Yes, you're looking. But can you SEE?

I think I should take a break from posting for awhile, since I've done one every day for the last few days. I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick of me.
Well, if you're getting sick of me, you don't have to read this. It'll be here when you come crawling back, I promise.

What a week! What a time! What a sentence! What a paragraph! What shall I talk about first? Let's talk about my first week of classes! Review: Austin is taking English Composition-H, Art History (Renaissance-Present), and Geology (6 billion years ago-now). Update: Austin has decided to drop Geology. Why? Let me put it this way: I thought I'd be bored with a class about rocks and the history of rocks, rock families, rock groups, and rock musicians. That joke may be lame, but it's Seinfeld-worthy compared to the instructor. I think one of his parents must be a rock, because he seemed to only have one-half of a personality. He reminded me of Ross on Friends, only if Ross were cooler and more sure of himself. He obviously has a passion for rocks, (and so did his mom, if you know what I mean...) but he's so dull, I knew I couldn't take the class. A dull subject? I can do. A dull instructor? Everyone has them. Put them together? Can't do it. Also, as I've said, several people I know really LIKED Geology (not as much as this professor's mother, but that's a different story), and I feel I need a more engaging, interesting teacher than Professor Boring.

Now, Art History. I've only taken one class so far, as it's a Saturday course, but, so far, so good. While I feel I know and understand more about Art and Art History than the teacher, (that's not me bragging, it's just the truth) but, she's very passionate and knowledgeable, so I plan to enjoy it, even if it is more of a review than a learning experience.

Finally, English Writing. I saved the best for last. The teacher is fantastic, very off-center, which makes class, at the least, refreshing, at the best, sublime. Here are a few things from his syllabus:
Purposes of this class:
To understand & see the beauty of the English language & its magic
To see
To keep looking after we think we've seen
To change our perceptions
To Astonish

It's maybe the first class ever where I've been excited to go home and do my homework, because of the teacher's ability to inspire and excite. I expect great things from this class, and myself, if I do say so myself.

That's school. By the way, the picture at the top of this article is by Tim Noble and Sue Webster, it's a real sculpture made of junk, and that's what its shadow really looks like. My English teacher showed it and similar pictures to us, to get us to think, and to see. The below image is one of these. It's made of knives, forks, & spoons, made by Shigeo Fukuda.

And, speaking of machines made out of junk, this week, because of all this wonderful snow, my car rammed into a curb, bending an axle, or rod, or something, and we had to pay a pretty penny, plus $249.99. OUCH. But, it could be worse. Glad it was a curb, and not a car, person, or cat. Ok, so I kind of wish it was a cat... ;) So, for the rest of the snow season, I'm going to be driving VERY carefully and VERY slowly.

On a happier, less expensive note, my dad's sister Kerri, her husband Robert, and my cousins Emily and Nicholas Ostergard all came to town last week. We went over to my Uncle Jim's house twice to visit. It was a lot of fun, and I was very glad to see them. It was cool to feel like one of the "grown ups" this time, too. We also got to visit with Jim's family, obviously. (We tried avoiding them, but it was inevitable. It is their house, after all.) We loaned them 'Stardust', Tracie's and my favorite new movie. That's the last I heard of them. I hope they're ok. I hope they watched it. ...And I hope we get our movie back.

That's it for now, lotsa fun, family, friends, faith, fortitude, feathers, flying, fish, franks, forks, finches, funk, and figs.

TTFN!

*One more note. I couldn't pass this up. Omphaloskepsis. Anyone know what this means? Anyone ever done this? I know I have. I am right now. Sometimes when I work out, sometimes while I'm just ruminating. Thanks, Freerice.com!