Return to Millwood

So. It's been nearly a month since I got back. First things first, I suppose: finals went well, and my grades for the semester came back: As in American History, European History, Russian/Soviet History, and Historic Preservation, and a B in Art History. And yes, I made the Dean's List for the second time. So, I'm considering my first year of college a decent enough success, overall. 

I got back to New York late on May 12th, just in time for Rebz' prom on the 13th. She looked absolutely beautiful, as always. Went to her concert the next evening, and the next week or so was spent catching up with the high school friends who had gotten home by that time. Brendon had to leave again quite soon, as he is studying abroad in Japan for two months over the summer. Other than that, I've been spending most of my time desperately applying for any job I can get an application for, and writing to all the historical societies from the city to Dutchess County, as my plans for Ireland fell through. It's been discouraging, to say the least, but I'm still waiting to hear back from a few places, so... in the meantime, I suppose I'll keep bothering people. the New Castle Historical Society is looking pretty promising, and I've gotten calls from the Bedford Historical Society, as well as the Briarcliffe Historical Society, but I don't want to get my hopes up. Cambridge is still a plan, thank goodness. My sister got into a program at Oxford for the month of July, so the family (minus Nick) is going to pick her up on the 31st, and between then and the time I need to be at Cambridge (the 7th of August), I'll be vacationing with them. We'll be mostly in the Cotswolds, and after that, my family is going their own way for the rest of their vacation while I'm in class. 

Speaking of Cambridge, I've just gotten the list of required books I'm meant to read before taking the classes. There are thirteen of them. Books, I mean. If it weren't for the fact that I now have to order them from the Cambridge bookstore, and wait for them to arrive (or preferably find them at the local Library or on amazon.com), I would be the happiest person in the world. At the moment, I'm about half-way through "Anglo-Saxon England," by F. M. Stenton. It's going more slowly than I thought it would, but that's because I'm actually reading it-- not skimming it. The thing is, I actually know essentially nothing about the period between the re-call of the Roman troops to Rome, and the Norman conquest. So... it's proving really fascinating, of course! I'm just hoping that I'll be able to get through the rest of the books at a rate faster than 100 pages per day. Oh... by the way. The classes I'm taking are: 

The Making of England: Kings and Conquests, c. 600-1066

The Norman Conquest

England's First Heresy: John Wycliffe and Lollard Texts

English Radicals and Revolutionaries, 1376-1414

Anyway. It hasn't been all work, of course... 

My mum and I went to Stonecrop Garden in Cold Spring for Memorial Day... 

...and then walked around Cold Spring itself for a while. 

...and for a while I was really perturbed by this clock, painted on the window of a clock shop. The roman numeral for 4 is written as "IIII," and not as "IV" as I know is the correct way... I'll get to the rest of that story later.

Okay, so Rebz and I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art the next day (and I was very honored to be the first person to take her), and started wandering around the European Decorative Arts wing... and behold:

...again with the "IIII."

... and again. But anyway. More on that in a bit.

A piece of sculpture we came across in the Byzantine Art section, if I remember correctly... someone had carved their name into it in 1836. 

...yeah. The clock thing was really irking me.

Swagger portraits! (Yes. That's actually an official name for them.)

When/if I ever have money... I want this tea set.

We also went up to the rooftop garden, which was really lovely... it was actually the perfect day for it. Very warm, but too much so, clear, and very sunny.

...and we walked along Central Park back to Grand Central...

...but anyway. After agonizing over the "IIII" v. "IV" thing for two days, I finally looked it up... turns out that's just the way clocks are. Really anti-climactic end, but... whatever. Supposedly it has something to do with the symmetry of the clock face.

Yep. 

As you can probably tell, things have been moving really slowly so far... so if I don't post again until August, it's not because I'm forgetting to: it's because I actually have nothing to write about. Though I probably will. 

All my love,

Tasha

Visits and Papers

Well, it's been a long few weeks... I really dislike February. It is the shortest month of the year, in terms of actual days, but I don't think any month manages to drag on for this long...

Thankfully, I've had plenty to keep my spirits up. The weather in Baltimore gets warmer sooner than it does in New York... which I'm less happy about in autumn, but at around this time of year, it's wonderful. There's a bit of a shorter wait for spring. I've also been very happy with how my classes have been going (for the most part). My first paper for American History had me a bit nervous, as I very unwisely assumed I could leave it 'till the last minute, and I didn't think I did as well on it as I could have... to be honest, I thought it was awful. I just got it back last Thursday, and --surprise of surprises-- I got an A on it.

I'm starting to think Karia has a point when she tells me to calm down about these things. (Actually, I've been hearing that from a lot of people recently. They may have a point.)

I also got back my first paper for this semester of European History the other day. It was really fun to write-- the premise was a bit more complicated than this, but essentially, I got to blather on about the Enlightenment for 5-7 pages. Of course, being that the Enlightenment is my favorite time period, and I've managed to keep everything I learned about it in high school stuffed in my head, I had a lot of material to work from... so,  yes. My paper is ten pages long. And I could have written at least five pages more. And I'm definitely not going to let it get to my head. In any case, Professor Fraser writes really detailed comments, and for papers, she actually types out a separate page of comments. Personally, I think this is a brilliant system-- I wish all the professors would do that. But anyway. I now have a page of what is, essentially, her going on about... well. Here's what she said:

"Comments:



Natasha, this is excellent- not only for a first essay of the semester or for the level of analysis I expect for this introductory class, but as a proper historical essay that succeeds on a much higher level. You write very well, using clear, concise prose, and your analytical observations are astute and sophisticated. Your attention to chronology in these documents and how they compare to each other is very good, and you have shown an understanding of these documents that far exceeds my expectations at this level. Well done! I sense that you have even more going on in your brain than you could fit on the page, so throughout the semester, something you can work on is achieving even more succinctness and clarity with your arguments and examples. History writing can be particularly challenging because there is always so much we can include! I have no problem with the length of your essay here, but I think you can also work on conciseness and precision- and practicing the always difficult decision-making process about not only what should be included, but also what can be left out. I almost hate to give this grade on the first assignment of the semester, lest it indicate there is no room for improvement, but this really is very well done. Keep it up!


Grade: A "

Yep... I'm happy. Historic Preservation and Russian History are going just as well, though I wish I could say the same for Art History. It's not that I'm doing badly... I just don't have quite the same level of enthusiasm for it as I do for my other classes. I'm sure it's just the way this professor is teaching it, and that I'll be a lot happier once we get to the survey part of the class (where we actually learn history), but right now, we're just going over all the theoretical stuff. There really is a certain type of person who is cut out for it. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm one of them.

Ah well. I honestly cannot complain. Too many good things going on to be able to grumble because I have one class I'm slightly frustrated with.

Daria, my sister, visited the weekend before last! It was great to see her again... unfortunately, it turned out to be a really busy weekend for me in terms of work (both for class and for, you know, actual work), so we couldn't do anything interesting... I feel really bad about it. But I suppose that's the way things happens sometimes... next time, I'll have to make sure I have a enough free time to go around to museums and such. We did manage to get to the Paper Moon Diner, after a bit of an adventure in wandering around Baltimore at 7.00 in the evening, and Daria finally got to meet Kaira and Ellie, so I'm happy about that at least. (By the way, if you're reading this Daria: Kaira and Ellie say "hello.") We also went to see a friend of mine play at the Gopher Hole (the bar/coffee shop of Goucher campus), which was really fun. And... that's about it. I'm a very boring older sister. (Sorry.)

Speaking of work... I've been looking to get another job, since I'm now only working at the stables on the weekends, and at a really inconvenient time too. I wouldn't mind that, if it were a job that was actually helping my resume, or my major, or my education in general, but... well. Feeding horses doesn't do any of those things. So I'm looking into getting a job at the library for next semester (or for the remainder of this one, if possible). If I do get a job for this semester, the hours are likely to be a little odd, as the library is open 24/7, and nobody really wants the 3am-6am shift... but if it gets me time to do my work on the weekends, I'm happy.

Anyway... that's about it for now. It's been pretty dull around here, to be honest. I've been rather slowly working on A History of the English Speaking Peoples, by Winston Churchill. I'm about halfway through Volume II (so just around the Spanish Armada), and I'm hoping to read The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco, after Volume III... so I'll be needing book suggestions for this April-May. Ideas, anyone?

My love to all,
Tasha

ps. I've had a lot of Edward Elgar running through my head lately as well.

Letters and Maps

Well. I got a very exciting letter yesterday evening... I would have gotten it earlier, I assume, if I had thought to check my mail box more than once a week.

It reads:

"Dear Natasha,


Congratulations on making the Dean's List during the Fall semester of the 2010-11 academic year. I hope you are proud of your success; you deserve to be.


As you know, Goucher College has always held academic achievement as its highest goal. Your accomplishments send a clear message that you have embraced this goal too, and I commend you for your hard work and dedication to learning. 


I hope that you will continue your good work and enjoy the satisfaction that comes from doing your best. If there is anything that I can do to assist you with academic matters, please let me know.


Sincerely,


Mark M. Roy
Provost"

So... as you can imagine, I spent the majority of last night bouncing slightly and grinning like an idiot. (And reading for my Russian/Soviet History class, but that's part of the daily schedule at this point.)

Other than that... not much to say. I spent most of today outside, either at work, or taking little walks in the woods. It was surprisingly warm: in the high 40s F... it felt like early Spring. To me, at least... Kaira is still convinced that she'll freeze to death if she steps outside for more time than it takes to walk to class and back. It was just so beautiful, though... I was sort of traipsing around the woods, singing The Lord of the Rings songs to myself, and I'm sure that would have been a strange sight to walk in on, so I'm glad nobody had that experience.

(And since I'm on the subject, I just discovered the Tolkien Ensemble. For those of us who are interested in that sort of geeky stuff, their version of Sam's Song in the Orc Tower has got to be my favorite so far. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoVnWUQ9CR8))

Anyway... it was just... beautiful. Tolkien and the first instances of Spring weather (even when it is in February, and it probably won't be warm again until April) tend to stir up those sort of sentimental feelings in me. Don't mind that.

Well. Until next time,

Tasha

ps. It just occurred to me that I'm going to be 19 in a bit more than two months. A bit early to be thinking about that, I'm sure, but... goodness. The further past 16 I get, the more concerned I become that I'm just not ready to be this old. I'm currently reading Notes of a Red Guard, which is about a man who lived through (and was very involved in) the Russian Revolution. He was economically independent from his parents by the time he was 16. (In fact, he was making twice as much money as his father was by that age...)

...irrational? Maybe. But I still can't help but feel somewhat inadequate.

pps. Also, I've finally finished unpacking all my things. Which means that I've finally finished putting up all my maps, including a French map of Colonial America, and another following Lewis and Clark's route to the Pacific and back. My happiness about this is highly disproportionate to the actual accomplishment.

Cardinals and Snowflakes

Hello again!

Firstly, I saw a snowflake today. Yes. One, single, snowflake. Not much, but it was enough to keep my hopes up for a real winter. Secondly, I just finished my last piece of work for Philosophy EVER. Thirdly, yesterday was my last day of work at the Stables until next semester. So... yes. It's been a good day.

...I've got to figure out what I'm doing over the Winter break. I have a few plans laid out: I'll be visiting Mallorca in January, and I'm really excited about that. Of course, there's the annual Holiday party at home. This will be the first one I haven't been preparing for for months prior with our little a capella group... and there's the obligatory giant get-together with my high school friends. A few of my friends from Goucher may also be coming up for New Year's... so that should be good. But other than that... I mean, it's not like I'm going to have class work to do, or finals to study for. What am I going to do with myself?

A lot of hiking, hopefully. But other than that, I've been attempting to... well. Lots of non-academic projects going on, actually. A list might be the best format...

1. I'm trying to get a jump start on Arabic (which I will be taking at some point) by teaching myself the Arabic alphabet. So far, it's going as one would expect it to... slowly. I'm not worried, as I taught myself Elvish in the space of two weeks over the summer. If I can teach myself a made-up language in two weeks, then I can figure out a real one in the space of a few months.

2. I'm teaching myself basic Egyptian hieroglyphics. Which is exactly as practical as it sounds. Which is not at all. But it's a lot of fun, and the way I see it, if I get an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (which is what I'm trying to do, but more on that later), I can hang out in the Egyptian Art section and try reading the 'glyphs for myself.

3. Applying for internships. My most ambitious is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's unlikely I'll get this one, since they want college juniors and seniors, and one question on the application concerns how many languages one speaks...

...er... how about (barely) fluent English, basic and very slow Spanish, random phrases in Elvish (plus the Quenya alphabet), half the Arabic alphabet, and some random Egyptian hieroglyphs?

Not gonna work.

Seriously, though. I'm suffering from a bit of... how do I even describe this? "Language anxiety?" I don't know. But everytime I let myself sit around and think for too long, I start worrying that I don't know enough languages, or the right ones. Which is a competely valid worry, thank you very much. I keep telling myself I'm gonna really get down to work on my Spanish (I'm saving up for a Rosetta Stone program for Spanish, to help me practice and hopefully, get me beyond kindergarden level), and that I'm gonna try to teach myself Arabic/German/French (any of those, depending on what mood I'm in that week), but... urgh. Maybe I am worrying about it too much. Probably not though.

Anyway, I'm also looking at an internship at the Archaeological Department at Colonial Williamsburg, which I think would be... well. Pretty perfect. Colonial American and British History are my favorite areas of study, and I'm curious about Archaeology as a study... AND, the College of William and Mary is literally right there if I want to take classes and get some credits out of the way.

I'm also looking at internships at the Museum of the City of New York (where I saw a great exhibit on Dutch New York a while back), and at Mount Vernon (George Washington's home and plantation).

4. Knitting myself a sweater. It's the first time I've ever actually tried to follow a pattern, and it's coming... slowly, but well enough. I only work on it when I have nothing else to do (which is pretty rarely), so... yep.

Anyway.

Not much more to talk about... except... well. Okay. My friend Chris and I are thinking about getting a pet shark.

...yes. A pet shark. The ones we were looking at grow to 14 inches long.

In any case, I'm just thinking about it. It started out as just his pet shark, and I was gonna get him a tank for Christmas, but if we decided to share the shark, and split all the costs, it would probably be a bit more beneficial for both of us... and more fun. (Come on. Who doesn't want to be able to say they have a pet shark?)

Well, I'll keep you up to date on that. And... that's about it. I'll write again soon.

Love to all,
Tasha

Last post for a while...

Well, I'll be leaving for the White Mountains in a matter of minutes, most likely. I'll be returning next Friday evening, but I figured I should write now so I don't have too much to write about when I get home.

I've been working at the local organic farm at Hilltop Hanover (for those of you in the area), mainly counseloring at the day camp, Turtle Island. Now, most of you probably already know that I'm not too fond of small children. Some of you know more than that. And even fewer of you know that there are many small children that I'm actually quite fond of, but those aside, I was pretty nervous about working with 30 kids almost on my own for a week. Today was the last day, and I have to say, I'm really going to miss it. I had so much fun. The kids were wonderful, my fellow counselors were wonderful, and I enjoyed every bit of everything we did. I'll be working there again the week after I return from the White Mountains, and I'm very much looking foreward to it.

I have to cut this short-- time to say goodbye to my parents.

p.s. soccer fans: root for Spain for me. :)

Lots of news

Well, I suppose I should get the bad out of the way first: my laptop crashed, so I haven't had much computer access. I've been able to get most of my files back, as I email most of them to myself at school, but there's still a lot of stuff that I did over the past summer at the writing programs and the NSLC that I won't be able to find again... ah well.

But other than that, things have been going great. I got my driver's license on June 3rd (finally). And prom was... well. A LOT more fun than I expected it would be.

Just a few pictures, but I think you get the idea.

Monday was my last day of high school. That was interesting... on the one hand, I am so incredibly happy to be leaving. On the other hand, there are some people I'm going to miss seeing almost every day. And there's this strange feeling of attachment to the building itself. On Monday morning, I went around to all my usual haunts (past and present): the hallway outside the computer lab, my desk in the library, the green room, the forest pathways behind the parking lot, my favorite tree... and I don't know how much I'll miss those places, but there was the kind of "this is my last time here" kind of thought going through my head. Very strange.

But moving on: I went to my summer orientation at Goucher yesterday. It was amazing. I met so many people I liked (and one person I rather didn't, but that will probably change as I get to know her, as we'll be riding together). I took the equestrian placement in the morning and, of course I'm not on the team. Having never ridden at that level, and having not ridden in about four years I never expected to be. I took the placement because I was interested in taking lessons, and I was going to sign up as a beginner. But the head of the department said that if I had any experience riding at all, I should take the placement, so I did... and I got placed the level above beginner. And I've got a job at the stables for next year set up. So... that's good, I suppose. :) It was amazing seeing some of the other people riding, though... the two girls who made the team were just beautiful to watch.

I've also decided that I'm starting a badminton club. I asked around, and there isn't one already, and quite a few people I talked to said they would be interested, so... I've got that project ahead of me. I'm also working on setting up my schedule for the fall semester, which is turning out to be surprisingly complicated... I kinda wish that the advisors could be of more help, but I suppose its good for me to figure out all this stuff on my own. My advisor is also my professor for the Philosophy of Science, and I met him yesterday. I like him, so far at least. Interesting sense of humor... he refers to the building in which he works as "the labyrinth," and to the area in which his office is as "the place where the minotaur resides." I was the only person in the class who got that joke, which I think he appreciated.

So... I'm excited.

What else... well. I'll be working at a local organic farm for a few weeks this summer. They run a small children's camp, and I'll be helping out there, as will a friend of mine. So that should be fun. I went to the orientation for that on Sunday, and I'm looking forward to that.

I'll let you know when more things come up... in the meantime, my love to all,

Tasha