Monday, October 31, 2011

Just Make A Wish

Yeterday was my birthday.

I'm 18!

Never has the term "adult" been so missaplied.

I had a really great day. I hung out with people I love, had a nice dinner, and heard from people I don't get to see everyday.

There were a few people I was hoping to hear from, but I'm not going to get to hung up on that.

Do you know what I whished for? What I want more than anything? I want all the people I love, from all my famlies, together again. Safe. Happy.

I want us all to be together.

Do you hear that guys? I don't care if I heven't seen you in forever, or didn't know you to well.

IF YOU WERE EVER PART OF MY FAMILY, I WANT YOU TO COME BACK.

This espescially goes put to everyon from my Kyrios or youth ministry famlies.

I miss you.

Even if it take forever, I want you to know that you are ALWAYS welcome, and I am ALWAYS there for you.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

So I Was Thinking

This entry isn't about my project. You see, yesterday I was facebook stalking my friend, and I found a link on her wall that another friend posted for a song called "Science and Faith" by The Script. I followed it and I wasn't expecting much, but I LOVE THIS SONG!!! Actually, I just love the band in general, the sound really appeals to me, but its even cooler. As the name implies it's about this guy and his girlfriend discussing the nature of love and science.
The thing I liked best here was that as its been stuck in my head all day, and since I read this article about science and faith, I keep thinking about the "false dichotomy" (thank you The Missing for the term) that this time period has set up between the two. Eventually it will work out. Most people don't have a problem with one or the other, just in an action. People who want to believe in only science don't like that faith puts limitations on what can ethically be done for the sake of experiment. People who don't like science are really just against how science keeps trying to push the exceptable boundaries.
I myself have an issue with the fact that science won't except that there are boundaries on what it can and should do. But I'm not against science. It's actually not uncommon for people to be not only a person of faith but also a person of science.
Example: Gregor Mendal- the father of genetics- also a Catholic priest
In gym as we were playing volleyball, it hit me- "one day will people look back a this time and see us the way that we see the dark ages?"
I think we like to believe that we are living in a time of light and understanding, much like that way that people looked at the world during the last few centuries (like between the -17 hundreds and say... the flight-phones-cars area) like they were living in an era of great advancement and knowledge, an era that they believed was approaching perfection. They were so proud of their times. Now I look back on it and admire the changes that were happening- but I see the flaws. Overall it just seems to me a time period that is strange and dark and wonderful.
In opposition I look back at the dark ages with a kind of sadness. They were learning as best they could, trying to be modern, but they didn't advance. I feel bad for them- for the fact that they thought they were so civilized- that they didn't see the things that were going wrong.
I'm sad to say that though a few generations may see this time period as an era of advancement, I think that many will think of us as a new dark ages, even with all our technology and science. They will se individual greatness, as we do, but in general they will see a century that amazingly were so wrong in trying to organize the world, a century steeped in human arrogance.
It's a bit unnerving to consider, but I don't think they'll see us as much.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Confessions Part 1

Guess what?

I presented my movie today! And it went really really well! I'm happy about this, and I'm proud that people liked it.

My teacher facilitatated a discussion about it all afterwards, and even though I wouldn't have guessed that this was where it would go (we had a whole discussion about suicide), it was cool.

Remember how yesterday I was freaking out because I wouldn't be able to talk? That was because today was the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity, and so a bunch of us walked aroud with our mouths covered in red duct tape to take a stand for those who have no voice.

It was hard trying to give a presentation like that. Because you can't give much input that wasn't prepared ahead of time. You can't throw in directions. Or a comment. Or explain yourself.

I think that it was better doing it without talking though. It meant that I actually forced myself to prepare. It made me try to do something that was actually more interesting then just getting up there and rambling. And it made the class THINK, because they couldn't rely on me to fill in the blanks for them. I liked that.

All being said it was terrifying.

And awesome. I would recomend it.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Tomorrow

4th hour tomorrow I have to present the video I made. I worked hard on it, but I don't really like it right now, and I'm worried because I have to present and no one else has gone yet. I honestly don't know what is going to happen and I'm scared. I won't be able to even talk if it all goes wrong. I wish I could just not ever present, but my presenting is worth like 200 pts so I can't not do that. I love the potential of this work, but it's so complicated, and I'm tired and it's not what I hoped it would be. I seriously had a nightmare last night that my project was yelling at me in Italian. I don't know more than a few words in Italian, so I have no idea why I think that's what it was, but I did. I kept yelling back at it in english "I'M DOING THE BEST THAT I CAN!!!" It was bad. I need this week to be over so that I can relax and not spend my life thinking about what I need for projects, and my friends, and my sister's birthday, and why my bf is acting all weird on me, and red duct tape. I dropped choir today, and I'm upset about it, but there wasn't anything else that I could do. I need my life back. I need to breathe. And I need a good night's sleep really, really badly.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

A Real Update

For the last few days I keep doing technical entries, but I wanted to do a real update too.

I'm really stressed out right now. I have so much to do and in school and I need to have my video finished by the end of the day tomorrow, because I need to test the file. This is going to require hours and hours of work for me.

I need to turn in my story and have it graded a day or two after I present my movie, and it's not there yet at all.

This project is really important to me, and very personal as well, so I'm extra excited and stressed out here.

I have 2 other projects due this week, and would have 3 but I'm dropping choir tomorrow (can't avoid it anymore).

I'm exhausted. Seriously. Running on empty here.

College stuff is due soon.
      1) LAMESAUCE
      2) I don't know all of it yet.
      3) At this point it sounds like a bad idea

That's my update. Not much there you haven't heard actually. But whatever.

Notes, Notes, Notes...

So by the rules of my project I have to have notes on my subject, which by requirements of my rubric I need to organize ( doubble :p ). Here goes...

Bio:

vangogh was a dutchman, but he spent a lot more time in France than the Netherlands.
he made 900 paintings.
he loved his family even though he didn't get along with people. His brother and nephew were very important to him.
he liked color and imagery.
he was not mentally stable. Some sources believe that this was due to manic depression and certain poisons he ingested.
he tried to take his own life, and died of complications 2 days later.
his father was a preacher, and he wanted to be one too at one point in his life.
he was a very passionate person.
he cut off part of his ear.
he was not good at love. or friendship.
he had trouble controlling his hands later in life (arthritis perhaps?)
he only sold one painting, but after his death his sister in law worked to make him famous.

Things I've gathered:

He was incredibly deep and complex, and so people had trouble understanding him.
He sort of burned himself out. I think he was the sort of person who has to put his all into everything, and as much as that is why he was successful, that's what destroyed him.
Even though he didn't know how to handle himself, he did the best he could and was a good man, who had a wonderful view of beauty, life and God.
He had a lot to offer the world, and still does, if only people would know and would have known how to understand him.

Time to make Connections

In truth, I don't just decide to sit down and look for connections between things. I might do that occasionally, or supplementarity, but usually I'm just going along along, thinking about things and then I have a light-bulb moment and think "HAHAHAHA I'VE GOT IT!!!!". This has been a combination for both. Connection between van Gogh and my life were more seamless, while connecting his work to the nature of God was a bit more systematic for me. I started by realizing that's actually what he was painting. Then I put myself into the art, the man's life, and the feeling of it all. It came more easily then. I was choosing pictures and I was thinking how they showed his theory on God. He saw God as wild, something man could never control. He found God in the silence and loneliness of open spaces. He saw the paths laid before his feet and the way that God was like a friend. Even when he was at bad times in his life he found God in the stars- constant even in his inner turmoil. SO far I was with him, but then his life took a turn that I couldn't agree with. Vincent tried to take his own life, and where he was desperate, I have myself found a loving God who will never give me more than I can handle, and makes sure that I have everything that I need. Why else would God create us, or give beauty to existence? Everything that he painted doesn't fit unless there is a loving and merciful God. That's what Vincent painted above everything else even if he couldn't see it himself.