Thursday, September 29, 2005

the glorious catch...

the flag football game was frustrating.

first of all, we were playing the same team as last week. how does this happen, you ask, when there are only four games in the regular season and there are dozens of other teams? well, apparantly this was dz 2...only it was comprised of the same exact players. apparantly, this sorority made two teams, but the players for dz2 also had a soccer game at the same time...the first set of girls taking over. the good thing, though, was that we got a w for last week, rather than a tie. don't ask me, i don't run the intramural sports and i don't understand. but the last game was close and we knew we'd have to work hard again for another win.

they started off with posession of the ball. this is where the frustration comes in: enter obnoxious ref.

on some sort of serious power trip, she throws a flag practically every play. i'm not even slightly joking. they advanced down the field, 10 yards at a time, on penaltys for illegal contact...if one of our defense brushed against the other player who wasn't even involved in the play that was occurring on the other side of the field, she threw a flag. i don't see how she even expected us to play the game. and we're a group of kids from a campus ministry...we seriously don't play dirty. i'll admit, it went back and forth in favor and against us, but it got to the point where both teams were just frustrated with the ref.

first quarter was eaten up by penalties and they kept posession of the ball the entire time. in the second quarter, they got enough penalties in their favor that they were able to get a touchdown...but no extra point (though she dished out another penalty for flag guarding and they got to try again 10 yards back). by the time we finally got the ball with about two minutes left in the first half, i was so ready to play (i'm on offense and hadn't even gotten in yet).

we were driving down the field (dodging the yellow flags she was firing), but still making progress. of course, when we're within 10 yards, the half ends and we have to start all over.

third quarter was fruitless, as well as most of fourth. it wasn't until the last few minutes before the game ended that we did a hail mary pass to make a touchdown! it was beautiful. tried for the extra point to the same girl, she bobbled and dropped it. so close. three seconds left in the tie game and it was their ball. last play of the game before overtime. they snap, long pass, our same girl who caught the hail mary pass intercepts the ball and dodges five or more girls to run it over 3o yards for a touchdown! it was incredible. miraculous.

so we won in the last play of the game, 12-6.

GO RUF TUF, HUH!

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

i need to use my agenda...

so i just found out today that i have an art history exam on thursday...needless to say, i haven't studied. i haven't even looked over the material more than five minutes outside of class since the semester began. and i have to know over 100 names and original locations of pieces. this could be bad. on top of that, i have an economics quiz that same afternoon...which i haven't studied for yet and didn't do great on the last one. anyone seeing a trend? i need to work on my study skills.

i guess thursday is just going to be a busy day. after my day full of tests, i've got a flag football game and then watching the season premiere of alias! oh man. i'm really excited about that one. at least the second half of my thursday will be enjoyable.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

happy and crappy xx...x

its happy and crappy 30...not adult content.

this week's happy...yay for:
  • lots of comments
  • new jeans (that coincidentally are identical to my identical twin siter's)
  • finishing my research rough draft in time
  • flag football games
  • cancelled classes
  • movie nights
  • relaxing weekends
  • hearing from my campers :)
  • chocolate chip cookies
  • pictures
  • jump little children!!

this week's crappy...nay for:

  • being sore
  • cockroaches
  • not working out
  • getting touchdowns called back
  • that sick feeling that i'm trying to avoid
  • not sleeping well
  • obnoxious concert goers
  • can i say being sore again?

the last hurrah

and what a hurrah it was.

i'm sure almost anyone reading this has no idea who the band jump, little children (aka, jump or j,lc) is and has never heard their music. first of all, it is totally unique and...really really good. anyway, if you don't know who they are, then you wouldn't know that they are breaking up at the end of this tour, which is in charleston on october 1st. hence the tour, "the last hurrah". of course, they aren't saying that they are breaking up because they are annoyed with how many artists, like cher, go on so-called "final tours" for years. but its very unlikely that they'll tour again.

i've been looking forward to this concert ever since i found out about it in august. i've never seen them in concert and this would be my last chance. it was now or never.

i tried to find some people to go with...but no one was really interested. worried that they might sell out, i bought one...taking a leap of faith that someone i know would go. a concert wouldn't be the same without someone there to share it with. i was still going solo until about a week ago when anna found out her twin brother, tristan (who goes to school in pittsburgh), wanted to come down for the show. i finally had companions.

stoked for the concert, we got to the georgia theatre 1 hour and 15 minutes before the show started so we could stand in line to pick up our tickets. getting there 15 minutes before doors opened put us at the end of a long line, which was wrapped around the building.

they tacked on another $2 surcharge on those of us who weren't 21, which made me mad. anyway, we managed to get a spot front and center to the stage...only the third row back. i could reach out and touch the stage if i tried. beautiful. the first gig started around 10 pm...jump didn't go on until about midnight. thats a lot of standing...especially because i'm still sore from my football game (sadly). i actually saw my political science ta again...that’s the second time i've seen him at a concert, which is pretty funny.

as the second pre-show band left the stage, these two girls shoved their way to the front and begged for the guy's pick. i moved for them to reach it (since i was so close to the stage and all), expecting them to go back to where they came from. but no. they stood there, ponytails in my mouth, wedged into the 6 inches of breathing room i had allowed myself. they kept waving their arms in the air and stepping on my feet...being really annoying in other words. after about ten minutes of this madness, i politely (and really, i was) asked if they could move behind me or make their way back to where they were before. one girl snobbishly replied "its a concert." really? like i didn't know. as if that’s not the reason why i got there an hour and a half early to make sure i was close to the stage. and i wouldn’t have minded if they weren't being so obnoxious and taking up all the room i had. they didn't get there early enough to deserve that spot. it took a lot of grace to hold my tongue and just let go of all the frustration i felt toward them. man that was hard because there’s a perfect word for them....and i'm sure you know what it is.

anyway, things got much better once jump took the stage. oh, words cannot describe. i belted out the words along with them and loved every minute of it. the guy with the accordion and various other instruments was an interesting character. he had on black fingernail polish and what looked like eye shadow of some sort. when he played his accordion, it looked like he was a small child curled up with his pillow dreaming about christmas morning. so happy and elated. when he shut his eyes, they didn't really shut all the way, so all you could see were the whites of his eyes that had a blue glow from the lights. it was kinda creepy looking, actually. but he was entertaining to say the least. i think ward, the cello player on the right of the stage, was pretty awesome and down to earth. he actually shared some of his water by squirting out of the bottle it into a guy's mouth at the front of the stage saying "you can't have my water, but i'll share it"...twice.

around 1 am, they finished playing, put their instruments down, and exited the stage. everyone made so much noise and chanted for an encore that they came back out and played again. they did this a total of five times. the encore performances lasted about 45 minutes...it was crazy.

obviously, the concert was amazing. so worth everything i spent on it and more. its a shame they're stopping...i'd definitely go to another one.

the georgia theatre marquee...featuring jump!

anna and me waiting in line for tickets!

ryan, anna, me, and tristan (anna's twin brother)

one of those self-taken pics...too bad i'm too concentrated on pushing the button to look at the camera right

jump takes the stage...strumming the guitar and bass

yes, thats an accordian. matthew plays the strange instruments...it fits him.

i like how the curtains look

arg...the mic got in the way

anna and me at the concert

sing it

dancing while he sings...

yes...he is playing a pepto bismal pink electric mandeline

oh, the bass...

ward jammin on the guitar

matthew on the harmonica now

belting one out

getting really into it

matthew is playing some kind of piccalo now

taking the bass for a walk...

it would have been a good picture if the mic didn't get in the way...

ward on the cello

getting everyone to swing their arms...

jamming together...really

taking a bow (after their third encore)

jump playing their 4th encore (out of 5)

Saturday, September 24, 2005

some recent projects


complimentary colors showing perspective

monochrome project

grayscale project

cutouts take a long time to do

Friday, September 23, 2005

starting the season...

i played in my first flag football game last night and it was AH-mazing.

colettie, amy, and i are playing with ruf (reformed university fellowship) this year. our team appropriately called the "ruf tuf" girls.

we haven't had our whole team get together and practice yet (which is mostly my fault, since i planned a lake trip on practice), so we met up about an hour before the game to get our positions and learn a few routes.

we played against a sorority who had practiced pretty intesnsely it seems. the quarterback had a armband with the plays in it for goodness sake. anyway, i'm a running back (i think)...i can't throw a football worth anything, so its perfect. get the ball. run. thats my kind of position. so about second quarter or so, i get a lateral pass and weave my way dwon the field to get a touchdown. glorious.

only it got called back because i was "guarding" my flags. which i wasn't. i ran with the ball tucked under my arm like anyone would naturally do. apparantly in flag football you have to run with your arms straight out and the ball in front of you or you are so called "guarding". i think it happended about twenty times. for one, who naturally runs with their arms sticking straight out? plus, i'm a runner...my arms need to pump at my sides. but i guess i'll have to get over it, since thats the rules.

it was a pretty intense game. since my touchdown was thrown out, the game was scoreless until the fourth quarter. then, they scored. which should have gotten called back because amy (who is amazing at rushing) stripped the quarterback of her flags before the ball left her hand...which would be a sack. but no. their touchdown counted (i know, i'm bitter). anyway, we finally scored with an awesome long pass into the endzone.

we sat at a tie game when fourth quarter ended, which meant overtime. on our first play in overtime, we scored with our quarterback running it in. we tried for the extra point...corrie threw to me, but it went behind me and i barely missed it. then they ended up scoring and one of our players pulled the girl's flags within inches of the endzone. still a tie game...and that was the end. kidna upsetting that we didn't continue into overtime, but oh well.

anyway, pretty boring/unexciting overview, but we had tons of fun! i'm so sore today...like everyone else. i'm so stoked for this season.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

a camp story: dance with me?

my favorite part of camp, besides the endless sunshine, being on the lake everyday, meeting amazing new people, and growing in my faith, was the dancing.

now, these weren't just any old dances. nope. not like a middle school dance, with boys and girls standing on opposite sides and no one dancing. not like a high school prom where...well, the boys and girls are not on opposite sides and doing what they call dancing. these dances were a beautiful blend of crazy themes, music you can move your feet to, and people dancing like no one was watching. i really took the latter to heart.

anyway, we had four kinds of themed dances: the big kahuna, rodeo roundup, cartoon crazy, and operation. to encourage us to interact with the kids and get them to participate in the dance, counselors weren't allowed to dance with other counselors. no big deal. we just danced in groups in circles.

when a slow dance played, it was necessary to find a partner to two-step with. the girls would raise their hands and boys would ask them to dance. i relished the boys' reaction when, sitting down without any desire to dance, i would stand directly in front of them with my hand in the air. they would pretend not to see me, but i stubbornly stood my ground. they'd begin to feel akward and eventually they'd just get up and walk away. my feelings weren't hurt...it was great entertainment.

what i looked forward to the most, though, were not the games on the side, or the food, or even the dancing so much. i loved when it got to the "ladies' choice" part of the evening.

not surprisingly, girls' feelings tend to get hurt when they have no one to wrap their arms around for a slow dance. therefore, the camp staff developed this brilliant policy of "ladies' choice." either that, or it might have something to do with the unlikiness that very many boys would get the courage to ask a girl to dance. so the hard stuff is left up to the girls, as usual (haha).

ladies' choice meant that i, too, could invite any boy to jive with me. any boy was game, may he be standing on the dance floor with his hand raised, signaling he was available, or standing off to the side with three of his buddies, avoiding eye contact with any female. those boys were my favorite. i'd walk up to their circle; the others saw me coming and ran away, leaving the one looking in my direction, unaware he didn't have the security of his friends. i'd ask him to dance...and he'd sometimes regrettingly accept. within a few seconds of dancing, he would have had enough time to formulate an excuse to leave, such as, "i have to go to the bathroom" or, my favorite, "i'm not wearing a belt" as he tugs at his shorts with one hand and departs.

sometimes i wouldn't even get that far. i'd ask a group of guys if anyone wanted to dance and a boy would shove his friend at me as a scape goat, "he wants to dance." i really felt old when an eleven year old apologetically said, "i kinda want to dance with someone my age."

don't let these stories of rejection mislead you...i managed to get at least half of the boys to dance with me. i loved it because, for the most part, none of them could dance. so i had to lead...teaching them the 'ole two-step. when i thought they had it down, i'd ask them questions. i usually had to repeat it a few times. poor kids. i just know in their heads they were saying one-two-back-one-two-back...then the question would come...back-back-one-back-one-two as they stepped on my feet and got all embarrassed. a girl needs a good twirl at the end of every song, so i made them all twirl me, no matter what it took. i actually had one partner who twirled throughout the song on his own will...now that boy is gonna be a charmer one day.

another boy had the two-step down, so he didn't have any problem answering my questions. its kinda akward to just dance with a strange boy, so i had a question routine to get to know them: whats your name, what cabin are you in, whos your counselor, whats your favorite...naturally, he asked the same questions back to me.

"whats your name?"
"jeannine."
"what cabin are you in?"
"gonzalos."
"whos your counselor?"
"i am the counselor!!"

i felt really young then. it was hilarious. for some reason, no one at camp could figure out how old i was. first term, i was 15. second term, i was 22.

anyway, this summer i learned plenty of new line dances and danced to my heart's content every time.

additional camp stories: 8 legged freaks, the worst day of camp

becca and i are on th top right...i'm in my sponge bob pjs for cartoon crazy (averi took this pic)

the big kahuna

i caught one! this picture was taken by averi, which is why it says "proof" on it

operation dance

Monday, September 19, 2005

not another one...

just a brief announcement. we had yet another cockroach sighting and execution a few minutes ago in the bathroom. that makes three. we need to get some raid.

in other news, i've been very productive today. i've actually almost finished my paper and its not even midnight yet! beautiful. i've been working on it non-stop (with the exception of a dinner break and a few routine internet checks) since 3:45. i'm feeling pretty good about it. i've written nine pages so far...i expect it to be about 10 or 11. okay, back to work.

Sunday, September 18, 2005

happy and crappy xxix

this week's happy...yay for:
  • colette
  • birthdays
  • good deals on jeans
  • getting my money back
  • surprises
  • picnics
  • night at the farm
  • pictures
  • having room to breathe at the game
  • chocolate chip pancakes
  • me going to the tennessee game with jamie!!!!
  • gorgeous sundays
  • seeing becca
  • fabulous keowee
  • gpops maybe moving to ga

this week's crappy...nay for:

  • not getting all of my change
  • having to walk downtown about five times to get it back
  • feeling bad about the trouble i've caused
  • gashing my foot open in herty fountain
  • computer programs that are too complicated
  • the heat not kicking in while drying and having to hang everything around the room
  • staying up until 2:30 am to finish projects
  • this stupid research paper i'm still working on...
  • research papers in general
  • tummy aches

i be jumping the wake...

amy falling

anna kneeboarding it up

jamie with some lovely mountains behind her...

colette doesn't seem to like that the boat is turning...

a fabulous launch by amy...i love the enthusiasm

thats becca wakeboarding, but who's the photographer??

us in the water

noodle drag

anna, colette, jamie, becca, me, and amy in the bow of the boat

anna, colette, jamie, becca, me, and amy at the lake for the day (i don't know why this pic came out retarded colors)

Saturday, September 17, 2005

uga vs. louisianna-monroe


getting the game started...

candid shot

luke is on the big screen...

merideth hollas

group shot

gather 'round