School

Today is a bittersweet day. Today is the first day of the Spring semester at CSU Fullerton, the first day in two years that I am not a student there. School is starting without me-I really miss being there. I miss the literature, the campus, the studies...So, I'll reminisce with you on how my last semester went.

This last semester-my final classes of my bachelor's degree-was quite a whirlwind. I had 3 literature classes, a writing class, and a theatre class. I'll try to share highlights from all of them. Let's see...First there was

1) Oral Interpretation of Children's Literature: I stuck with the theme of bedtime stories in most of my presentations. I presented (with character voices and sound effects) "The Three Little Pigs" and my class loved it. This story has been my favorite since my dad used to tell it to my sister and me when we were little. I had a blast in this class.

2) 18th Century and Restoration Period Literature: I read stuff from Sir Isaac Newton for the first time in this class. I was surprised to see how Newton wrote how he couldn't imagine how the universe could NOT have been created by some supernatural being and how everything just works in order-this class had some pretty philosophical debates over this stuff-some of it even too intense for me, but I had the opportunity to put my 2 cents in about enlightened faith vs. blind faith and asking God questions, but also being willing to accept the answers to those questions.

I also read and analyze Alexander Pope's epic poem "The Rape of the Lock" for this class. I wrote a paper arguing that Pope made his female protagonist, Belinda, the hero of the poem, and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the tons of research I did for this paper. My prof was a great help too.

3) Shakespeare Studies: Well of course I took a Shakespeare class! And this one was a doozie! I read and watched "Titus Andronicus" for the 1st time and holy sh** that is one crazy play! (Yes, I did use an expletive, and so would you when/if you ever see this play!) It's one of Shakespeare's first plays, and it's gory, shocking and incredibly good! I continue to be amazed at how Shakespeare dynamically depicts family values, father and mother relationships, governments, distorts time, uses fairy tales, etc...to create amazing plays and stories! My last essay for this class was on the role of the trickster in his plays.

4) Writing and rhetoric for Teachers: This class really forced me to stretch my writing chops, so to speak. I've copied a couple of things in my blog that I wrote in this class. You know I don't like to write, but this class solidified how writing is therapeutic for me. Throughout the entire semester, my professor encouraged me and expressed how much he enjoyed reading my writing. One of my assignments was to write a short story. I wrote about the day my dad died and how I felt. It was a very tough 3 pages, but I felt so strongly about this day that I had to put it in short story form. I got the full 100 points on the short story. In fact, I got an A in the class. It was this class that help develop my confidence in my writing. I am (slowly) beginning to believe that my writing is actually (kinda) good.

It feels so wonderful to be finished, although it still hasn't sunk in yet-the fact that I've actually accomplished my bachelor's degree-it overwhelms me to think of it!

On that note, my mind has been a whirlwind of writing ideas just in the last few weeks, so expect to see more blog posts coming soon...

I'm a poet?

I put this in my Facebook status on Christmas Day. You see, December 25 is my dad's birthday. He's been gone for over 18 months now, and sometimes it just gets me as bad as the day he passed away. So I wrote this to describe what I've been going through and what gets me through it. I didn't think much of it, but my dear friend, Tracy, commented on it, calling it a "beautiful poem." Really? I wrote a poem? And I didn't even know it? I don't even like poetry.

I've been thinking about this since reading Tracy's comment and wondering if I am a writer, of sorts? I really don't even like to write, but it taps into something in me that is a release (I've written about this before so I won't drag this). Anyway, here's the "poem" I wrote:

Because it's Christmas

Because today was his birthday.
Because sometimes, when I think of him, my heart feels like it's ripping apart.
Because my dad loved Jesus.
Because today is Jesus' birthday.
Because Jesus gives me peace and mends my heart.
Merry Christmas.