Finally a post!

Greeeeeting friends! 

Here is a good song: http://www.youtube.com/  You do not have to watch the vid, just listen along and enjoy.  It is called "Locate the Pieces," by Matt Pond PA, and I find it to be delicious.

Last week a mutual friend named Kelly lost her iPhone. It was QUITE the scandal. She was running about all frantic searching for it and speculating on its location. She was going crazy, basically. Eventually, she was able to activate a GPS locator in her phone, for a fine (hefty, I'm sure) and it gave her the address of Maximo Park. Maximo Park is the park across Frenchman's Creek, the little waterway where EC has its little marina and such. It's a public access for boats, basically. BUUUT it's like ten minutes away to drive there. On my way out of the library I saw Kelly and Grace, who was driving, and I went to search for Kelly's phone. It was so hot. ANd so super sunny.. Grace and I were melting. MORAL OF THE STORY: don't lose your iPhone at parties, because the chances of finding them at a public park or slim to none (none, in this case.) I don't know how or where, but Kelly eventually found her iPhone. Thank goodness because those are EXPENSIVE. The whole situation was ridiculous, really.
Also at our school we have had SO many thefts since the upperclassmen have arrived. It's insane. A lot of laptops, especially Macs, have been swiped. Also someone in Epsilon came back to their dorm, and someone was in there and had put the chain up so they couldn't get in. WOULDN'T that FREAK you out!? I would freak out and scream and run away, but then have someone stand in front of the window so they couldn't run away. Epsilon girl didn't do that, though, so the perp got away : (
Two (?) weekends ago I went kayaking with the service-learning office. It was super fun! We kayaked across the little channel behind the school to this island bird sanctuary.  We all got trash bags, and were supposed to pick up trash and litter. A lot of the trash that ends up in/on/around the sanctuary actually comes from Eckerd because it is literally in our back yard. I got to kayak INTO the depths of the mangroves. It was amazing. It looked a bit like this:
It was super amazing, basically. Although the next day I was a tiny bit sore, just down my back right along my spine on either side.
OH EM GEE. Did I tell you I found an Aldis? OMG. Best thing ever. I went there and I spent like fifteen dollars and I got SO MUCH FOOD! Oh dang, I did write about that already : ( Well I still think it was awesome.
So my bike has a flat tire, and I do not know what to do about it, because the way to pump it up does not fit a regular bike pump....any ideas? Also it is so sad because sometimes my bike gets rained on. I get SO mad at myself because then my bike is soggy and it is getting rusty and I love my bike so I want it to not be rusted. I want to take care of it, but sometimes it rains while I am in class, or while I"m eating, or while I'm at the lib. It's annoying.
The other day in the cafeteria I was walking along. And then I walked past this guy. And he was wearing toms and we both kept walking but also staring at each others feet (I was wearing mine, too). IT was basically hilarious. And mega awk because he finally was like "Hey I like your Toms," to which I chuckled and said "like yours too." And that was that but that ALWAYS happens to me. I always look at peoples' shoes and when I see Toms it just like "ohhhhh I like you because you wear toms because toms are awesome!" It was hilarious.
So recently I stumbled upon these shoes: www.simpleshoes.com (check 'em out). I got a pair of sneakers and  a pair of flip-flops because they were SO cheap and there was free shipping! It was awesome, but when they came (an awful long time later) they didn't fit!! It was so cruel. At first I was skeptical, when I ordered them, but when I opened the package I was just in love. Love. Elle Oh Vee Eeeeeee! L-O-V-E. So I went to send them back, but sending them back was more expensive than the entire order, so that NOT going to be the way to go. All dejected I walked back to my dorm, and I ran into some girls, and one of them from my oceanography class wanted to BUY THE SHOES!!!!!!!!!!! Weeeeeee! So then I just ordered them again in the right size and all was right with the world. And now I have adorable simpleshoes sneakers.
(PS insert subcomment I have listened to forty hours of pandora this month. Crazy.)
Last weekend I woke up VAIR sick. After kayaking, on Sunday, I woke up and I was so ill. Everything hurt. I walked to breakfast and everything on my face was throbbing, my eyes, and my bones and my teeth. It was awful. But the good news is, one week later, I am finally feeling much better. Although it's still hard to breathe and I still cough a lot, I feel so much better.
THIS weekend was really boring, for the most part. Friday night I spent like two hours in the lab preparing for my lab practical that I have on Tuesday (wish me luck!). So after that I came back to my room, studied some more for a while and then just PASSED out, literally. With my laptop on my bed and everything. It was crazy. Saturday Laura, Chris, Grace and I went to toss a frisbee and shoot some hoops and later we played Dutch Blitz (which no one liked, it was really quite the anomaly). It was a good night, which finished off with a really nice stroll through campus with Laura. We ended up at Galbraith and we just talked for a while and it was very beautiful with the half-moon and an amazing lightening storm lighting the sky bright red at 12:00 at night. It was so beautiful. 
I feel like Saturday and today I worked SO much. Like 80 percent or more of my waking time was spent studying, which I got up at ten on both days. Weird. Now I am going to have some tea and go to a study group breakdown of "Exodus." Fun stuff. Check you all later, alligators.
(OMG speaking of alligators, I seriously have a phobia. Today on my way from chapel to the music center I heard THE BIGGEST COMMOTION in the water ever. It scared me SO much and it was so loud and intense I seriously pondered it being an alligator. It made my heart race. Race race race. My heart's racing just thinking about it.)
Love you guys.
Sydney!
PS shout out to Gramps! Happy belated birthday if you read this! If not someone who does should pass along the web address to gramps and gram!

Oh why hello there, Langston Hughes!

Today in the honors colloquium we had a guest speaker, Bob Devin Jones:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Devin_Jones
(he told us his mom wrote this article), if you want to read more about him.
Buuuuut really we did not hear Bob Devin Jones, we heard LANGSTON HUGHES.
That's right....THE Langston Hughes of the Harlem Renaissance.
It was actually very cool.
Langston Hughes had a really cool voice and he was awesome at reciting poetry.
Here is one poem that Langston recited to the class:

"The Weary Blues"
Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,
Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,
I heard a Negro play.
Down on Lenox Avenue the other night
By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light
He did a lazy sway ....
He did a lazy sway ....
To the tune o' those Weary Blues.
With his ebony hands on each ivory key
He made that poor piano moan with melody.
O Blues!
Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool
He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.
Sweet Blues!
Coming from a black man's soul.
O Blues!
In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone
I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan--
"Ain't got nobody in all this world,
Ain't got nobody but ma self.
I's gwine to quit ma frownin'
And put ma troubles on the shelf."
Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.
He played a few chords then he sang some more--
"I got the Weary Blues
And I can't be satisfied.
Got the Weary Blues
And can't be satisfied--
I ain't happy no mo'
And I wish that I had died."
And far into the night he crooned that tune.
The stars went out and so did the moon.
The singer stopped playing and went to bed
While the Weary Blues echoed through his head.
He slept like a rock or a man that's dead.

And before every poem, Langston would say something like "and the name's at the top of the page to tell you where the poem is travelling." Hahahaha. Also, Langston did not just READ us his poetry, he performed it, and he sang at parts, and he made beats at parts and adopted different voices, it was awesome. He also told us these folk tales that he learned from the author, slash bff Zora Neale Hurston. One was the Word the Devil Made Up....and the other was...How the People Got Their Color. They were fuuuuunnnnnyyyy. Okay here's another poem that he recited.

"The Negro Speaks Of Rivers"

I've known rivers:

I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the

flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln

went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy

bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:

Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

OKAY here is a poem that I really like that I just stumbled upon looking for these other poems:
"Juke Box Love Song"
I could take the Harlem night
and warp around you,
Take the neon lights and mae a crown.
Take the Lenox Avenue busses,
Taxis, subways,
And for your love song tone ther rumble down.
Take Harlem's heartbeat,
Make a drumbeat,
Put it on a record, let it whirl,
And while we listen to it play,
Dance with you till day--
Dance with you, my sweet brown Harlem girl.


ISN'T THAT SO CUTE??? It kind of reminds me of that part in "The Poisonwood Bible" where Leah is talking about her children that are all a special shade of lovely brown. Mmmmm TPWB. Also I love the poem "I, Too" by Langston Hughes. That's all for now!
Love you miss you : )

Brrrr....it's cold in my dorm room!

My dorm is frrrrreeeeeezing cold. My toes are about to fall off. No jokes!  I'm serious!

This weekend was really good.  There was a lot of down time that I should have used to study, but instead I wrote some postcards and just did a lot of thinking.  On Saturday, Laura and I went to IHOP for brunch, because on, quote,

the island,

unquote they don't have any chain resturants, or franchises, and stuff like that. So hence, Laura had only been to an IHOP once before, and we thought she needed to check it out. ANNNNND it was SO delicious. It was such an unbelievable relief to be able to not be eating caf food, even though breakfast is the best meal at the caf. IHOP was so delish!! We had been planning to go since FOREVER ago, basically, but our plans just fell into place, came to fruition this Saturday.  Plus, this Saturday it just so happened to be raining ALL the live-long day.  Yes, we biked to IHOP in the rain. We were soaking when we got there, but it was so much fun anyways. Then Laura went to Walmart and I went to Aldis' (such a success I shall write about later!) and we met up much later after we did all of our respective shopping. It was basically awesome, but very cold both outside and inside in the a/c.

Then later I went to a birthday party for a girl named Chesley who just turned eighteen!! It was very small and very fun, and we played low-key Taboo for forever and there was pizza and music and DELICIOUS brownies and cute decorations. It was very fun and I met another RA named Connie who lives in Alpha.

...during the party I came back to my dorm to take out my contacts and I ran into some people who were partying. And basically they told me that without alcohol, parties are boring. And I absolutely refuse to believe that and it made me SO mad to hear that people actually believe that! It's ridiculous. But that is the mindset of a lot of people here, I feel.

Every day, I wake up and I am happy to be here, but during the nights I get very frustrated by the ridiculous amounts of substance abuse that goes on with everyone, underage and of age and abuse of not just alcohol., and how it is treated SO casually by everyone here.

And there that is my small rant about how frustrated I am becoming.

Friday was very very nonchalant. I just talked to M and D, but mostly just dad (because mom is a smellbik) via vid chat. PS olds you need to check out skype still and add me, search me and my city is St. Pete's. I was very happy to get to talk to dad for such a long time, it was awesome! I've also skyped with some people who've just moved into college, like Sam and Parker, and I've got plans to talk with Chelsey and Rachel soon. Unfortunately Lauren says her webcam capabilities are slim to none with the Trine network. So sad. I also talked to Bob which was awesome because I just miss miss miss everyone and everything, you know? It felt really normal and good to be talking to all these goot friends I've known since forever.

So lately I have been having the MUNCHIES to the extreme, no jokes! I have been depending on triscuits and chocolate too much lately. So after brunch on Saturday I went just a teensy bit past Walmart to Aldi's and I got SO MUCH STUFF for just fifteen dollars. It was SO awesome and so satisfying too. I got pretzel sticks and caramel cakes and lemonade pouches, fruit snacks, granola bars, ramen nooodles (mmmmmm), chex mix, and I think that's all....but that is A LOT of food for fifteen dollars. I feel like this would make Shannon and Josiah very proud of me : )  Oh I also got a two-pack of toothbrushes just in case I drop mine in the bathroom or something. It's a paranoia I have. Somehow allowing my toothbrush to come into contact with ANY surface of the bathroom here. It's so dirty....euhhhhh. Gross.

Then today, Sunday, was a little bit weird. I wish I had done all my work so I could just lounge and relax today. That's my goal for this week is to be prepared enough to do nothing when Sunday comes around so I can just enjoy it and not be worried that I'm not prepared for the coming week or Monday's classes. (Good luck to me!)

Sarah told me the other day that she is sending me a package soon and I am SO excited because it is rumored to include a belated graduation gift!!!!!!!!!!!! Weeeeeeee!!!!  I did not get a chance to photograph the sunset from the seawall like I said I would. Sorry I'll keep trying.  HERE are some photogs that I have taken recently:

Oh j/k here is where I like to sit and watch the boats from during the sunsetting hours. It is so pretty, I took this photograph way earlier during Autumn Term I think.

This to the right is in the Robert's music center, where I go to find pianos. It's really cool because the building is just these outside corridors, so it's not really a building....but a network of rooms....or something. I like it though. It's pretty.

Then below here are three pictures, one of a painting made by joeandlefty, actually left, by spray paint! I got it at the sigma block party for....FREE! I really like it, and I was SO impressed by Lefty making it in under five minutes. So cool. Then the shark henna tattoo is mine, and the surfer dude is Laura's that she got on her wrist. (Also at the block party.)

http://www.spraycanartists.com

We <3 IHOP. (Or, iHop if you let Apple control your mind.)

PS

Ps it's eleven eleven make a wish : )

Is "mmmm Joshua Radin."

Eh hem right now I am listening to the song "Everything Will Be Alright" by Joshua Radin.
Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0cSev4R5rs
It is very lovely.

So....my first week of classes was successful. It didn't make me freak out. I think my math professor is certifiably off his rocker.  He is so funny and his class is pretty interesting.  He lectures to music and gives us handouts of the playlist. This Thursday's included Tu Pac, U2, and some other funny stuff. I also had my first honors colloquium meeting which was just fiiiine. I have mountains of reading to do!!!

Yesterday I went out to ride my bike and it was annoying because the only way I can get to the beach is to ride on 54th street, which is REALLY busy. And I do not like busy roads, at all! There are no sidewalks towards the beach and so this is a conundrum, if you ask me.  So I turned around and just rode around in a little neighborhood off of 34th street for a while. It was okay, but I had a constant feeling of not really knowing where I was going, which made me a little nervy knickers. It just could not compare to muck farm road, though, if you ask me. All these speed humps you have to go over are so annoying.

(That was last week, this is this week, the week of September sixth)
(I got distracted.)
So my Monday-Wednesay  classes this week have beeen crazy indeed. I read "The Epic Of Gilgamesh," just alright for me, three chapters of "How do I save my Honor?" and four books in the Odyssey. The Odyssey I must say has proven delicious thus far. Here is a good quote from The Odyssey in book 9:

"and I, myself, know no sweeter sight on earth
than a man's own native country."

And here's another, from book 2:

"Few sons are the equals of their fathers;
most fall short, all too few surpass them."

Laura, Synthia and I have been reading this epic out loud, and it makes it SO much better. Except it's mostly just me and Laura because Synthia is always going to dance practices and such. Lately I have been spending a lot of time out by the sea wall behind my dorm.  It is very peaceful and out there watching the ships on the water makes it really difficult to feel stressed or any kind of negative emotion. It's really peaceful especially near the end of the day, when the sun is going down a little and the sky is starting to turn to colors. It is very pretty. I'll try to take a photograph that does it justice.

I'm pretty excited for this weekend, too. I'm going to see a movie, that has great reviews on rottentomatos.com called "Tokyo Sonata" with Synthia, and Saturday I am hopefully going to Habitat for Humanity with some friends and maybe going on a wakeboarding trip. Tomorrow Laura and I are going to make an emergency snacks trip to Walmart, because I can't handle only having :
1. Cereal and milk
2. Dark choco bars (mmmmmmmMmmMMMMmm......)
3. Triscuts
4. Apples that I never eat because I hate eating apples.
Seriously. When I get the munchies I have no idea what to do.
It's depressing.  So I will get some pita chips and hummus, and maybe some bananas. And some other stuff but I like to snack healthy so we'll see what happens.
SO YEAH. My life in a nutshell right about now I guess?
Now I must go to sleep. I have a ten o'clock math class tomorrow. Yuck! Night.

Glory glory!!

The news is good.
I did not shrink my favorite pants.
I just gathered the courage to try them on and...
they still fit.
!!!
Yesssssaaaah!

Hey this is real college, now.

Hellllo there friends,
Yesterday I had my first real classes! I had French, and western heritage with prof Hilliker, who is also my mentor. French was a leeeetle bit crazy because I can't really remember a lot of le francais from high school. I think it will start coming back to me after a while.....? Hopefully.  I ALSO had geological oceanography! I was only there for fifteen minutes or so, because we only went over the syllabus for the lecture and lab. But the professor seems very nce. Some of our lab days will be used to go out on boats, and my neighbor, who had him for autumn term, said that it's really fun because you can go swimming and such off of the boat. Then today I had my math class. I feel nervous for math! I haven't taken any math in over a year, but luckily I have a math teacher for a sister. Tomorrow I will have my western heritage honors lecture, which I bought the books for today, and one is written by the professor of the class. Professor Felice's book is called "How Do I Save My Honor? War, Moral Integrity, and Principled Resignation." So YEAH.

The weekend was super! I did a lot of running around, playing frisbee and shooting hoooops, as they say. I went to two soccer games on Friday, and then on Saturday, I went to Adventure Island, a water-park across the street from Busch Gardens. It was SO FUN. I was so tired from being gone 12-6 but then I went to, 1. play frisbee, and 2. "intergalactic" bowling which was just bowling with really loud music and some blacklights. It was very fun, but I didn't even get back unil 2:00 a.m. Sunday was pretty relax, I just chilled and such and went to chapel.
Here is a pictura of me on the way home from Adventure Island with my friend Chris:

DO YOU WANT TO HEAR SOMETHING AWFUL?
I think it was....Friday night. My RA was dj-ing a party on campus, and I got locked out of my room. I got locked out with only a towel and it was awful. So I had to use my neighbor Laura's phone to call campus security to come unlock my door. It was terrible! But very very very funny, I couldn't stop laughing when it happened!!!! Luckily when Laura left, she ran into Synthia who promptly ran all the way from Alpha to unlock our door.  Thank goooooodness.

Laura just walked in and for the sake of propriety says that I should describe in this here blog:
She is from the VINEYARD, Mass.
She is tiny.
She is a gamester. We are frisbee pals.
She loves the spicy hot cheetos, which she has stored under my bed in an attempt to eat them less.
So far not working.
She un peu crazy.

:Here is a slightly-blurry picture of me and Laura at a soccer game two weeks ago, and another of us  playing a crazy soccer-goalie reflexes game with a water-bottle cap:

Last night
UHM SO YEAH.

Monday I FINALLY was able to get my package that came on Saturday, from home!!!  It was SUCH an awesome package. It had a wonderful blanket, some nutellla (drooool), Bert's Bees w/ honey, SIX bars of delicious dark chocolate!!! I ate the last of a big bar of dark choco last night while I was watching a lightning storm off the sea wall behind my dorm. It was very cool.  ALSO Monday I got to talk to Laur on the phone which was awesome and I really really missssss herrr so much I just wanted to jump through the phone and give her a big hug because I miss her so much!

I finally got a web cam so if any of you want to video chat just let me know! That means YOU, mom! You, yes you mom!

Now....I am going to take a nap because I am all done with classes for today (it's only1:00!) and I have mostof my work done for tomorrow! And I will use the new blanket that the world's-best-mom sent me.
WOOOO.
Okay
Peace out homies.

Syd.