More about Me

Well, I thought that now that I have no classes I'd be able to post more often. But, I've given myself lots of things to do in my free time. In this time I have also been thinking about what I've been doing with myself, aside from school, work, and church. In this self-reflection I have come to find myself quite boring (or odd at the very least). I'm just being honest. See, take a look.
When I have no school work to worry about I immediately turn to my computer. But, of course, there is the usual list of chores and other housework that needs to be kept up. Over the school year I tend to slack off on these. (This kind of shocked me when I realized it, because I remember solemnly swearing as a graduating high school senior that'd I'd never become a slacking college bum.) Anyway, back to housework. Ever since we were little we've had the house divided into three areas, one for each sister. Each sister would maintain her area for a week, and then we'd rotate. The "kitchen area" was always agreed to be the most time consuming part of the house (planning the week's menu, making the grocery list, cooking dinner, etc.). So the kitchen person is the one who gets to ride shotgun when we go out. The upstairs area was agreed to be the easiest area so it was decided that the upstairs person would also maintain the "outdoor" chores (the pool, the animals, watering the plants). The downstairs person is supposed to keep the first floor clean (dusting, vacuuming, etc.).
When this grand little plan was first put into use the boys were still too young to do all those things. Now that they are older they do help out a lot. My sisters and I were told to teach them how to do these chores. We called them our "young padawans" like the Star Wars movies. Now the boys know how to do pretty much everything, except cook. We are kind of afraid to let them cook.
Getting back from the side-track, by this time of the year I usually have the garden planted. I haven't started on this year's yet. I still need to go get some more seeds. This year we got a super cool, shiny red tiller. Dad showed me how to use it when we first got it several weeks ago. Between the two of us, my Dad and I got all the soil turned up in one afternoon! However, we were unable to keep up with it at that time (Dad had work and little league and I still had classes and work). So the grass has grown back over it. Now that I have no more classes I have time to go back and till it up again. But Dad is still at work. And, knowing the kinds of relationships between myself and machinery..... well, lets just say I might break the thing or cause something catastrophic to happen. Then I wouldn't know what to do. And I wouldn't want Dad to worry about it.
Caution: ranting side note.
And what is it with machines anyway? Its like they prefer to be handled by men. They must be male chauvinists. Take the computer, for example. Lets say that it froze (we've all experienced that). What do I do? ctrl + alt + Del. If that doesn't work then I bring up the task manager and force the quit or force it to shut down and restart. But sometimes said computer refuses. "Leave me alone, woman," it says. Then Dad comes to help and shows me what to do. But Dad, you've shown me before, and I did everything right! "Shut up woman!" says computer. "Can't you see that the man is here now?" Then the computer magically goes back to normal, working as if nothing had happened. ggrrhhhh!
Ok, now I feel a little better. Anyway, I'm getting a little impatient about the garden. I have half a mind to just go out there with my ever-loyal garden hoe and hack away at that stupid grass. But I know that if I did that Dad would say, "Why didn't you use the new tiller?" And I don't want to begin that rant again.
Now, in my free time I turn to my computer. Most of the time I will be creating art masterpieces with the GIMP (or trying to, at least). I like to call it "building up my portfolio." And now that I have some spiffy, neat (that's an understatement. Its actually awesomely cool) software on my computer I can also work on web pages and animations!! How sweet is that? Adobe is where its at!
When I get into an "artist's block" (in theory this would be a period of no inspiration) I browse through online galleries (Elfwood and Deviant Art to name a few). It is amazing what people can do nowadays! Maybe I should set up an account for an online gallery. Hmmm.... I just looked through my digital portfolio: very sad. I should start finishing what I start (translation: most of my works are not finished). If I want a decent gallery I've got a lot of work to do!
And when I'm not on the computer I'll read a book, if I have a good book to read. My pleasure reading has suffered greatly since the onset of college life. Woe is me! For I am required to read about strange and foreign ideas such as sociology, and the theory of modernism (which is considered to be art history. Now tell me, does that make sense to you?) But, now that classes are over I am free to read whatever I like! Take THAT you politically biased, liberal ,textbook writers who try to manipulate the impressionable young minds of unwary college students! I am not so easily swayed!! Right now I am waiting for three books I've requested from the county's libraries: 'Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, The Book of Lost Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien, and The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (I wish I would have known about the Ludic fallacy while I was taking statistics). I really like the way books can be borrowed and sent and returned via the mail. hopefully they will get hear before the weekend.
I am actually surprised that I have not made time for the playstation yet! I've gotta make some headway in Assassin's Creed. Haha, my youngest brother, Tulkas, just called me his young padawan. He is the best gamer in the house! He's even beaten my sister's friend, Airman-G and some of his friends before! (You go bro!) He says he'll help me out and show me his secret hiding places in Call of Duty. My first-person shooter skills are not so great. I get shot and die 5 seconds after respawning. Its not so much fun being the noob. Give me any other type of video game at anytime and I'll be fine (except for some sport games.)!
Well, if you've lasted through out all of this you are a trooper, or someone with far too much time on their hands (but what's that say about I who wrote it?). Here is my summer time in a nutshell: chores, housework, computer, garden (in due time, in due time), books. Oh! And I'm going on a mission trip to Mississippi this Summer! Can't leave that out. Of course we may occasionally go to the beach or get together with friends also. But I'm content with this. Although, I am praying for big things to happen....