So I have officially butchered my sleep cycle this week--after only getting 4 hours of sleep last night, I conked out shortly after 1pm today and didn't wake up until dinner time. That said, my body is now under the illusion that we have an entire day to get the three reflection papers and journal card assignment done for tomorrow when in fact we only have a few hours left. So of course instead of starting those, I ended up on here. Cheers to self-discipline.
Speaking of which, does anyone else have minor compulsions that, if you do not obey, you find yourself utterly incapable of doing anything else? I have this problem with art, and sometimes with writing. I'll be sitting at my desk, minding my own business, and suddenly *VWHOOMPH!* an image strikes me, and I have to have to have to creaaaate! [That doesn't mean these 'images' turn out particularly attractive, it just means Snowl will waste three hours a day working on them instead of doing what she needs to do. And then she wonders why she's up until 4 doing homework. Silly human.] My most recent obsession is a texture piece. I'm not really sure where I'm going with it yet, but it's the fourth piece I've done in this particular style, and it's the first piece I've done that involves multiple panels, so that's been a fun experiment. Last night instead of working on either of my papers due the next morning I found myself scribbling a Wordsworth poem on the metallic ocean waves. Then again today before my mind lapsed into blackness I found myself tearing dried leaves for forest texture while watching Prince Arthur flirt with the Once and Future Queen Gwenevere on youtube. [Good show, but the way, if anyone is into Arthurian legend or fantasy.] Is anyone else helplessly struck with a random compulsion from time to time? What do you find as your distractions? I can't help but notice these things happen most when I have too many other things going on to justify it, but I normally give in anyway. I have three other art pieces made this semester as proof. Bah.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
"Round."
"My first thought upon seeing her was 'circumnavigate.'"
[Be warned, Snowl's about to go into a rant.]
Alrighty boys--for any of you who failed to learn it in Social Relationships 101, -never- call a girl "round." Nothing good can come from it. Either she'll think you're calling her fat or well endowed. Either way, you're likely to get slapped.
One of my creative writing buds recently decided to write a couple of his gal-friends into his newest story. Yes! A character based on me--how exciting, right? Such an honor! Said writer friend even gave me a list of special power options to pick from. I was pretty pumped about it. Who wouldn't want to be portrayed as an epic sassy heroine with mad fighting skills? Who even trains owls to do her bidding? Pretty cool, huh? I thought so until said name-sake character was introduced with the rotund adjective "round." And he wasn't saying I was well endowed. In fact, said "friend" thought it would be a cute idea to base the character's appearance on her owl-loving. So she has a round face, round glasses, etc etc. *POP!* There went my starry-eyed dreams of epicness. (Not that there is anything wrong with being round, it's just not particularly fearsome. Feeear the Snowl.) [I personally loved my character--who wouldn't want to be based on an Eurasian Eagle Owl? So stylin'.] Oh, and Orville made it into the story too. He does my bidding and talons-attacks my enemies. Owl-minion, attack! [...] *Orville slashes foes to shreds* Snowl: MWAHAHAH! I am invincible!! >=D [Don't let this go to your head, Snowl.] Right. Sorry. So anywho, after reading this line, and then having a couple other fellow-writers read it, our little anime-loving-nerd-group-of-awesomeness proceeded to give feedback on the writing. Which then turned into a series of 'round' jokes. [Hence the quote at the top.] And although said writing friend hopefully knows I was joking about taking offense to this description (after all, it's not like I can manipulate water in real life either) (that you know of), it still seemed worth noting to all other young men (who hope to reproduce someday) that your life will be considerably easier if you learn a few tips on what to say (or not to say) to a girl. "Round" would be one of the words to avoid. [Duly noted.]
Thus ends my rant for the evening. Have a good night--and when you're reading a new best selling fantasy in a few years with an owl girl complete with a trained minion named Orville, you can grin at knowing the backstory to this tale.
[Be warned, Snowl's about to go into a rant.]
Alrighty boys--for any of you who failed to learn it in Social Relationships 101, -never- call a girl "round." Nothing good can come from it. Either she'll think you're calling her fat or well endowed. Either way, you're likely to get slapped.
One of my creative writing buds recently decided to write a couple of his gal-friends into his newest story. Yes! A character based on me--how exciting, right? Such an honor! Said writer friend even gave me a list of special power options to pick from. I was pretty pumped about it. Who wouldn't want to be portrayed as an epic sassy heroine with mad fighting skills? Who even trains owls to do her bidding? Pretty cool, huh? I thought so until said name-sake character was introduced with the rotund adjective "round." And he wasn't saying I was well endowed. In fact, said "friend" thought it would be a cute idea to base the character's appearance on her owl-loving. So she has a round face, round glasses, etc etc. *POP!* There went my starry-eyed dreams of epicness. (Not that there is anything wrong with being round, it's just not particularly fearsome. Feeear the Snowl.) [I personally loved my character--who wouldn't want to be based on an Eurasian Eagle Owl? So stylin'.] Oh, and Orville made it into the story too. He does my bidding and talons-attacks my enemies. Owl-minion, attack! [...] *Orville slashes foes to shreds* Snowl: MWAHAHAH! I am invincible!! >=D [Don't let this go to your head, Snowl.] Right. Sorry. So anywho, after reading this line, and then having a couple other fellow-writers read it, our little anime-loving-nerd-group-of-awesomeness proceeded to give feedback on the writing. Which then turned into a series of 'round' jokes. [Hence the quote at the top.] And although said writing friend hopefully knows I was joking about taking offense to this description (after all, it's not like I can manipulate water in real life either) (that you know of), it still seemed worth noting to all other young men (who hope to reproduce someday) that your life will be considerably easier if you learn a few tips on what to say (or not to say) to a girl. "Round" would be one of the words to avoid. [Duly noted.]
Thus ends my rant for the evening. Have a good night--and when you're reading a new best selling fantasy in a few years with an owl girl complete with a trained minion named Orville, you can grin at knowing the backstory to this tale.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Back to Reality... Sorta.
[Disclaimer: the following content might not be suitable for all genders. Gents be warned. Due to this, Snowl has requested I look over this to make it more palatable for my fellow males. -Orville.]
And like that the happy world of writers and dreamers was over. Or separated, at least. Ways parted, vans puttered, and Dr. Nelson missed our last exit on the way home, adding an extra 20 minutes to our 14 hour drive. But at least we made it safe and sound.
Now our happy group has returned to the dreary world of exams and final papers and presentations. But I don't want to whine about that, so let's move on, shall we? [What's she whining about? I'm the one smelling like stale hair from people smushing me with their heavy skulls like a pillow...]
There's something more pressing tickling my mind, one of those things people only whisper about with good friends behind closed doors or in isolated booths over coffee. It's one of the most annoying yet thrilling diseases, consuming yet irrelevant, distracting yet oblique. They sneak up on you like gum on the sidewalk, until you're stuck with it everywhere you go, each step an annoyingly sticky reminder of your latest inconvenience. I'm speaking of crushes, of course. Why is it our insides suddenly decide without consent to get all gooey over some guy or girl? [In Snowl's case it would be guys, just to clarify.] These things tend to sneak up when least practical, like at the end of summer when heading back to school or the end of school when heading home for summer, or even when you're getting ready to graduate and don't even have the hope to pick up the next semester/summer when you get back. You know there's no point to act on it, but it plagues you anyway. Why must this happen??
I have successfully evaded this deadly disease for a considerable block of time. It's not hard to do when you purposefully cut yourself off from most human contact, especially from friendships of the opposite gender. [Poor kid's kinda a hermit. PLEASE drag her out of my room more often.] And it's never the studly peacocks prancing around campus that spawn this mental illness--the ones girls fawn over when they've nothing better to do--it's the ones you aren't watching for that sneak up on you. My downfall is a tendency to become too attached to good guy friends. This is normally countered by distance; out of sight, out of mind. Or time. When you're friends with a guy [or girl, for any guys who stumble across this] for long enough, you tend to slip into that safe brotherly/sisterly relationship. Yet every now and then circumstance thrusts one out of the comfort of normalcy and suddenly you find yourself thinking of a certain someone's smile when you should be listening to Dr. Knowall's droning speech, or perhaps you're hearing their words in your head when you should be reading about molecular biology. [A topic Snowl is completely ignorant on.] It's like some small parasite wiggled into your brain and despite your best efforts refuses to unlatch from your conscious. Then you actually see said crush and your heart gets all fluttery warm and you're sure they can see it in your face but despite everything you're fighting to maintain control and "play it cool" because you fear their reaction if they knew...
The term "love sick" comes to mind. I'm not sure love is the appropriate term for this affection, but sick could not be better stated. If only some remedy were known to cure this ridiculous distraction. Goodness knows that's normally all it is. [Thank you for sharing with us. Now for your own sake, Snowl, get back to your homework.] ... Fine.
The term "love sick" comes to mind. I'm not sure love is the appropriate term for this affection, but sick could not be better stated. If only some remedy were known to cure this ridiculous distraction. Goodness knows that's normally all it is. [Thank you for sharing with us. Now for your own sake, Snowl, get back to your homework.] ... Fine.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Quoting Conference Hoots.
Alrighty, time for a "real" blog (beyond the intro, *DUN DUN DUNNNN*). In recap, a group of almost 30 peeps from EU (profs and students) migrated north for the Festival of Faith and Writing this past Wednesday. The conference had sessions all day Thurs. - Sat. (today). It was all [fantabulistically] awesome, but the highlights by far were the people. So instead of dragging on with a mini-summary of each session, I decided to hit the highlights via the best way: quotes. [Thank you 2 1/2 years of hs yrbk for tattooing constant quote-scribbling on my soul.]
The first set are quotes from speakers from the conference, the second set are quotes from peers. For reference, MJ, Jesse and H-bomb were my awesome roomies for the duration of our hotel stay. Good female bonding time. :)
~Snowl
~~~ Conference Quotes~~~
"There are 3 Rule of Writing: the problem is nobody knows what they are."
--Brady Udall
~~~
"You can't really steal someone's ideas... people do all the time and nobody cares."
--Brady Udall
~~~
"When a reader picks up a novel, she is entering a long-term relationship. A poem is like a one-night stand. The novelist must bring the reader through the pages."
--Brady Udall
~~~
"Sports writing is a great career to go into if you want a drinking problem and several divorces."
--Chip MacGregor
~~~
"God is like your mother who keeps telling you to clean your room over and over again, so you clean your room just to shut your mother up."
--Sharon Flake
~~~
"When you put your mess out there, you provide a place of healing for others."
--Sharon Flake
~~~
"Developing a literary journal is like sucking your head through a straw."
--RELIEF Editor
~~~
"We have a slogan but I can't remember what it is."
--Christian Amondson, Wipf and Stock Publishers
~~~Memorable Moments~~~
MJ: Wow! Martin, you have really nice calves!
~~~
MJ: I like gay people too. My best friend in high school was gay.
Jesse: Guy or girl?
MJ: Guy. He hit on my boyfriend though. We're no longer friends.
~~~
MJ: I'm not a lesbian.
~~~
Jesse/H-bomb: No.
Me: Not unless you count Orville...
~~~
Me: You're right MJ, he does have really nice calves.
~~~
I tried to upload a photo on blogspot but it was taking its jolly-sweet time, so I gave up and used photobucket. Which worked.
6:30 a.m. is a God-forsaken hour. As Jesse said the other morn, "If you are awake and a Taco Bell isn't open, go back to bed." Amen, Jesse.
~~~
"I don't think Burgess is slutty. It's all the butch man-women living there now." --Jesse
~~~
MJ: (repeat) I'm not a lesbian.
~~~
H-bomb: Let me know if this music is too loud.
Jesse/MJ/Me: Omgosh its so loud/turn it down/can't hear myself think/etc.
H-bomb: *pause* Whatever.
~~~
MJ: (repeat. again.) I'm not a lesbian guys... *nervous laugh* yeaaaah... I wish I had a boyfriend.
~~~
Hotty-Man (steamin' in the hot tub): So... what are you two doin' tonight?
MJ & Me: Uhhh
Me: We've got an 8:30 morning session. ... So we're going to bed early.
~~~
Jesse: I am a territorial beging, and if a creature comes crawling into my dorm room, they're going DOWN.
H-bomb: I'll remember to not come to your dorm room...
~~~
J: You're getting up at 5 in the morning?? Why?
~~~
Martini: Stop staring at my calves!
~~~
Maybe you just had to be there. Or maybe you were, and secretly snickered on the inside when reading this. I'm hoping for the latter either way. Happy writing. Snowl signing off. Zzzz~~
Intros and whatnot.
Hello friends! First with intros. Fyi, there will be two voices randomly commenting in this blog, both myself (please, call me Snowl), and my dear-and-(reluctantly)-constant companion Orville. *points to Orville's mugshot*
I hope our random ramblings will be worthy of your time.
I've never fully understood the purpose of blogging (or Twitter for that matter), but after several encouragements for pursuing this outlet at Calvin College's Festival of Faith and Writing this past week, myself and a few friends have decided to give it a go. (Lord help us.) Now these same friends are urging me to wrap it up to crash the hotel pool on our last night of freedom before returning to good old MO--so for now I'll duck out. Looking forward to many prospective adventures with you,
Your (soon-to-be-soggy) friend,
Snowl
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