So worth the White Water!

To explain the title of this lovely post, I'm missing a good chunk of skin right below/on my right knee. No worries, I am hobbling around but that's mostly because of a fall in a Japanese Skit, that tweaked my left ankle last night and I'm going to see the athletic trainer today.

But oh was the banged up, bursed knee worth the white water....and the bruised hip...and sore shoulder.....and well you get the point!

Okay, it started out with Emily and I going on the white water canoe trip, we both where in the same little canoe, and we make a good team. She's Spyro I'm Sparks. (<---we totally didn't plan that as we got those names a lot earlier that last weekend.) It had been raining pretty hard and John Guy wouldn't teach a bunch of beginners in a fast moving river deeper than 5 feet, so insted of the James River we went to Mill Mountain Lake.

Hilight of that day: Flipping the canoe!

You see John Guy was sitting in his and kept asking, "Is anyone just really hot and needs to cool down? Isn't it warm today?" And the rest of us were all like "Uhm....no it feels pretty good out today."

Finally I volunteered and jumped out to be 'rescued'. That water was cold! I come up, they ask if I'm okay and when I try to say "Yeah" my voice cracks like a 13 year old boy!

Emily meanwhile is siting in the canoe, all nice and dry...for now.

She had counter balanced so I could get up and over, but forgot to shift her weight once mine vaulted over the canoe and back into the water we go.

Emily was put out....I was laughing hysterically for at least a solid three minuets before we even started to try and turn our canoe over in the middle of a body of water.

Next day we out on the Roanoke River.

Hello White Water!

Hilight of that day: Not flipping the canoe.

you see there was a rapid that had rather large rocks on ether side and you don't want to hit those....no, no you don't. Emily and I call going through first. By every means we should have flipped. The Rapids knocked me off of my balance point so I was kneeling with no support, being slammed by white water in the front still paddling, Emily's in the back prying I don't flip out....Oh so many times I thought I was going to flip forwards and get ran over. And these rocks are getting closer and closer and closer.

Emily yells something up at me, and nether of us remember what, perhaps something like "Sparks, swing us right NOW!" or "KATIE!" we don't know. What ever it was I dropped my oar in to a Stat. drop and locked it there. The canoe swung up till we were about perpendicular with the water(John Guy said I kept us from flipping by leaning into the fall and pulling it up....I was just trying to not fall out) and then swung a hard right.

Out we shoot with out flipping!!

However,

our 20 year old canoe on it's last trip get's cracked in the first twenty minuets. Yeah that hard right swung Emily towards the rock so behind where she was sitting we got a nice nine inch crack strait through.

We paddled the rest of the trip on that.

I can't wait to go do it again next year!

Majoring in how to kill my self but not really...

So the original plan was to double major in Criminal Psych and Creative Writing, get the creadits and petition for a minor in Theater.

That's changing!

Why?

Wellll.....There's no set JUST Creative Writing major. It's really an English Major with a Creative Writing Minor stacked on top, not kidding and as much as I would love to spend semester after semester looking at people such as Jane Austen and other dead folk from every time period imaginable and writing paper after paper on them, I think I would shoot my self, (but first build a time machine and shoot them, priorities you know).

Criminal Psychology is going to have to be a create a Major, but with in 30 minuets of campus are two other professors that the FBI still goes to for advice! One of them has won Teacher of America three times!

Sooooo....new plan!

Major: Criminal Psychology!

Minors: Creative Writing, Theater.

Certifications: Teaching.

Now I get all the Fun and none of the semesters full of dead writers I could care less about, and as the semester went on would eventually grow to hate. (no really, it was every time period available and a class per period, all required!)

So I'm probably still committing some form of academic suicide, but I'm going to love every moment of it now!

Take THAT Jane Austin! Buahhahahahahaha

Math 105

So we're making tree graphs and the problem that we're finding the probabilities and trues and false for is about pregnancy test accuracy. So Mike sends me up to the bord with the words;

"Alright Dwaine, your pregnet."

Me: "Oh Dad'll kill me....well he'll kill the boy first than me."

Mike: *blink blink* "Maybe it's just a guy thing but why would he kill the boy first? You were both doing it."

Me: *working out problem* "Yeah but Dad loves me more!"

Mike: *blink blink blink* "I'm not going to win this argument am I? I going to put the proverbal sock in my mouth now..."

Me: "Is this right?"

Ah Math, almost as interesting as Japanese. I love Hollins professors.

Peace be with you

Well at mass today there was a man from Vietnam that our church is twins with his phantom church...it's all rather confusing but he was hysterical and there was a singalong thing that went on for a bit.

At the end bout him and our Father and the Deacon all spoke at the same time the exact same thing with out meaning to. it was quite funny. "Let us go in peace to *giggle* love and surve the Lord." well Deacon you tried to say it with a straight face.

Rock the Wall

Hay everyone!

For starters I'm starting to get in to an argument with my itunes. I think how lucky I am to have so many close friends it plays 'my friend misery' and 'nobody likes you'. I wonder how John (a guy from the navy I met in an airport that took me out to eat.) is doing, it plays the 'single ladies' and 'single 07 mix' fallowed by 'got to find you'. I wonder about band, it plays 'drummer boy'. I sit down to do homework and put my nose back to the grind stone, it plays 'dancing through life.'

Really itunes?

Any way back to the point of the post. Yesterday I competed at JMU at a rockwall show down....when I only found out the day before that I was going. Yeah, I hadn't been able to pay to go so WAC sponsored me for a HOP trip.

And JMU's wall eats ours for lunch! It's all natural mountain cliff locking with cracks and little cliffs and spots. And it has a boldering cave built into the side! What the heack!? Come on Hollins, we need to upgrade out wall!

Anyway I competed in the beginner level, and in order to make the skill of the climber you couldn't just scurry up the wall. Oh No! You must use the routes! they were all numbered 1-12. The skill leval of the routs were also 5.0 to 5.12ish. I thought 2 ment 5.o2. No.

It was the hardest wall in my class! I went on that one first! Gurrrrr. Didn't make it to the top, but when I got stuck on the tiny cliff I was 2 thirds of the way up so I got points for that. I then went on to rout 6. I could have made it up that one but I couldn't see the other little rock that I needed to put my foot on! And it was the same move I use to get up clock on our wall! It was the same wall gymnastic splits I do ever other night! If I had just seen that little rock!

I should now mention that I was only allowed to fall five times before I had to stop climbing for points, and every time I fall I have to come all the way down and pick to start again or move on.

So I climbed about and after my 5 falls I scurried up a few walls for the fun of it. Their wall is really fun to just climb when your not mentally cursing the colored tape and rocks, and then you can get up to the top of alot of them. Still couldn't get up the wall that had 2 on it! Next year I will have my revenge on wall 2!!

I think it was two that gave me the scrapes and bruises on my knees, and we we're forbidden to paw the wall with our foot, or put any weight on our feet outside of marked areas, such as rocks or boxed off peaces of wall, I I used my knees. Not sure what wall cut my fingers, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was 2. They all made my hands hate me and turn all red and sore.

I was a ton of fun and I'm so going back next year.

2 and I have somethings to settle.

(Something witty goes here)

I have now discovered the the Wonder that is working Italian into poems! Before I reveal my latest work I would like to share how my first job went.

For starters I wish I had the flexibility to give a Hot Stone Massage to myself. Am I really this good? It's so odd, I haven't been doing it for to long...but then again my friends are completly willing to help me practice. They seem to almost encourage it. hurmmmm..... anyway My first costumer was Kayla and she was having the 20 minuet Hot Stone rub ($5), and with me the 20 is more of a I look at the clock and go 'oh, time to start wrapping up.' so it's more like 25 minuets. She said it was really good and enjoyed the whole thing and:

She Tipped me! a hole dollar!!!! Do you realize how much that is in a collage economy!?

So far my playlist of soft pretty music I play has gotten positive reviews from everyone, as has the style I use. Even from the Prosbie's from Baton weekend that wanted one. I wonder is there anywhere I can go over the summer to get licensed and certified and trained and all that? I like giving them and people like them. There Mom and Dad I have a back up plan! Ta-Da!

Well now here's the poem! Enjoy!

Ma Che Merviglia

Dreamer, Fighter, Schemer

from the Castle quest.

all three Hooded

Ink Blooded.

guided by Padrone Conigilo most blest.

out to where the Campanile can’t call.

into the Forbidden maw.

through the Bones that grab and claw.

throwing open the Gate with no Door at all.

through the shadows Lupi guide the Rangers

out of the Darkness to Dance with the Fey.

protected by those, Skeletal alone,

woven together strong as Stone.

Occhi to watch for any Danger.

for the Dragons that Mock and Goad.

for the daunting scarlet Glow.

for the Train that will never Show.

for the Clouds creeping low.

all because Padrone Conigilo instructed them so.

In the Ring of Blackened earth

the Dreamer speaks with Muses.

the Fighter disarms to Laughter.

the Schemer with the spirits Dances.

and when from this Haven they must go

Padrone Conigilo sends his Stag to guide them Home.

Long time no see,

So here's my long over due post.

Classes are going grate so far. My math teacher worked music from Rent into class today and I love the way he teaches! Mondays are for people who learn through hearing it. Tuesdays are for those who need to see it. Fridays are for those of us that need it done in a fun interactive full mind in gear way. (Mundane Mondays, Workday Wednesdays, Fun Fridays).

In Creative Writing we're writing losts of poetry, here's two:

Arrivederci, Buona Fortuna

Running too fast to Fall

Yet

Not fast enough to Fly

Grass and Rock

Tree and Rain

Pass the Feather’s Breath in the wind

Racing

Racing

Racing from Fate

Still

With no Escape the

Fubacchione rides his Murder

After the Wings

After the Innocent

After the Dammed

Campione

Codardi

All the same to the Chaser of the Wings

The Chaser of the Flightless

Deaf to the pleas

Perdonatemi

Running too slow to avoid the Fall

Yet

Slow enough to Fly

Wings caught in the Net with the Silent Cry

Fubacchione the captor of All

Papa

Puttana

All sown by the scythe

Requiescat in pace

Sluggish Wings that no longer Run

Nestled by the Apple tree

Still as the Stone

And away rides Fubacchione to chase

The Racing Wings once more

And parts are in Italian! here's one from today we wrote after wandering around outside for fifteen minuets.

(insert clever tittle here)

Friends to catch you when you fall

Posing though the moment's small

Clatter of dry leaves

Racing by the forbidden lawn

The whispers between wind and plant

the echo of the hidden bird's song

the Crunch of gravel

the Wall of stone

Steps on a wooden bridge all alone

the shy Trees swaying Dance

the small, small spiked Ornaments dropped by Chance

a lazy Stream, a winding Path

a clear blue Sky that stretches vast

the Cursed arches

Empty benches

and Broken rock

the Tunnel hidden in plane Sight

Squirrels that chatter and fight

the 4 way rode

watched by the Clock that never Calls

this is Hollins spring and fall

TaDa!

Now onto other matters. Japanese is going good. Same animated sense, smaller class as a few people dropped it. Psychology is now pure lecture but it's more like a discussion and it's so thought provoking! Tuesdays and Thursdays are my work out days. I have Tai Chi at 6:30. It's fun and the names are so funny. Monk stares at the moon. Parting wild horses main. White crane spreads it's wings. and you move slow and elegant and balanced (yin yang and all), and the whole time the instructor is telling us "And this would be a blow to the neck." "This is where you would throw them to the ground, or down in general, and bring your knee up to kick them as your hands move to block or strike" If you want to know what it looks like watch the Last Airbender cartoons, and look at the water bending. It's all Tai Chi.

Well after balancing my Chi and feeling very Zen, I go straight to Fencing where I then proced to preform fling lunges, slash, attack and move very quickly. It's grate. Monday and Wednesday I have work at the rock wall so I clime that.

Now to not academic things:

I now can give, I quote, "amazing" hot stone massages. and according to Roanoke law I can charge money as long as I don't claim to be a professional, don't do inappropriate things (never planed on it), and something was there about how me and the one enjoying the hot stones must match in gender...I'm at an all girls school. So I'm good to go! Hello laundry money! the rates as they stand now is $5 for 20 minuets, and $10 for 40. this is collage so I stay affordable!

Other than that nothing much is happening....so I'll see you around.