The semester is over.

Thank goodness.

I haven't checked my grades in a while. I know my astronomy grade is up... but yeah... I just haven't gotten around to looking at it... maybe tomorrow. I should be getting all A's minus a B in astronomy. My first college B. But oh well. I worked hard for it. It was a tough class for me. Therefore, I'm proud of it.

Pretty sure that Jolene and I got a 149/150 on our video project. That kicks butt. Now I really have to show it to everyone!

And no more general education classes. That feels almost as awesome as being finished with science forever!

I got to hang out with Ashley Orman tonight! That was nice. I like random hanging outs. And we don't hang out enough. And I exposed her to Pride and Prejudice, aka, the most amazing love story ever! We decided we wanted to be propsed to at a cool building in England in the rain... yeah... probably won't happen... but oh well!

I better get off now... it's 11:06 and I need to work tomorrow. And sell back my books! Yay! No more books!

These poor Hollywood celebrities... we're always picking on them! Tom Cruise jumps on a couch (not to mention invites his best man to his honeymoon) and we laugh at him. Russell Crowe throws a telephone at someone and we're apalled. Madonna (who of course would make a wonderful mom) wants to adopt a child from a foreign country and we are unsupportive. Jessica Simpson can't read or write and we call her dumb. I mean, gosh, how insensitive are we? What are we thinking?

Ok, of course I'm being facetious here, but you catch my drift. Celebrities do stupid things and we embellish on them, which I would daresay they deserve to some degree.

Well, today's celebrity news is about Lindsey Lohan, (that darn party girl!) who went from the sweet and innocent Parent Trap star to the Mean Girls terror! Lindsey has decided that she wants to clean up her image, and she's turning to a very unlikely source to help her... the one and only Al Gore, inventor of the Internet and Chicken Little of global warming exrtraordinaire. Apparently she typed out a rambling, typo-infested, barely readable e-mail to her pals assuring them that Al Gore, whom she is great friends with though they have only spoken with once (briefly), will help her get her act straight.

Did I mention she's going to AA?

"Hi, my name is Lindsey Lohan and yes, I was quite drunk when I typed out that e-mail."

Ok, now that I've picked poor Lindsey to death, I have to say that I do feel quite sorry for these celebrities. I mean think about, they may have fame and riches, but it can't be a cakewalk. Can you imagine being unable to walk down a street without people flocking you and photographing you? That's a lot of added pressure for someone who is searching for something to satisfy them, as every human being is.

They can't find it in money.

In fame.

In fashion.

In marriage.

In partying.

In alcohol.

In drugs.

And neither can we.

A few days ago I read an interesting interview in USA Today with Will Smith. He talked a lot about his family, including his surprisingly lasting marriage, and to me it was so cool how much he was doing right (with his family and marriage) that other celebrities weren't doing. And then the topic shifted to religion, and this is what he said:

I was raised in a resurrection Baptist church in Philadelphia, and my grandmother was a devout member of the church. The things that I belive are 90% morally what I learned growing up. But the additions that Jada and I have made - we've traveled around the world... we are students of world religions." The paper also says that Smith refers to himself as "a connoisseur of all faiths" and that he believes in the "power of the individual, of the human spirit to overcome."

When I read that I was kind of like... wow... Will Smith, how arrogant for you to pick and choose what you want to believe from all the religions and think that it is good enough for heaven.

But then I realized...

We all do it... even within the Christian faith.

And everyone who isn't a Christian does it, even if they don't realize it. They are retrieving different standards from several places, copying it and pasting it to their own book of right and wrong.

And we're all searching for that one thing that will satisfy us.

Tom, Russell, Madonna, Jessica, Lindsey, and Will have something in common with all of us...

They desperately want satisfaction. They need it. We all need it because God created us to not be satisfied with earthly things, and only by eternal things.

So I don't mean for this to turn into a long sermon... ha ha... I had every intention of it just being goofy and then it got all serious, but the condition of your soul is important. It is the difference between life and death. And the question is... what are you turning to to satisfy your soul?

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoptions as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved." -Romans 8:18-24a

*Phew.* An 86 on my astrononomy final will give me a B in the class. Since it is all questions from the past tests and I have those answers now, I should be fine. Thank goodness.

On a more serious note...

I'm getting tired of all this Bush-bashing, and I can't believe it's going to continue for two more years. Even if you don't like President Bush or agree with him, I think you should at least respect him as the President of our country, who is doing the best he can. You have a right to believe that he's failing at his task, but let's not been so rude about it that we are putting up Bush out of office countdown calanders on our walls. Basically, I just wish people would show a little more class, that's all.

When you write a script, co-direct a film, and then co-edit it, it is so rewarding as you sit amongst an audience and hear them enjoy your work. It makes me look forward to TV Production next semester.

I also felt pretty good to have one of the few videos shown in class today without bad language and killing.

So now that my self-esteem has been lifted, I shall study hours upon hours for my astronomy test tomorrow and see my self-esteem get crushed to the ground as Test of Doom #4 destroys me.

Printers are the devil. Who agrees?

Anyhow, I read this last night and I thought it went along quite well with my previous entry...

"As long as we do not admit that the deep things of our hearts are there - the rejection and hurt, the shame and sorrow, the anger and rage - these rooms of our heart will become darkened and the Enemy sets up shop there to accuse us.

"I am not just speaking metaphorically or poetically when I refer to the Enemy accusing us. Each of us, Christians included, is oppressed directly and specifically by the Enemy in the way I am describing. This attack happens in the spiritual realm, using the sentences and the voices we are familiar with from the past. We feel as if we are simply speaking to ourselves in our heads. And this is the Enemy's first deception: 'I am not here. It's just you struggling with all these things.' Many of us live our whole lives being defeated by this accusation. And indeed, deep in our hearts, the anxiety, shame, and self-contempt we often feel are like the attack of a roaring lion NO MATTER WHAT CALMNESS OR OTHER PERSONALITY DEVICE WE LEARN TO COVER IT UP WITH ON THE OUTSIDE. WE HIDE THE LION'S ROAR BECAUSE HE HAS CONVINCED US THAT IT IS JUST US AND WE WOULD BE ROUNDLY SCORNED IF WE WERE TO ADMIT THESE THINGS TO OTHERS.

-John Eldredge, The Sacred Romance, emphasis added

Amen, John.

I am contemplating whether to write just another blog entry or to bare out my soul to you tonight.

I guess I'll shoot for a happy medium.

I've noticed lately how we never want to tell people how we're really doing. How many days does this happen to you?
Friend: Hey! How are you?
You: I'm good! How about you?
Friend: I'm doing well! Well, I'll see you later!
You: See ya!
You think for a moment as you walk away, and then realize... "Who am I kidding? I'm not ok."

But really, how else are we supposed to approach these greetings in passing? I mean, honestly, what would you do if you walked by someone at school or church or work and, when you asked how they were doing, they turn said, "Pretty lousy"? We're not very honest with our feelings.

I don't think we're neccessarily supposed to share everything on our hearts and minds though. But we should at least not be afraid of what people would think if they knew we weren't really feeling all that ok. It's not like everyone else hasn't been not ok from time to time. We all have our low moments. But it seems to me that we all put on this front that we have it all together... that we're not just ok but that life is great and wonderful.

Anyhow, I say all that to tell you that my life is not all happy and rosey right now, but it's also not so horrible either. On Wednesday night I encountered God in a way that was long overdue and it was healing. I have a lot going on at school now which is never fun, but I'm trusting God to get me through it all. Last night I had these great plans that didn't go exactly as well as I hoped, but there was no real great loss in the scheme of things. As it has been for the past few years lately, I'm learning a lot these days.

Anyhow, in other news, I went and saw an opthomologist about my eye. He asked me questions and looked at from various angles but to no avail, he sees no problem. So, I guess that's good news, but I would still like to have the secret formula to make my slightly swollen eyelid go away. Whatever. I'm wearing contacts again and that makes me happy.

I'm so tired of wearing glasses. They were cute for a few days, and now they're annoying. I am supposedly recovering from a supposed pink eye problem that I don't think really existed. My eye was rarely pink... actually it was never really pink... more like red... like when I have allergies... but my eyelid has been swollen a little for a week straight now. So why would my eyelid be swollen for a week straight after a week straight of medicated eye drops? I'm not sure. Does anyone have a theory?

So school is winding down and I'm feeling it. I'm getting ready for a history test this Thursday and an astronomy project this Friday, not to mention the three papers due next week, my EMC project (which I mentioned yesterday) and an astronomy test. I hate astronomy. But, the good news is that my group project counts for 20% of my grade. And I think that'll be good because I can moderately understand what I'm supposed to be talking about. It's a really difficult concept, but I have a lot of good information on it... so I think I'm good to go.

Oh yes, and GREAT NEWS! I got into TV Production today!!! YAY!
After waiting for the stupid permission of department to go through it finally did! So I am happy about that, and now I do have a schedule worth posting:

(Honors) Psychology of Abnormal Behavior TR 9:40-11:05
Honors Interdiscplinary Seminar (Creativity & Exploration) MW 12:40-2:05
Adolsecent Psychology MWF 10:20 - 11:15
Television Production TR 11:20 - 12:45, R lab 1:00 - 2:25

Editing a three minute music video with iMovie = moderately difficult at first for a newbie, but gets easier before the project is finished; takes about one afternoon.

Editing a five minute short film with video footage, voice over, and music on Final Cut Express = not too bad with an expert's help, but once he leaves the scene it gets much more difficult when trying to accomplish tasks he did not show you how to do; takes several days.

While the latter is about ten times more frustrating, I am also finding it ten times more rewarding. I can't wait to show this video off. (Nathan, you really need to see this video - I think you'll like it.) For those of you who don't know, I am working on a detective parody for my final project in my Sight, Sound, and Motion class. Jolene (my partner) and I have pretty much oured ourselves into this thing. But I think it's good. And I think it's only going to get better from here on out.

Well Thanksgiving was pretty good.

Christmas (the most wonderful time of the year!) is just around the corner.

Before you know it, it'll be New Year's.

And then it'll be 2007, and I'll be taking fun classes instead of stupid astronomy and Tennessee history (though the latter is significantly better than the first)!

Not that I'm bitter about all my work for the break or anything...

But I digress...

Yesterday was nice. Garrett and I spent Thanksgiving first with his family and then mine, back to back, so that was pretty neat. We've never done that before. The only downside was that I feel like I seriously shorted my time with both his family and mine (especially mine). I guess it happens though. I'm thankful I had the opprotunity to share Thanksgiving with so many loved ones.

I'm very thankful that school is almost out. I'm so sick of this semester.

I'm also thankful for chocolate. I think I'm going to make some brownies tonight. I'm also going to have to start playing Christmas music. :)

I have way too much to do these next few weeks.

So much that it should be illegal.

I'm ready for Christmas break.

P.S. I'll post my spring schedule when I have one worth mentioning, since the one class that I care about the most is not on there as I wait for the permission of the department to go through and thusly my schedule seems sort of pitiful right now (or at least it does to me).

The title cut of Switchfoot's upcoming album has a couple of verses that go a little something like this:

Oh, gravity, why can't we
Seem to keep it together?

Well what I want to know, Mr. Gravity, is why everything that goes up MUST come down? Couldn't you be more selective?

You see...

Last night Garrett and I celebrated (an incredible) two and a half years together.



In honor of the occassion, we went to the Switchfoot concert, since they are both Garrett's and mine's favorite band.



And it was awesome. Amazingly awesome.



But gravity prevailed...

Towards the end of the concert, a crowd surfer landed on me. I'm not gonna lie... it was pretty scary. Thankfully I maintained counscious and coherent at the time it all happened. My head and neck felt completely numb, but now... everything is moveable, nothing's broken, and I seem to be recovering pretty well. I am so thankful that it wasn't worse.

So the moral of that story is...

Don't crowd surf, kids. It's not safe. For you or anyone else.

But I digress...

Switchfoot was rockin' awesome! I had an absolute blast and am so glad that we went! If you haven't seen them in concert before, you're missing out...

Jon Foreman also walked through the crowd... right where Garrett and I were... and I got to touch him... I just wish I could have gotten a picture of him in the process.

I also determined that I completely and totally love Nashville. I would live there in a heartbeat, especially over there by Belmont and Music Row. I loved it so much. It's that big city feel on a smaller scale than a place like New York... and I really love that.

I hope everyone has a good weekend. I'm going to shoot a video for my final EMC project tomorrow! Woot. I hope all goes well and smoothly for that. I would like to get it done now so I can foucs on the other 3 million papers and projects I have coming up in the next three weeks from heck. Bleh.

1.) I need just a few volunteers who aren't camera shy or busy on Saturday to help me out with a video project for class. So let me know if you're interested. I ESPECIALLY need a guy who is or can easily fake being a little on the nerdy side (in the sense of... getting excited about bugs).

2.) In sociology class today, I found myeslf really having to contain myself. My teacher, who turned 57 today, grew up in a generation where dating wasn't so much about relationships, as it is today, but about... well... just dating around and exploring all the fish in the sea. She thought it was horrifying that today, in our generation, we limit ourselves to this one person when we date and just won't let go of them because of  our fears and insecurities. She said that... as if that was the basis for every dating relationship! Sorry if I know what I want without fishing around. I don't have to date a million different guys to know who's a good catch. And when I look to God, I don't have to do anything except look to Him and He will guide me.

Duh.

Sorry if I don't want to waste my time.

But don't get me wrong... there are people I know that will read this that do date around but keep it Christ-focused, and I want them to know I am not condemning them for that. What I am saying is that all you need to do is what God tells you to do. You don't have to try so hard to find the perfect mate yourself, and you don't have to date multiple people to find the person God wants for you.

3.) And lastly, I just thought everyone would like to know that this is Brian King's favorite picture from a year and a half ago...

I'm generally a fast-paced person.

But life has just been coming at me too fast lately.

Thankfully I have a couple of days to breathe.

So first off, I got some random creepy text message.

And then, I get on Phusebox and it looks like my account is deleted.

Then it turns out it's not really deleted...

But my wonderful username of SingAHappySong has somehow changed to re2111... but thankfully I could get in the new username with my old password. Hopefully I can change it back somehow.

But talk about creepy...

Stupid EMC candidacy. Why is it so difficult to sign up for one little class you requested permission to be in two weeks ago? I hope this is all just because someone didn't realize that there were honors students registering today. Maybe they'll let me sign up for TV production on Monday. I hope so, because that's the only class I absolutely need to take next semester. I don't care much about my other classes as long as I have TV production.

And stupid astronomy. My lecture teacher is making our class way too difficult. And when I look at this man on MTSU Review, just to see if I overlooked something, the people in his previous classes gave him good reviews and received good grades. And when everyone in my class bombs a test, he acts surprised, like he doesn't understand and that it's never happened to him before. It's like... just because someone slapped the word "honors" in front of the class name, he decided to turn an intro astronomy course into astrophysics. But apparently Higgins usually teaches the honors section, and when he does he understands that honors does not necessarily mean "flipping genuises".

But I digress, there is good news!
-I am healthy and well.
-I am doing quite well in all my other classes.
-My creative juices are flowing more as I think about different videos I can make.
-The Switchfoot concert is coming up!
-And I have found unusual comfort in the book of Ecclesiastes (you know, the one where Soloman moans and groans like I just did up there?) Here it is (in case you need it too):
What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. -Ecclesiastes 3:9-12

That was close.

There is just one matter to be resolved...

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have
set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life,
so that you and your children may live.

-Deuteronomy 30:19 (emphasis added)

P.S. I believe this verse is applicable in more than one way. In fact, I think it is to be applied in every aspect of life. Just think about it.

This Saturday, I get to be in the Homecoming parade, riding in the passenger seat of Garrett's dad's car that Garrett will be driving! The "important" people will be in the back, but it'll be fun, I think!

And then on November 16, which is Garrett and mine's two and a half year anniversary, we are going to the Switchfoot concert!!!! YAY! I'm really looking forward to it!

That in one weekend you can meet and bond with so many new people,

AND
grow closer than ever before to your boyfriend of (almost) two and a half years?

Relationships, friendships, companionship... they are truley important things in our lives. I love meeting new people and growing closer to those that I already know. There's just... something... about that special connection...

I know God purposely created us to be this way, because we are created in His image, and He desires an intimate relationship with us. Why don't we sit down and take the time to be with Him? I know I don't do it enough. But I don't want to be that way anymore. I want to enjoy fellowship with my awesome Creator, the one who gave me fellowship with my earthly friends...

So I log onto Facebook this morning, and I see the word "videos". I get so excited because I think that maybe, finally, Facebook is giving me the chance to upload my videos to share my friends! So I'm happy because I have been wanting a place to put my videos someplace online that wasn't like... YouTube or something. Then to my dismay I realize that this new "share" feauture is merely a way to send your friends a link to something else (like a video) that is elsewhere on the Internet. Well LA DE DA I say! I want real video uploads, and decent-sized ones at that, at least up to five minutes. Is that so much to ask for?

But whatever. I'll be leaving for the fall retreat pretty shortly here, and I ought to get some more homework done before then... I hope everyone has a good weekend!

P.S. I finally got the Internet up on my Mac. Woot.

It is the longest week ever.

Shouldn't it be Friday by now?

I think that, in this special week, the average day length has been about 32 hours.

My time sheet at work says I worked 5.5 hours today.

But I know better. I'm convinced I really worked about 8.5 hours.

I have a test tomorrow. I have been studying for it for the past two days.

And I feel like I know as much as I did when I began studying.

I can't concentrate.

I can't focus.

But the rest of me is fine.

What is going on?

The Prestige is an amazing movie. I would highly reccomend it. Prepare for a mindbender! The only thing I really disliked about it was the fact that there really was no clear-cut good vs. evil. I found that this really did bother me that there was no "good guy" or "bad guy"... because I tend to be very "black and white" in my views I suppose. But aside from that, I have to give this movie many kudos, not only for being very riveting, but also for its originality. I can honestly say I have never encountered such a story before, and that to me, is pretty exciting!

I also wanted the advice of some camera enthusiasts out there. As some of you may recall, back in the summer I talked about getting a new camera to replace my Sony Cybershot. It was being unreliable back then, but is behaving better (for the most part) these days. However, I have still been wanting a new point-and-shoot. So I had a camera selected in my mind to ask for Christmas. But then, after Hodge's Halloween party actually and seeing the different cameras there, I thought it would be really cool to have a camera that is somewhere between a regular point-and-shoot and a DSLR. I would keep my Sony around for whenever it was easier to deal with, but I thought that having a nicer camera that was still lightweight would be very ideal for me.

Anyhow, for those forementioned camera enthusiasts who have a few moments to spare, please take a moment to consider the three cameras that I think I may be most interested in and chip in your vote (or let me know if you are aware of a better option.) Anyhow, here are the different cameras and some of their specs:

Canon Powershot S3 IS
Weight: 14.5 oz
4.4. in. X 3 in. X 3.1 in.
6 megapixels
2 in. LCD
Price range about $300 - $400
CNET editor review score: 7.7
Many scene and color modes
Canon has a great reputation
Highest review score out of three.

Canon Powershot G7
Weight: 11.3 oz
4.2 in. X 1.7 in. X 2.8 in.
10 megapixels
2.5 in. LCD
Price range about $570 - $600 (not too sure about how mom would feel about that)
CNET editor review score: 7.5
Many scene modes and some color modes, but not as many as previous
Canon has a great reputation
Lightest, but also most expensive.

Panasonic DMC-FZ7
Weight: .7 lbs. (about 11.s oz.?)
4.4 in. X 3.1 in. X 2.8 in.
6 megapixels
2.5 in. LCD
Price: Around $350
CNET editor review score: 7.2
Various scene modes, probably not as many as the Canons
Panasoic has a good reputation
Has the potential to be the least expensive. A silver edition is avaliable and is prettier than the two Canons.

So life since Fall Break...

I found out yesterday that I did not totally bomb my last astronomy test! YAY! It wasn't as good as I wanted (ok... it wasn't an A... but it wasn't a HIGH B either) but it was definitely an improvement over the first test.

Then today in EMC...
My professor, Dr. Bratten, began showing the photo/video projects that she liked the best... and she showed mine! Well... she almost did... tried to anyways... ha ha... the stupid PC didn't like my DVD! She didn't try the Mac or the DVD player (don't ask why...) but I suggested to her to try the latter next time (because she said she would try mine again along with other projects) so hopefully it will actually be shown... and with sound would be especially great. She showed one guy's video on the PC and the sound didn't work, which I thought was a bummer because, even though it's a story visually told, music can still add a very nice touch.

I also got my haircut today. And I like it! I like it today and don't have to wait two weeks to like it... ha ha... but of course it'll probably go into shock the next couple of days just to spite me. But what can you do?

Darn computers.
Darn hair.

*Quote of the week*
"Do you recognize me? I'm a friend of that witch you dated."
"I haven't dated any witches.You must have me confused with someone else."
"No, I'm quite sure it was you."
"By witch do you mean like, a Wiccan person?"
"No, I mean like a mean, horrible person..."
-a conversation between two random people as they were walking out of the business office

P.S. "Don't vote CROOKED, vote CORKER!"
Yeah, that's the campaign slogan I created for Bob Corker. I think he should use it.

But seriously, if you are able to vote, please vote for a man who is actually from our state and knows it, and didn't come from a family of crooks! He also has good ideas and has done great things for the city of Chattanooga! Just something to think about!

Is it so easy to see everyone else's faults and deny our own? Gotta love human nature... yeah right... ICK.

So I don't have to go to school tomorrow... yay for Fall Break (however short it may be)!

And I started writing this really awesome screenplay today. Well, the idea is awesome, so let's hope that my execution of the story goes well.

Let's do something different.

Paint the town red.

Takes tons of pictures.

Make a video.

Go somewhere else.

Any, or all of the above will do.