Easter, Family, Frank, and German

The joys of Easter ran abundantly today, beginning with a conversation with my best friend and ending in the exact same way. Of course, my favorite part of the day was my adventure to a church in Austin with Matt and Moriah this morning. Hope Chapel: the first church to totally make me question my perspective on the definition of 'church' the first time I attend! First off, I need to explain that I grew up in a family that did not dance. There's no explanation for this, we just didn't do it; this would probably be the reason why I won't dance - don't ask me (yea, Frank Sinatra!). Not that dancing is wrong, but coming to a charismatic church where there are a couple of questionable men in front of us was just something different entirely. Emotions were flowing like white water rapids. It's one of those experiences that last a lifetime.
After a wonderful lunch at the LaCour's, I called home and talked to just about every relative I have. Two at a time. So one would ask about the weather while another would be asking about basketball; it was a very productive conversation time. My favorite question of all came from one of my uncles, "So when are you going to get a car?" I'd like to think of this question as a joke that has no answer and really isn't funny at all. I've chosen to ignore these inquiries on the basis that the answer could be frightening, not that there is one at this point in time. Speaking of answers, I think that I really want to brush up on my German much more than I'd like to take another semester of English. What more have I yet to learn about the language I grew up speaking (well, besides French)? Ich glaub', dass wir andere Sprache lernen sollen. Americans seem to be the most ignorant people in that they make no effort to learn another language that may benefit them. Europeans, on the other hand, learn at least one other language other than their native tongue. Stupid lazy Americans.
With best wishes for my mom on her birthday,
Anna

Relationally Lost

It's exactly a week til Allison's 20th birthday today and it just ocurred to me that while I have the pleasure of attending other people's parties, I can't celebrate with the best friend I've ever had. Every other year I've gone over to her house for a party or, in the case of last year, just to hang out and enjoy the fact that she can tell me how depressing the last year of teenage life is. Being 1200 miles away from someone you've shared so many emotions, memories, thoughts, hopes, and dreams with just sucks. There's no other way of putting it, I don't like being away from someone I care so much about for so long. I'm not sure whether I'm masking the bitterness towards what brought me to Texas or I just enoy it so much here that I don't think about it, but she definitely is missing in my life and I feel it. She recently divulged to me that she's been lonely now that most of her friends are at college or investing a lot of time in significant others, which saddens me. I really wish I could be there for her like I was throughout junior high and high school, but I remain relatively helpless in the middle of a state I anticipated to hate with amazing, supporting people who have helped me in ways they don't even know. Long distance relationships are just generally emotionally taxing...Another relationship headline: my dad's coming down on Tuesday. Of course, the main reason is to go to a conference in San Antonio, but the fact that my dad and I are going to have dinner together alone is a huge deal. We've been talking a bit more since spring break, but I can confidently say that I'm not 'daddy's little girl' and haven't been for quite a while now. It's not like my parents are divorced, it's closer to a parent-child divorce, if that kind of thing is even possible. The good thing is that the honeymoon ended after about 12 years rather than 1 or 2, for reasons undetermined. I hope that one day we'll be able to talk to each other again without either of us trying to grasp for words and subject matters because he's a really great role model. Maybe Tuesday will help us recreate the bond we had during my childhood because I'd really like to be able to share what's going on in my life with him. It's kind of interesting that this happened to us though, it makes it easier for me to relate to friends whose parents are divorced in some strange way. Speaking of bad relationships, my computer has chosen to take away my privileges of making paragraphs once again, but whatever, as long as Michael thinks it's cool I'm sure everyone else does...Bis spaeter, Anna

Supersize Me? I Don't Think So.....

It's been just minutes after watching "Supersize Me", a movie I've wanted to see ever since I heard about it (about nine months or so), and I must say that I was not in the least bit disappointed. I encourage everyone to see it because it's hilarious and thought-provoking throughout the entire one hundred minutes. Don't ask me why I'm so fascinated by the obesity epidemic in this country, I really have no clue why such a disgusting topic could entertain my thoughts for so long. Since I now inhabit the state with the most obese cities, I find myself studying the field of nutrition in a place where it's most lacking. Anyhow, this epic film has spurred some questions, including:
1. What would have resulted had Morgan (the guy who decided to embark on this crazy mission) eaten a 'normal' amount of calories rather than just going along with eating as much as he could possibly stomach in one sitting?
2. Could one actually consume a healthy, balanced diet via fast food?
3. Who would really want to try this?
4. What if these people just exercised as much as they are recommended?
5. Could a vegetarian survive on an all-fast food diet?
An entire month of fast food was enough to raise cholesterol, glucose, triglyceride, etc. levels in this man; I cannot begin to fathom the toll it took on his well-being. I was amazed that the doctors did not predict some of the consequences his 30-day fast food adventure would have on his body. More than that, I was amazed that in the thirty days, he managed to consume a total of thirty pounds of sugar and twelve pounds of fat. The extreme lifestyle of Americans has translated to their diets, leading to extremely large waistlines. Nearly 60% of adults in the US are obese - at least that's what I thought I heard during the movie, it's a phenomenally disturbing statistic that I cannot yet wrap my mind around. How did we get this way without stopping to care? That's the amazing thing about our society: for as many Americans that are obese, there are about as many or more that are dieting in hopes of becoming the models in every magazine. It seems that one can only be one extreme: fat or bone-thin. This mentality is what causes fear in all of us, none of us want to be fat. But the other side isn't healthy either because undernutrition has many adverse effects; the only difference is that the effects of obesity caused by binging and not exercising are more advertised than the effects of anorexia, bulimia, or ED-NOS (eating disorders not otherwise specified). What is truly wrong with Americans' diets? I think the better question is what's with the psychological effects that media has on us?
I could continue for days, but alas, I am off to the gym now to watch a basketball, among other things.
Intrigued yet infuriated,
Anna

Smile Like You Mean It

Five days til Spring Break, WOOHOO!!! What am I doing for this one glorious week that should fall on Easter? Well, if there's anything wrong with going home in hopes of relaxing by doing non-college-y things, then I just don't feel like being right anymore. I must confess that I enjoy the long trip back home, because I always know what to expect. I've been surprised the past couple times by a few changes, but certain things never fail to occur (catching up with the family, playing some sport with my brother, cooking something infinitely better than college food that actually resembles food, etc.). It's not so much that I've become overwhelmed with college life, it's more so that I've become extremely fragile for reasons unknown. Everything that's happened in this past week or so has had a harder impact on me than it should have. Result: I become extremely emotional, meaning I pretty much hate the world. I know I don't have the whole emo look down (neither do I wish that upon myself), but sometimes feelings just well up inside me but rarely get expressed. Lately I've found myself reverting back to my high school way of life, which included wishing I had better friends, pouting about how horrible my life is, and the sporadic angry spats with my best friend. Eventually I'd realize that I was alive and healthy, so I don't have any reason to be so melodramatic. At this point in my life, I've begun to wonder whether knowing these patterns of mine is disturbing; while it's great to know that these feelings will eventually dissipate, it's somewhat exhausting to go through these predictable patterns. Between that and beginning to get into relationship patterns, I've become emotionally unstable. At the mention that I was in a fight, a friend suggested that I'm "the least confrontational person ever"...well, let's just leave that comment as is because no one from Texas had the pleasure of bonding with me in high school. Conflicts with other people has become utterly predictable for me too, which takes much of the excitement out of arguments. Without arguments, life is rather uneventful...I think I'm ready for something wild and crazy to happen to me. Nothing involving getting drunk, high, or raped, just something that's never happened to me before that would reinstill my interest in life. Monotony has been wearing away my soul ever so slowly despite my new surroundings and acquaintences. What, then will cause this change in heart? Well, that's for me to find out and you to read about later on. Until it happens though, I will remain the shy little girl that most people are afraid to talk to.

The Joys of Living (Will They Never Cease?)

Just three more months...if only this final semester of lving on campus would end sooner. Last night, marked by a basement fire that evicted us out of the illustrious living arrangements known as Jackson Hall dorms for about half an hour, is a classic example of the perks of living in on-campus buildings. A week ago, after we discovered wasps and mildew in my room (on top of the lady bugs that had been inhabiting our living space since four months ago), I believe I was truly convinced that Jackson was the best dorm ever; the fire just PROVES its superiority though. There is, by far, no better hall to be found on God's green earth. Tonight we have the pleasure of attending a floor/hall meeting to discuss various topics, one of which will include spring break, assuredly.
Now, I'm sure there is nothing better than these wonderful underclassman experiences, but I personally cannot take many more days of this. The only question that remains (since girls, or humans in general, are fickle) is where the beautiful ladies and I will be living next year. Today's Off-Campus Apartment advertisement gala offered many answers to this question, but the verdict will be out until Friday afternoon (hopefully). There's something exciting about living with just two people instead of three, even though the expenses are higher in certain complexes. I'd like to think of our future living arrangements as the polar opposite to my Jackson dorm...my beautiful, spacious, shared room with a newly-caulked, dirty window and disfunctional furniture. Life is good. Good in the sense that I've been exiled to a room designed by the devil for the next three months...
Patiently yours,
Anna