Half-birthdays

Do we ever really celebrate half birthdays? I know there are sixth month land marks for relationships and such, but birthdays? I think the closest we come to that is as kids, referring to our age down to the fraction. We never really pinpoint what day is our half birthday, but we might generally know that we are not 4 but actually 'four and uh-haff'.

Well while it is no celebration, today marks the 6 month anniversary since I started my Breadcrumb project. I could be worded as an anniversary, it could also be considered a birthday as 6 months ago this project was born. Either works. Regardless, since its inception I have been challenged to find new things to take picture of on days I don't seemingly go anywhere new, and other days, travel somewhere new in order to get a new photo. Sometimes I'll take a walk, or go a different way back from class or from work to both get a new subject for the picture, but also to see something new for myself. So it has been an all around positive experience and once I am glad to have started.

Invitations have been sent out for Movie Night number 2. For the second week, I have decided to show The Brothers Bloom. I am already excited about the night. While I am nervous about everyone's reception of the film, I am also excited that already there are more people RSVP'd as coming than came last time, and we still have 2 more days before the screening.

If you can't be there and you have not seen the movie I do suggest checking it out. It is a really smoothly done con-man film with an emotional core to it that really sets it apart from most con movies while also having a quirkiness to it that makes all of the main characters stand out and feel fresh.

Thanks for reading.

Brooklyn

So tonight I visited the last the last real borough I hadnt been to yet (I am not counting Staten Island unless someone gives me good reason to). If I had a bucket list, I could check off going to Brooklyn. I passed through Brooklyn once on the way to Coney Island but I wouldn't consider it as if I'd been to Brooklyn.

Tonight I met up with friends at a bar/bowling alley aptly called Brooklyn Bowl. This place is across the street from the Brooklyn Brewery. It's a really cool spot to check out if you don't mind packed, loud places. I know that is to be expected at a bar but this place was much cooler than a bar. Where you come in - straight ahead is a small (maybe 20 tables) restaurant area. Making a left and heading down the hall you reach the main bar. If you turn around you are facing a stage. This isn't you typical small bar, small band stage. This is a pretty legit sized stage. And next to that is a 20-30 lane bowling alley where the seats are not that uncomfortable plastic in a horseshoe shape but leather couches. Here you can order from the restaurant menu, as I saw people drinking coffee and eating dessert. I know some bowling alleys have food but it's generally not anything special.

This is why this place is cool, it is a restaurant, bar, concert venue, and bowling alley all in one but not all combined as each exists apart from the other. I definitely want to go back at a time where there is not a band playing so people can actually talk, and when it is not so crowded so that we could actually get to bowl.

Also, you know you are in Brooklyn when the music playing is Interpol and Jeff Buckley and the 10 projector screens around the place are all showing Planet Earth. I wish this was the type of bar people around here went to instead of the choices we have locally.

Had an interesting conversation with a guy from Brazil studying abroad here while waiting for my train home, but that story is for another post.

Goodnight.

Times, They Change Meaning

It's weird to think about how the creepy house in your town or the scary old man who hangs around the convenient store were once friendly, loving, and loved. I've seen dilapidated homes or abandoned cars before and think about how this belonged to someone, was inhabited by them, a place they returned to, one they have memories of from their lives, now barely even resembling something that could have once had a function.

It's weird to think this was once 'home' for some. All I can see now is something empty, forgotten.

Off In The Light You Go

I finished reading Heads On and We Shoot tonight. I have never read another behind the scenes account on the making of a film, nor have a followed a film as closely as this one, but I have a hard time imagining any of them were like this one. Spike's closing letter was excellent and a humbling account of how incredibly challenging every aspect of this movie was; all the while being grateful for every second of it.

Movie Nights Kicked Off With A Bang

Not a bang the size of the one that started the universe and existence, but maybe like when you bang you knee on the corner of a table. It's enough.

To be perfectly honest, though, as long as someone or a few people show up every week then this is a success. I have a bunch of movies I own but have not seen, and a lot of them can be watched alone, and some of them I would prefer to watch alone. That being said, certain movies are meant to be experienced in a crowd. In addition, there are certain films that I have seen on my own that I would like others to see. For those reasons, movie nights exist.

Tonight we screened Star Trek. It was really an enjoyable film. Given the type of movie, I really wish I could have seen it in theatres - it just felt so big and so vast. I mean, it is a space movie after all - watching it on my 32 inch is not quite the same. Regardless, it looked great in Bluray and I was impressed at how enjoyable a Star Trek movie could be.

Some ideas are already being tossed around for the next one. I have a few movies in mind. In addition, Zombieland comes out next week on DVD. A few suggestions have also already been made, both in titles and how they're picked each week. One person suggested that everyone who comes that week get put in a hat and the person drawn picks the next film. I like the idea, and I am considering it. But, because there are certain films I know I want to show, I feel like this system would prevent me from doing so. We'll see.

Bed time - heading back to the school/day care tomorrow. Sometimes I refer to it as work, but then I realize that it is far from work. It is having fun with some amazing kids for 4 hours. How is that work?

Another Milestone: Double Centenarian

Congrats, well, to me I guess. I have written 200 blog entries. Most of them are meaningless, but blog entries nonetheless. I have officially written more blog entries here than I have ever written in any previous blog I tried to keep.

When I reach a point like this one I feel as though it automatically calls for reflection. As with my 100th blog post, and my 100th breadcrumb post, reaching this point somehow automatically leads to an internal look back at the span of the blog. In doing so I realize that the blog has become less interesting (maybe it never was). I have not been on my game as far as my blogging is concerned. Most entries are just a recap of the day which, unfortunately, is rarely interesting.

I want to change that. I am not sure how yet, but it is something I am thinking about. For days when something of merit occurs that I want to post, I think a recap is still worthwhile - or if it provides background on something I want to mention, it is beneficial. Otherwise, the day-to-day activities I engage in are not interesting enough to list out in their entirety. So, in light of that, I think if I have nothing interesting to say, I will just post a picture from now on.

Quickly, though - today was Senior Portraits. There are many phrases used to make a person smile when it is clear they're struggling to hold one for the picture. Things like 'cheese' have been used for a long time. One photographer even got a strong smile from me by saying 'Rocket Ship' and that wasn't too long ago. You know what doesn't work as well? 'Women'. I don't know why, but when the photographer, who was a nice guy, said in a really smug voice, we need a big smile from you - say 'women' I felt like it was even harder to smile. The smile word is supposed to be funny or create the same facial movement as a smile would, but women was neither of those thing, and as such, my later few pictures might look pretty forced.

Oh well.

It ain't over til it's over: My Registration Saga concludes.

That has definitely been true about my registration this semester. After some problems and difficulties getting into the graduate class I hoped to get in to I thought my struggles with course registration had ended. It is my last semester, after all, how could there be more problems?

Silly me. After talking about how nice it would be to only have to take 3 classes I finally sat down yesterday to figure out if that was possible. At this point in my college career I have more than enough credits, and needed 1 more school-required-non-major course as well as any 2 other electives to fulfill the core requirements as well as the mandatory 36 courses to graduate.

I was registered for 4 classes. The core class, the grad class, a communications elective, and 1 psych undergrad course which is also an elective. The course in question was the psych course. It is at our other campus on Monday and Thursday mornings at 10 am. This means that essentially I lose Monday/Thursday AM between class time and traveling. In addition, the course requires a 1 hour (minimum) per week spent working one on one with a mentally ill child or adolescent. In addition to my course load I already have, I am also working a research study this semester and trying to maintain my 8 hours a week at the day care. I decided I had to drop this course. It would open up my Monday/Thursday mornings which is when I could do the day care. It would also be a substantial decrease in work.

Unfortunately, dropping this class meant I would fall to 11 credits. The school minimum is 12 to be considered full-time. The biggest thing students think of when you are no longer full time is - no housing. So for me- no big deal. That, however, is not the biggest thing. You also lose your scholarship and in many (mine included) cases you lose your health insurance. Not an option.

I was faced with the annoying decision of - what class can I take that will be easy to do well in with out needing a lot of attention, as well as not being in a time slot that would interfere with either of my jobs? I had 1 time slot available - Tuesday/Friday at 11:30. The only class that would work - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology.

Now I will be adding 3 hours of class time as well as homework, readings, papers, tests, and a final to my semester work load all because of one lousy credit that changes everything. After leaving my first class today I realized something - I could convince the professor I am working with on the study to submit my position to be a credited internship position. In doing so I would then be able to keep my 3 course schedule and not be overwhelmed/forced to waste time on a pointless course.

The problem: today is the last day to drop a class without penalty and it is 4 pm and everyone is going home in 1 hour. I had to skip my 4 pm class in order to set things in motion. I contacted the professor right before he left to teach his 4 pm class and asked what he thought. He approved the idea and sent the request in to the department chair. Unfortunately I was no copied on the email and until he got out of class I would not know. 6 PM came and there was no email. I realized he must not have heard back from the Chair and went home for the day.

I took it upon myself to email her. After a few emails back and forth, and to the Senior Class dean I was given the green light. As long as I get the official paper work in by tomorrow I will be in the clear. As of right now I am technically a part-time student as I had to drop that Anthropology class before the drop period ended and I would be forced to Withdraw from it in order to get out.

This year alone the Senior dean has helped me get into the Senior Values class that I wanted to be in, get me in to the graduate psychology course that I wanted to be in, and now give me credit for the internship study I will be working on. I might be a big pain in the ass for him, but I am incredibly grateful.

Off to bed. And happily to - with the way things transpired tonight I only have to worry about one class tomorrow instead of two. How nice.

Sorry for the long blog - fitting for the exhausting situation this was.

Picture today: my suit hung out for tomorrow - Senior Portraits.