these kids are AWESOME), but it is sleepy time.

Anyway, pissed but content... I am pissed because I have class in the morning... I am pissed because I can't park on campus... I am pissed because I am so tired all the time... I am pissed because I'm sick of hearing about engagement plans from dumb pe0ple... but at the same time, I'm happy that it is summer time and that I am here at summer camp with a great group of campers and counselors/new friends, and that I will be 21 in 63 days, and that I can take 2 naps a day. That is all good stuff.

I'm busy but bored (this entry sounds like that Alanis Morrissette song "Hand in My Pocket"). I am always doing something with the kids or TRYING to do something for class... but then again, I don't get enough sleep, I don't get a chance to read Harry Potter, I barely get enough time to blog, and yet I still don't seem to find ENOUGH time for Western Civ (I'm not REALLY upset about that last one). So, I am busy... but then again, I'm not.

I dunno... Summertime is weird. Especially this summer. It's my last summer as an undergraduate... I'm working AND taking classes. I need a break from this "break."

Monday, June 07, 2004

mean girls

Well, I just got back from the Astro with the campers. We went to see Mean Girls. I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of high school a lot... the girls that were too cool for school. The girls that were in that "sorority." It was Alpha Theta something... had the girls like Carly, Audrey, Heidi, Marisa, Ashton... that crowd (and yeah, I can call them out by name 'cause I'll prolly never see them again in my life, and if I do, it wouldn't be a big deal). High school was really fake... I am glad that in college, pretty much everyone is a "mean girl." Haha. Seriously. There aren't super huge exclusive cliques... unless you call Greek organizations cliques. My experience has been that fraternity guys, sorority girls, FCAers, band people, athletes, choral people, honors people... we all can be pretty clicky and pretty mean. I guess it's just the nature of the beast... While the Mean Girls were mean in high school, it took a little more time for some of us to grow into our meanness.

Why as a matter of fact, one of my own FRATERNITY BROTHERS ignored me today... and I haven't said ANYTHING bad about this person at all... I dunno why they did it... I mean, I HONESTLY don't think that I have ever done anything to piss this person off... I hardly EVER see this person, so naturally, I yelled hey across the street to this person and they looked and then turned away... I called several times... and looked like a dummy in front of a lot of campers. It's all good though... like I said, sometimes we are all mean girls.

PS - The Audioblog feature is absolutely fabulous. I really see myself audioblogging a lot.

the very first state of the kingdom address

So Blogger has this new "sound of blog" thing goin' on... and in the words of a sexually aroused college male, "I just had to jump up on dat." Here is the very first State of the Kingdom Address. I am confident that my audioblogs will get better.

this is an audio post - click to play

Sunday, June 06, 2004

week 2

So, this is the second week of camp. My new campers came today. I was a little apprehensive... my group last week was a buncha angels. I couldn't have asked for a more well behaved group. The only thing that could have been different with "Jon Jon," Thomas, "Ezekiel," Zak, and Daniel was they could have talked a little more and "Jon Jon" could have not been so cynical. They were a good group though. The other reason that I was a little apprehensive is actually VERY shallow... I couldn't pronounce 2 names... Yeah. I told one of my friends that I felt like the common Wall Street CEO... I couldn't pronounce names, so I expected the people to be ghetto. Well, I was VERY wrong. Akeem, Dominique, Kiwann, and Matt are AWESOME. They are a close second to last week's group (They are actually better than last week because they interact with one another and with me, but last week will always be the best 'cause they were my first). They are in my room now playing Kiwann's Playstation 2 and listening to my music... "Jon Jon" hated all of my music last week...

Anyway, it seems like as a whole, the kids here this week are awesome. There are only 60 as opposed to the 120 from last week. At the ice cream social tonight, they were all outside talking and carrying on like college students... pretty mature. They weren't running around with sticks or whoring themselves out like Queen Bee. On top of that, we split the group up into 4 separate groups. The 3 Muskateers, Butterfingers, Snickers, and Kit Kats. It's in hopes to enhance the camping experience... kinda like the groups we had at Camp Long last year (Go B. Bills!). I think a couple of the counselors were opposed to the idea. It kinda frustrated me, but I have seen how much fun competition can make camp, so I stuck by it. I do think, however, that the whole "sorting ceremony" was a little much. Very Harry Potter-esque (We went and saw The Prisoner of Azkaban last night and it seems as if everything has been insipred by Harry Potter for the past 72 hours).

Anyway, I am looking forward to a good week... tomorrow and Tuesday, Dr. Burns is gone in Western Civ and we are watching Gladiator, so that takes care of half of the week in there and leaves only a week and a half of that left.

AND... I SAW THE P&A HOTTIE AGAIN IN P&A ON FRIDAY! HOTT LIKE FIYA!

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

clemson

I love Clemson... I do. I really strongly dislike all the hills sometimes, but as for the school as a whole, I like it. I also really HATE the police department and parking services... I have very good reason not to like them, but I don't feel like going into it tonight. Notice that I said I dislike the hills but HATE the police department and parking services.

Anyway, today, I walked all over this creation known as Clemson University... or at least it felt like it. First, I had to go to P&A. I have only been in there like 3 times... and I knew that it was a complicated building... I got lost trying to find the kids. But, I got to ask this absolutely drop dead gorgeous take me home right now hottie for directions... oh yes... Anyway, later this afternoon, I had to walk around Clemson with my campers and Wilene's. We walked around trying to find people to answer the questions for our scavenger hunt. It really kinda saddened me to find out how many people didn't know where the Thomas Green Clemson statue was or what the name of Howard's Rock was. I was also a a little freaked when the kids tried to get me to read the plaque. As the rumor goes, students who read the plaque don't graduate. Believe it or not, the block is scaring me to the point where I feel like it may be possible that I don't graduate... I dunno... I'm probably just overreacting, but I love this school and campus... even to the point that I will subscribe to the superstitions around it.

Then during the pizza party, I was talking with Megan... a girl who was in my PE class that is a desk assistant this summer. She lived at University Ridge when it burned down. She was telling me all about what she had to go through after the fire and all that sort of thing... about how she had to make an inventory of everything she lost, but how she got hooked up by so many people who were willing to help her and the other residents of the Ridge out. That just went to show how great Clemson is. It's really a family here... being here this summer and getting to experience it in a way that I never have before has really been fun...

...they always say that you don't miss something until it's gone. Well, I'm not gone yet... but I miss it already.