coldness

I got my passport in the mail sometime this past week… Thursday, I think. :D It’s exciting, especially since I wasn’t expecting it for a couple weeks yet.

My parents are so inept when it comes to anything technological. Seriously. They’re already getting on my nerves.

Ross and I watched Saw and Monster-In-Law yesterday. They were both pretty good. Yes, I did enjoy Saw. Alecia showed up right at the beginning of Saw and joined us, but she wimpily left right as the guy was cutting off his foot.

I got home around 9:30pm on Friday and I’ll be home for about a week. I don’t know if we’re going to Grand Rapids at the end of the week or not.

Potluck at church today… booyah. It was pretty good, but I don’t think it quite lived up to potlucks of the past. For one, there was no potato salad or macaroni salad. That in itself was quite upsetting.

My Introducing Phonology book and my German CD also came in the mail last week. I’m definitely enjoying the CD. The book, on the other hand, is just more work.

So… I’m 20. Yup, it’s the truth. My birthday is over. It’ll be another 360 days until my next birthday, the 21st. I’ll turn 21 on February 21, 2007.

Spring Break!

Not much has happened... surprise, surprise. I probably failed my German quiz again. But it was fun taking it because I took it in the hallway on the 3rd floor of the MLB and another girl from my class was there and we talked the entire time. What else? My German syntax class got out 30 minutes early today. That was nice.

So... I got this thing in the mail today. At first I thought it was a birthday card, but then I saw it was from the University and it's shape and weight were strangely familiar. In fact, it was the exact size and shape as something I received last year around this time. I opened it up and it was a card that said 'Honors' on the front. I thought, "Hmm, I didn't receive any awards this year... why would I be getting this?" Last year I had gotten something (Branstrom Freshman Prize), but I was confident that this year there was no way I could get anything. So I opened it up. The first thing that I saw were the words 'James B. Angell Scholar' and I was so stunned that I dropped the card. You see, to be an Angell Scholar has been a goal of mine for quite some time now, probably almost a year. I thought that all hope was lost when I got a B+ in calc 3 last semester..... but apparently not. "The University of Michigan takes great pleasure in designating you as a James B. Angell Scholar in recognition of your perfect scholarship record for two consecutive terms." I was excited. I still am excited. Also enclosed in the card was something else that said, "The University of Michigan takes great pleasure in awarding you the designation University Honors in recognition of your superior scholastic achievement." The whole thing made me really happy.

To study abroad or not to study abroad? Someone please tell me because I have to decide before March 8. I got a huge packet of stuff today, mostly forms that I have to fill out for Freiburg. There was one cool thing in there: I got an OIP scholarship for $2,000 per semester if I study abroad. Now if I could only decide what to do. The whole thing is actually a mirror image of the 'where to go to college' decision (specifically the UM portion). The characters in the story are even all the same except some have been recast since then.

Yeah, my last class before spring break ended at 11am this morning. But no, I will be here until tomorrow evening. Oh well, it all worked out ok.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag

Notable upcoming events in or near my life:
2.22.06: Linguistics 313 midterm
2.23.06: last day of class (singular) before spring break
2.24.06: Vanessa's birthday
2.25.06: Ross's audition
3.5.06: last day of spring break

Yesterday I turned in my linguistics 317 midterm and did the linguistics 313 dictation. It's quite possible that I both went rather badly. Tomorrow is my linguistics 313 midterm. All I have to say about that is 'Arg'.

Today was busy. At one point I became completely overwhelmed and sent an email to my German professor informing him that I would not have the homework done for class tomorrow and that I was also going to do badly on the quiz. Guess what his response was (and no telling if you know... Tina!).

Go here: http://kevan.org/johari?name=Sarah+Swartz. Do it. They need to put more negative characteristics because I had a difficult time finding six that actually fit.

For those of you to whom I mean nothing and therefore forgot (coughRyancough), today was my birthday. I am now 20 years old... two full decades. It's weird... I'm in my 20's. Ellie and I got free ice cream at Stucci's and Jaye P made me dinner. Also, Ellie made signs and put them on my door. Coincidentally, I also did the same for her (Ellie's birthday was today too).

Tschüs

Yesterday I went ice skating. It was easier than I anticipated and I didn't even fall down! There were many times when I had to flail my arms to steady myself and there were a couple times when I barely avoided disaster, but in the end I was on my feet.

We watched The Astronaut's Wife yesterday. It was kind of stupid. I own it but only because it's on the same disc as Don Jaun DeMarco, which is a fairly good movie. Johnny Depp is fun.

I was productive this weekend. I know, it's amazing... unthinkable... incredible... but it's true: I got work done.

Stress was the theme of this weekend. I had to call my German professor because it was a homework assignment. Well, I called him Saturday afternoon and left a message on his answering machine. That was completely stressful and I thought that that would conclude the assignment. Then he talked to me in church and mentioned that I had to call him again because I was actually supposed to speak to him. I may or may not have flipped out on him a little. Between that, all the work, and the dictation I have on Monday, it was an awfully stressful weekend.

Last night the idiots above us decided to get drunk, play beer pong, and listen to really loud music at 5am. I was angry and so was Jenny. Finally after 20 minutes I went up there and knocked on their door. As soon as I knocked, everything went dead silent and I heard someone whisper to someone else, 'Who's out there?' No one came to open the door and so I stood there. Finally the door opened and two people came out. I saw many many cups of beer on a able. No one acknowledged me and so I left. Stupid people.

You know what I realized tonight? I realized that my professors and GSIs last semester were all really great. Chris was helpful and fun, Garyn was caring and extremely helpful, Peggy was really nice, and Andries was cute and helpful and nice. This semester is different. They're all good and nice and everything, but it's different. The overall greatness level of this semester's professors might be at the same level as last semester's, but this semester's greatness level is more concentrated and last semester's was more evenly distributed. I seriously think I'm going to make a graph to illustrate it. Maybe I'll post it later. I'm a geek, I know.

"Inappropriate! AND a cliff-hanger! WHY?!?!?!?!"
-Ellie at the end of Grey's Anatomy tonight

Completely Defeated

There really isn't much to say. I need to do work because there is a ton of stuff that I need to get done before Monday (including a take-home exam for Ling 317, which is half finished). My German participation isn't going too well at all. I'm having major issues with that. I like the class... it might actually be my favorite class this semester.

Hannah's birthday is tomorrow (the 18th). Everyone say 'Happy Birthday' to Hannah. Vanessa's birthday is on the 24th. My uncle Kevin's birthday and my grandpa's birthday are soon too.

"Krispy, not creamed..." or something like that.

There was another quote... it had something to do with pot and Tina wanting to smoke pot.

And last night there was a really cool thunderstorm. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What? Corn? Minnesota?

I think that after spring break my work load is going to increase dramatically. That upsets me. Apparently we're going to be getting homework assignments every week in Ling 313 that are supposed to take 4-5 hours to do. That is suck. Also, I'll have to start working on my Ling 317 research paper thing and I have 2 essays in March. Plus I'll have a whole new class added on.

Participation is evil. Yesterday in German I tried to do what the instructor had said... I sat in a different seat (one to the right of my usual seat) and I talked to someone both before, after, and during class. But I didn't say anything in class and I only said three words to the prof: 'nichts', 'ja', and 'nein' in that order. On a slightly better note, I got my quiz back and it was an A (95%). I'll take that since I didn't really study for it.

My gag reflex is fairly strong, but only for certain things. It's rather upsetting at times.

Valentine's Day is stupid... especially when the only valentines you get are one from your grandparents, parents, Bush house hall council, and one/two friends.

As it turns out, swimmers do shave themselves before a meet but divers do not. This information is complements of Brad and Kyle. ...And then apparently bed sheets feel really good. They do, I know... after all, I have shaved my legs before, though I haven't shaved my entire body. Anyways...

My arms are really sore from boxing. My back, stomach, and neck are also sore. The right arm is the worst though. It is painful.

"Who is this kid, where is he from, and why does he know everything?"

Es gibt keine Lösung.

You know what's fun? I shall tell you. You know when you send an email to someone and when they reply, it has what you wrote under a heading that says '-your name here- wrote'? Well, I sent my German paper to a girl in Germany and when she replied, instead of saying 'Sarah wrote' it said 'Sarah schrieb'. I thought that was immensely fun.

Sunday may be the day of the week that I most look forward to. It's a nice day. It's a break from the monotony of classes and nothing. It's something to break up the week and it's usually enjoyable. Wednesdays, on the other hand, are probably my least favorite days because I have 6 hours of class spread from 9am-8pm. Ugh. Fridays are nice, Saturdays are boring, Mondays are kind of long, and Tuesdays I pretty much enjoy. So I guess my days from best to wrost are as follows: Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, Thursday, Saturday, Monday, Wednesday. Speaking of days, tomorrow is Monday the 13th, Garfield's most hated day.

I'm so behind in my reading. It's pathetic. I only have 14 credits, one of which hasn't started yet and another of which is band. So, at the moment, I actually only have 12 real credits (4 3-credit classes)... and I'm 8 chapters behind. Not to mention that last week I forgot to do my homework twice (I was supposed to do a reconstruction/historical linguistics thing and I was supposed to find the name of a random animal in German), I forgot to take my books to class a few times, and I forgot to take my notebook to class once. It was a stupid week.

For some reason I felt really weak this morning and during church I was shivering and trembling. It was odd.

Ok, this evening I was in my comfy "in between" clothes all set to watch some Sunday night TV when Jen Fongers came to my door and was like "wanna go boxing?" Um... riiiiiight. It was really tempting because I had wanted to do it before and I wouldn't have minded some battle scars. But you know how I am... but it was really tempting... and so I gave in. Yes, that's right, I was boxing tonight. We went to the IM building with David and met Jeremy and Kevin there. I don't think I was too bad but I definitely wouldn't qualify as good. I might've gotten one good punch but I got more than I gave. My left arm got tired really quick. It was quite fun. ...gross and awesome...

I find comfort in burying my face in my elbow.

Campus Band was hot Wednesday night. Us 3rd row flutes got to move up to the 2nd row, and I must say that I like it much more in the 2nd row. Bersaglia wasn't wearing shoes... I wonder if that's a usual thing. At the end, he gave us some advice about our 'mental well-being'. It was very thoughtful of him. The girl next to me commented, "You know, usually at the end of rehearsal I don't like him very much, but today I think I do." It's true. He even said himself that it was a good rehearsal.

So also on Wednesday I got my participation grade for German thus far. Heh, you don't want to know. Yes, it is that bad. Keep in mind, this is worth 25% of my final grade. Twenty freaking five percent. Guess what I got. I'll give you a hint: it wasn't an F (or an E, which is the same thing). Yeah, it wasn't an F but it was damn close. Did you guess yet? It was a D-. I'm not upset about it because I know that I deserve it and I was not at all surprised when I saw it. I don't especially like it, but I don't especially care either... though I don't want it to continue to be a D-. We'll see what happens.

Yesterday was the whole housing fiasco. I don't want to go into it because I'm so entirely pissed off about it. GRR! They're such idiots. Anyway...

Last night I went the the UM vs. OSU basketball game. It was enjoyable even though the outcome wasn't the best ever. There was a big old smelly guy next to me and the guy behind me was stupid too. But I had a fun time with Jaye P.

I did laundry tonight. Yes, my life is exciting.

Let's Delay Our Misery

Saturday night Tina and I watched Minority Report. It had been a while since I had seen it. It can be a thought provoking movie if you want it to be. I suggested that they offer a philosophy class called, 'Morality, Choice, and the Future: the Ethics of Minority Report'. Hmm, maybe that's a little overkill, but it'd be fun.

I've been working on my German paper for a while, but it hasn't been going well. It's so difficult to try and put the thoughts into German. Arg.

Yesterday was not pleasant. I'm probably going to get an F in participation in a certain German class of mine and I was forced to consistantly make a fool of myself in that same German class today. The game would have been fun if I knew the people with whom I was playing. I just might skip that class tomorrow.

Another thing that added to yesterday's unpleasantness was the fact that both my right foot and my right ankle were experiencing sharp bursts of pain when I walked on them. GRR! There were quite a few instances when a limp was completely necessary and even then it didn't help the pain much.

No class today. :) I did some laundry, read a chapter in my phonetics book (which was supposed to be read a week ago), watched TV, talked to Ellie and Tina, listened to music, found some new concert band music, slept in until 9:30 (I almost got 9 hours of sleep!), and now I'm wasting more time. I have a few things tonight to do, and that is a very good thing. It seems like I need going on in the evenings or else I get really bored. Or at least I need something to break up the monotony of the day, such as an appointment or office hours, scheduled hang out time, Bible study, Cru, or something.

Yesterday I found some really cool concert band music. Ross would be proud. ;) The stuff I found today wasn't so great, but it's worth having I think.

Duct tape is very useful. Today I used it to fix a hole in my pants.

You don't have a frenulum.

There's this girl in my hall named Karolin. She's really fun, but a couple nights ago when she was in Tina's room talking to Tina, I was thinking, 'Wow, she reminds me of someone." Unfortunately, I couldn't think of who it was. Then the next day I realized who it was: Jessie Duncan. Seriously, Karolin is practically the exact personality copy of Jessie. It's freaky.

I tend to become inspired as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep. It's kind of weird. Last night I stayed up for an extra 20 minutes writing the last paragraph of an essay, which I hadn't even started yet. When I was at home, I would think of creative and artistic things while I was falling asleep, and if I ever wanted to remember them, I had to write them down on the spot.

Today in German, I actually said stuff... 4 or 5 words, I believe. If that's not awesome participation, I don't know what is. I said, "viel Vielfalt" and "Studenten" and before those I said "debt". I may have said another word too, but I don't remember. So only 3 words were in German, but they all still count. ...And then we got this really random vocabulary list containing words such as 'to tickle', 'syringe', 'hedgehog' (which I already knew from German 1 in High School), 'adhesive tape', and 'gap between the teeth'. I was definitely amused by that list.

Guess what I did today. I gave blood!!! YAY! It was kind of random and spontaneous, and I was a bit nervous but all turned out ok. I was surprised that they actually let me do it... I thought for sure that my iron wouldn't be good or my blood pressure would be too high or something. At first my blood wasn't flowing well, but then it started going and Jen Fongers and I finished at the same time. I felt a little weird when I stood up, but when I told Jen that, she seemed concerned and so I denied it profusely. For the next few hours I felt a bit "loopy".

Tina and I went to a concert in Hill Auditorium tonight. It was really good and I'm very glad that Alison told me about it. It was all music composed by John Corigliano (because apparently he's here right now). I really liked the first one, Promenade Overture. The song started with only the percussionists on stage and the rest of the sections walked in as they played their first part. The tuba was the last one and he was wearing a superhero costume. The second song was Piano Concerto and it was pretty cool, but definitely not my favorite. The piano player was crazy... and good. The last one was my absolute favorite. It was called Circus Maximus and it was about 35-45 minutes long, but it went so quickly for me. I loved it. There were different people spread throughout the seats and they played at certain parts. The song (and the concert) ended with a real gunshot. The tubas had huge mutes and there was a mini marching band that went through during the 'Circus Maximus' movement of the song. There was one part that was so loud... imagine the loudest you've ever heard a band play, multiply it by 10, and add all the percussionists rolling intensely on random drums or cymbols, and you'd be about at the level of those long, loud notes. And while they were doing it, they still had a great sound. It was so incredibly cool.

Transportation Day

My days have been rather busy lately. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were all a bit hectic.

Yesterday I went to my linguistics instructor's office hours because I was having issues with vowels, and I was there for 50 minutes. He made me say things and transcribe things and listen to things. Heh, he caught on that I was on the shyer side and didn't want to say the things out loud, but he made me anyway. It was funny when I tried to say a sound/vowel that I couldn't. As it turns out, I am in insecure in my vowel transcription.

"Whatever pulls your socks up or down."
-Mike, my German syntax instructor

I ate lunch on Tuesday in 7 minutes or less yesterday (not counting getting my food and leaving). I was there for about 10 minutes. Ah, the joys of having too much to do.

Last night I went to a Bible study that's affiliated with Huron Hills Baptist Church, which is the church I go to and really like. It was fun. I like those people...

I guess since Ross knows what songs we're playing for campus band, there's no reason for me to not write them on here... because I'm sure Ross is the only one who actually cares even a little. They are:
The Footlifter by Fillmore
Courtly Airs and Dances by Nelson
Rhosymedre by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Cajun Folk Songs II by Ticheli

Ok, today was fun. Tina and I went to the Post Office to send our passport applications. But it was more than that. It was an adventure. First, we called a cab to take us to the post office, because the post office was way out there. The cab driver was bald and fun. Tina questioned if he was going the right way, and I was thinking the same thing and he wasn't even entirely sure. However, once he figured out that PO meant post office, he knew he was going in the right direction. So he took us there and Tina paid him (because after paying for my passport, I was going to be completely broke). We went into the post office and stood there while the lady did the stuff. I did my first money order (to the US Department of State, no less). Then we went to the AATA bus stop that the cab driver had previously directed us to and waited. Tina called the number of the bus people to find out what the heck we were supposed to do, and she found out that we were to get on bus 8 to the terminal and then onto bus 6 to central campus. Well, we got on the bus and sometime into the ride, I saw Michigan stadium out the window. Then I looked out a different window and saw South Quad. Tina, in all her wisdom, talked to the bus driver and found out that there was a stop right there that we could get off at, and so we did. The walk back to South Quad was short from there. Yes, it was an adventure.

I'll be 20 in 20 days.

Campus Band was typical except that Bersaglia said "good" to my row of flutes during tuning. That was a first. Another first was when the other guy told the flutes to play louder. Bersaglia scared us 3rd row flutes by sitting at the end of the row while the other guy was conducting. Yes, it was frightening. Especially when the sax next to us insulted Bersaglia and Bersaglia leaned forward and gave him (perhaps jokingly) a death look which passed by us as we were playing.

In other news, I made a stupid mistake on the dictation in my sound patterns class today. GRR!