Hey
there, awesome reader (I’m going to assume you’re awesome, since you’re
reading my blog post and all)! I’m Manda, also referred to as Amanda
Rose Tiberius (Yes, both the Amanda and the Tiberius are Star Trek
references) or that-one-girl-who-cooks-and-sings-pretty-well.
I’m a 1st year student at Shimer in my second semester. I started in the spring of 2012, so I’m kinda behind or in front of people academically, depending on how you look at it. I also work in the Admission Department, entering data and filing, which most people would find boring, but I really enjoy. I live off campus on the North Side with my brother’s family.
When I’m not at school or work (which I am almost always), I like to play one of the many instruments I know how to (current list includes: piano, guitar, bass, trombone, harmonica and I sing). I also write terrible poetry and expository essays about nothing in particular, go on tumblr and reblog pictures of food/good cosplay/articles about feminism, struggle to sew my own clothing and curtains, cook lots of yummy stuff, and play with my dogs, Ajax and Boston.
This year, so far, has been pretty epic. Granted, it’s only been approximately three weeks, but I’d like to think the rest of the year is going to continue on in this vein. I’m taking Social Sciences 1, Natural Sciences 1, and a film course on the French New Wave. In Soc, we just started reading Suicide by Emile Durkheim. It’s a little denser in comparison to the anthropology we were just reading (Benedict and Ortner), so my mind tends to wander, especially when we get to the hard statistical parts. I really do enjoy the conversation in the class, though, and people bring up some of the most interesting points that I would have never thought about. In Nat Sci, we’re reading Lucretius after having just finished the Pre-Socratics. We’re trying to work out a way of viewing the world and how it works from the viewpoint of someone who doesn’t have the same technology we do in the modern world. I’m increasingly impressed with their abilities to get so close to the truth without tools like microscopes. My film class is also pretty sweet. One class a week, we watch a screening of a film, and in the other class that week we discuss the film we saw and talk about the different techniques used by the director. So far, we’ve seen The Rules of the Game and The 400 Blows. The class is compelling, but French film, I’m sorry to say, is really depressing. I’ve been leaving the screenings each week just overwhelmed with the images I just saw. I hope this will get better.
I’ve also been in the process of preparing for the Jewish High Holidays. This year is the first year that my niece, Beka, will really be able to participate, and even though her parents are not religious, I’m trying to teach her about her Judaism, even if it’s just culturally. I will also be extremely busy with getting our tech booth up to snuff at the synagogue. I’m the head producer of the service each week, and I also create and run the presentation with the song lyrics in it. It’s a pretty demanding job for one that is completely volunteer. I do it, though, because I’ve been going to that same synagogue since I was 3 years old. The High Holidays are just this awesome time when I can get together with my spiritual and real family and have a sense of community, which I am extremely grateful for.
Speaking of community, I’m so happy to be back with all of my Shimer friends, and to get to meet the new students this semester! We had a bad movie night couple weeks back where we watched this terrible Japanese horror film called Hausu or House. It was literally every terrible 70’s movie combined with Japanese film oddness added in. I had so much fun chilling with friends that I almost forgot to do my reading. Oops!
Between fun events like that and the Ella Fitzgerald concert we all went to in Millenium Park, I haven’t had much time to sit down and rest. Being a college student with 2 jobs can be pretty stressful, so I’m hoping I start to learn to give myself some break time from school and people at school.
I’m a 1st year student at Shimer in my second semester. I started in the spring of 2012, so I’m kinda behind or in front of people academically, depending on how you look at it. I also work in the Admission Department, entering data and filing, which most people would find boring, but I really enjoy. I live off campus on the North Side with my brother’s family.
When I’m not at school or work (which I am almost always), I like to play one of the many instruments I know how to (current list includes: piano, guitar, bass, trombone, harmonica and I sing). I also write terrible poetry and expository essays about nothing in particular, go on tumblr and reblog pictures of food/good cosplay/articles about feminism, struggle to sew my own clothing and curtains, cook lots of yummy stuff, and play with my dogs, Ajax and Boston.
This year, so far, has been pretty epic. Granted, it’s only been approximately three weeks, but I’d like to think the rest of the year is going to continue on in this vein. I’m taking Social Sciences 1, Natural Sciences 1, and a film course on the French New Wave. In Soc, we just started reading Suicide by Emile Durkheim. It’s a little denser in comparison to the anthropology we were just reading (Benedict and Ortner), so my mind tends to wander, especially when we get to the hard statistical parts. I really do enjoy the conversation in the class, though, and people bring up some of the most interesting points that I would have never thought about. In Nat Sci, we’re reading Lucretius after having just finished the Pre-Socratics. We’re trying to work out a way of viewing the world and how it works from the viewpoint of someone who doesn’t have the same technology we do in the modern world. I’m increasingly impressed with their abilities to get so close to the truth without tools like microscopes. My film class is also pretty sweet. One class a week, we watch a screening of a film, and in the other class that week we discuss the film we saw and talk about the different techniques used by the director. So far, we’ve seen The Rules of the Game and The 400 Blows. The class is compelling, but French film, I’m sorry to say, is really depressing. I’ve been leaving the screenings each week just overwhelmed with the images I just saw. I hope this will get better.
I’ve also been in the process of preparing for the Jewish High Holidays. This year is the first year that my niece, Beka, will really be able to participate, and even though her parents are not religious, I’m trying to teach her about her Judaism, even if it’s just culturally. I will also be extremely busy with getting our tech booth up to snuff at the synagogue. I’m the head producer of the service each week, and I also create and run the presentation with the song lyrics in it. It’s a pretty demanding job for one that is completely volunteer. I do it, though, because I’ve been going to that same synagogue since I was 3 years old. The High Holidays are just this awesome time when I can get together with my spiritual and real family and have a sense of community, which I am extremely grateful for.
Speaking of community, I’m so happy to be back with all of my Shimer friends, and to get to meet the new students this semester! We had a bad movie night couple weeks back where we watched this terrible Japanese horror film called Hausu or House. It was literally every terrible 70’s movie combined with Japanese film oddness added in. I had so much fun chilling with friends that I almost forgot to do my reading. Oops!
Between fun events like that and the Ella Fitzgerald concert we all went to in Millenium Park, I haven’t had much time to sit down and rest. Being a college student with 2 jobs can be pretty stressful, so I’m hoping I start to learn to give myself some break time from school and people at school.
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