The Opera, Thinking, and Bruno

Today was awesome because I got to go shopping, which is always fun.
There's nothing like a cute sweater or coat to make you forget that you're a college student and have work to do when you get home. =p
Last week was pretty eventful because I got to go to the Metropolitan Opera house last Tuesday and to the 92nd Street Y on Wednesday for my Arts Seminar class.
The Met Opera was absolutely amazing! There's a beautiful fountain right in front of the operahouse. The architecture of the building is just breathtaking. It's even more beautiful on the inside and I felt like I was going to see Jennifer Lopez pop in at any moment and say hello to my class. There were so many people there and they were all dressed to the nines.
My class was there to see the Mozart opera Don Giovanni. The opera is three and a half hours long including intermission. It's definitely very long, but definitely worth seeing. The singing was amazing and the plot was dramatic. I found myself just entranced by it all. I was incredibly exhausted at the end of the night because I had been at school all day, but I'm so glad I got the opportunity to do this. How many people can say they've been to an opera?! It was just a great experience.

The next night, my class went to the 92nd Street Y to attend a reading by Israeli writer, Amos Oz. He read an excerpt from his book, Scenes from Village Life. It sounds like an interesting book, and I will hopefully will get a chance to read it soon. The best part of the night was the Q&A session in which Oz answered questions on a variety of topics. As he was answering the questions, I felt myself and everybody around me lean forward just a little because his words were filled with so much wisdom. This is a a man who is just brimming with ideas, thoughts, and information. I like people who make me think, and Amos Oz really made me think. It was another great night.

I've gotten in the habit of watching a couple of movies on the weekends to distract myself from school work. Yesterday, I watched writer/director John Hughes' movie The Breakfast Club, which I've wanted to watch for a few years now but never got around to it. It is such an awesome movie!!! It was made in 1985, which feels like the Ice Age to all of us, but watching this movie made me realize that teenagers in the eighties were just like teenagers today. They had the same dreams, the same fears, and they laughed at the same things. If you haven't seen the movie, you should definitely go and watch it! It will make you cry, laugh, and think.

Happy Halloween and have a great week everybody!!

S.

P.S. I can't believe it actually snowed this past weekend!
P.P.S. As I was writing this post, Bruno Mars' song "It Will Rain" came on the radio. Such a good song and such an awesome singer! =)

More Laundry, Tests! And Halloween

This week, I have truly come to appreciate the beauty of milk. I dunno why, it’s not like I drank it a lot at home. But now I drink milk like a fiend. Other random things in my week: I need to join a bajillion clubs and do internships. I feel uninvolved! And I also feel very frazzled. Seriously. Even my hair looks frazzled. My bed is frazzled. My room is a frazzling mess. Why, might you ask, am I so very frazzled? Well, let’s just say that me and studying for tests do not go well together! Especially when I’m in the dorm, where it’s too easy to be social. If I had a roommate I’m pretty sure I would flunk out of college because I’d always be distracted by talking to them or their friends as well as my own and I’d never get anything done. I literally have to hide myself from being drawn into social interaction. But luckily my tests are over and I will no longer be socially deprived! (Except now I’m worried about what I’ll be like during finals. AHHH WHY ARE YOU SO HARD COLLEGE!!!!!)

I feel like the stuff you always hear about from college students is happening now. For example, I am running out of food. But spaghetti can last forever! (Although I am incredibly tired of it by now. I miss home food! I should cook some…but it involves more planning and effort than I am ready to exert.) And do college students perpetually have laundry to do? Because it sure feels like I do. Luckily I don’t mind…yet.

Oh and Happy Halloween! Upstate, it actually felt like Halloween, because I actually went trick or treating to people’s houses (and they gave out goody bags…and big candy bars! Oh, what I’m missing out on today!) but in the city I’m not quite sure what to do…can I go trick or treating to stores? I don’t even have a costume….other than a nerd one. Which is unoriginal and lame. But then again, I’ve consistently been Harry or Hermione for several years, sooo I don’t mind. Anyway, I’m sad to miss out on so much free candy.

On another note, why is it so cold? I need to invest in sweaters. Thrift shopping, here I come!

Good Morning

A lot has happened since I last posted. I don't have midterms this semester. I'm not exactly sure how that happened, but I'm not complaining. I actually haven't missed one class all semester. I like to think its because I'm investing in self-discipline, or maybe its because I really enjoy my classes this semester. Psychology of Human Sexuality, Victims of the Holocaust, Statistics 113, and Seminar 3 are all classes I look forward to.

I actually thoroughly enjoy Stat 113. It's weird. I'm usually not at all into math classes, but this class is more about logic and critical thinking than anything else.

Now that the semester is half over its got me thinking about winter break. I've decided against taking a winter class and am instead going to give myself a break. Well, if you can call working 40 hours per week a break. But it will be nice to just be able to go to work for a month and not be responsible for tests or assignments or classes.

One last thing: I love this weather. It's nice and cool and crisp and the leaves are starting to turn color. When I'm at work I can leave the ambulance window open, turn on the heat, and enjoy the breeze. I have to say, I really like living and working in the city (and going to school here, which is why I live and work here), especially during the fall.

Michael.