Anna’s Blog

I know I'm behind the times - but I watched the new Batman movie "Dark Knight" just last night.

(Some call it an obsession, but Heath Ledger is an inextricable icon of my youth, and his death still pains me. So I have avoided this movie in memorial to him, and out of a desire to remember him as he should be remembered - as such characters as Patrick in "Ten Things I Hate About You" and William/Sir Ulrich in "A Knight's Tale".)

And as disturbing and controversial the character of the Joker is and was for me to view as an avid fan, there's no denying the beautiful and honorable themes of the movie as a whole. Batman certainly is a hero - and is willing to act as a scapegoat (incredible biblical references there!) for the good of Gotham.

Truly, I hid behind a blanket for a majority of the movie... but for those with a stomach for such violence and brutality, I urge you to view this - not for the hype Heath Ledger's death has caused, nor for the fight scenes and cool gadgets - but for the message that is being portrayed. Look for the underlying themes of heroism in reality, and acting not for the recognition of people, but doing good for the sake of goodness. Though this is a secular take on the world and society, search for the underlying biblical elements - it makes the viewing so much more meaningful.

Posted by Anna at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here I am... in Texas. Not enjoying a White Christmas, but enjoying family, nonetheless!

Every year, Davidhizars from all over the country gather at either Forest Glen (my uncle's camp in Huntsville, TX) or Beechpoint (my daddy's camp in Michigan) for our annual reunion. How I love seeing my cousins!

Unfortunately... I seem to have had an allergic reaction to something with all the cedar trees in the area. My nose will NOT stop running and my throat will NOT stop being scratchy and my eyes will NOT stop watering! So I seem to be confined to the indoors. Oh well. Plenty of board games and movies and books! :)

Merry CHRISTmas, one and all!

Posted by Anna at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This Sunday, I had the privilege and honor of witnessing my elder brother Drew's graduation from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science.

As I watched the procession of graduates (those receiving their undergrad degrees, Masters, and even doctorates), I was hit with a rather abrupt realization: in a mere two years, this will be ME graduating. ME out in the wide open world, faced with grown-up issues and grown-up circumstances. Is he ready for this? Will I be? I can barely keep my lousy, meager checkbook balanced! How can I hope to keep up with taxes and rent and credit cards and car loans - and what about marriage??

These worries and concerns diminished almost as unexpectedly as they had come. Some rational voice inside of my mind prompted, "Of course there will be new issues and new situations, but that's the way of life. There will always be change, there ought always be growth and expansion." Hm. How true. Strange though, that I seemed to think Growing Up referred only to the period of time after high school graduation and the beginning of college life. After that, life would be cakewalk. Where had I gotten that idea? Silly of me.

I wondered if these thoughts were running through my brother's mind as he shook his president's hand and received his diploma. How many other students were faced with the concept of truly Growing Up as I watched them graduate.

Posted by Anna at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, I survived finals...and the plane ride home...and now I'm back in dear old Michigan!

Much to my delight, everything is white with snow! (And this, opposed to the nasty rainy 60 degree weather we've been 'enjoying' in Philly these past few days...)

My family has already decorated the house for Christmas. My little sister (so eager is she for the great holiday) had already wrapped all of her presents...a month in advance.

Our cat Josephine terrorizes our nativity set...sometimes hiding Baby Jesus in random places around the house. It's almost become a Christmas tradition: this Jesus Scavenger Hunt.

Posted by Anna at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

'Twas the night before exams
and all through the lounge...

SENATE CHRISTMAS PARTY!!!
11-12:30 Monday night
Heritage Hall

After hundreds of students made their way to the Heritage Hall lounge, a few Christmas carols were sung, and Dr Petersen (our esteemed speech professor and resident storyteller) made his way to the stage. He presented the book "Twas the Night before Christmas", but explained that the story is most entertaining when told to a child. Of course, he then whipped out a puppet whom he introduced as his nephew Eric. Normally, I'm prone to fear puppets above almost everything (besides clowns and other people in suits, mascots, Chick-fil-A cows, etc), but something about Dr Petersen's 'Nephew Eric' made me feel more at ease.

Page by page, Dr Petersen read to us the beloved story of childhoods past, Eric interjected with sarcastic and, well, childish comments. In the end, based on the evidence of the story, Eric concluded Santa is a "dirty old, drunk smoker who hates children and reindeer!"

...You had to be there.

Posted by Anna at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In my Teaching Methods course, I was given the opportunity to teach a class of my peers for half an hour.

We've been working on units for a particular class that we might be teaching one day, and I've prepared six lessons on Romantic Literature. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it's one of my passions!

So...this past Tuesday, I educated my class in writing creative poetry. The thrill of being in front of a classroom, completely in charge is...exhilarating. Though I was nervous, I had my trusty lesson plan and notes. I did have some trouble with the technological aspect of the presentation, but besides not knowing how to work Powerpoint (do you click forward or backward on the mouse attached to the smartboard?) the lesson went off without a hitch.

I had the students read two poems and analyze the paintings that inspired them. Then, after discussing the creative and Romantic elements present in each, I had them select a cutout picture from the front table and brainstorm how they might describe the picture poetically. From the evaluations I received, everyone enjoyed it - and the class was a success!

Van Gogh's Peasant Shoes

A Pair of Shoes
Unknown

Well worn and wrinkled,

they sit abandoned in shadow.

Frayed laces

circle the deep russet form.

They have known the meaning of a day's work,

and thousands more.

Common and lackluster,

no one pays them any mind;

they are discarded in the twilight.

But this pair of shoes reflects a beauty.

The beauty of honest labor,

and despair.

Brueghel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

Musee des Beaux Arts
W.H. Auden (1938)

About suffering they were never wrong,
The Old Masters; how well, they understood
Its human position; how it takes place
While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along;
How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting
For the miraculous birth, there always must be
Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating
On a pond at the edge of the wood:
They never forgot
That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course
Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot
Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse
Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.
In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away
Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may
Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone
As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green
Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,
had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

Posted by Anna at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Why is it that the week BEFORE exams is so much more stressful than the actual week of finals? Regardless of any reason, it is. And I've got to adjust myself to the fact. Twice a year, I've got to relearn how to balance MASS amounts of studying and MASS amounts of papers AND the same amount of hours in the Admissions Office and class. Aka-ed as, whatever semblance of a social life I thought I possessed this semester is...no more.

To keep my sanity, I take pictures of myself on Photo Booth. So... it's not vanity, it's sanity! (Note the progression...)

ME - studying!

ME - becoming distracted, but LOOKING studious...

ME - too far gone to mention...

Posted by Anna at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)