days go by...

I know it's more than halfway through the semester but I would like to walk you through my typical week. So come, take off your shoes and put mine on for a little while..maybe you'll appreciate and understand me more?...ha. prolls not. (probably not).

.Monday.

First class: 10:15-11:15am Chinese 101 with Shen Laoshi. Probably my favorite class of my whole schedule. I walk in and am greeted by Thomas (a quieter but very nice boy), a boy that sits on my left and then Michael (total fun outgoing ASB-like kid) usually comes in a little after me. We're our own little study group, and a fun one at that. I love this class because our side of the room has some enjoyable people that all want to learn Chinese. This class is obviously my favorite because its chinese, somewhere in that 6 months that I lived there I picked up the addiction, and its also full of friends, which is just as important. Our teacher Shen Laoshi (laoshi means teacher) is a very cute and very very chinese lady. She's older and we have a lot of fun. She reminds me a lot of Tina (our foreign coordinator in china). It's like my own piece of china four days a week. :) it's made missing china not so bad (though it still hits hard sometimes.) Wo hui shuo yi diar zhong wen. (I can speak a little Chinese.) ♥

the class room i'm first seat, third row from the window

the first day I saw this poster I knew I had to get a picture of it. I literally laughed out loud when i saw it.
I mean come on people, could we be any more doom and gloom? haha it still makes me laugh.

then I go home switch out books grab some lunch and head out at about 12:30


Second Class: 12:45-1:45pm Parenting with Brother Gardner. I absolutely love this class. I took a family class last semester that was all about the Proclamation to the World and loved it. These classes seem so beneficial is more ways than just being educated about these things. They are so applicable to life, and the most important parts of it. Naturally its all girls with the exception of 4 boys and our teacher. We have two older parents (one's a bishop, another a very opinionated mom), 2 newer moms (each has 2 kids, one is pregnant with her third), we did have an expecting dad but his wife just gave birth to their first baby this past week, 2 other pregnant girls (around my age), and the rest hopeful future parents. I love my professor. He's not loud at all but he has a sense of humor and we have fun, and he knows his stuff. One day he actually brought in his 7 year old and his 14 year old and we got to question them about he's parented. Very enjoyable class.


Third Class: 2:00-4:45pm Drawing with Sister Cook. First of all please note the length of this class. Oh yes, many MANY art classes are 2 hours and 45 minutes long. That alone is just a huge red light in front of you. So drawing, like totally the easiest class on the planet. You just go and draw for about 3 hours. I mean I love doodling. It's a class where I can just do my hobby and get credit for it. Fun right? RIGHT?!! NO. Let me assure you this class is probably the total opposite of the spectrum of enjoyable-ness that I expected. Number one, I'm pretty sure we are Sister Cook's first class. I could probably write a huge long blog just on my frustrations and very very strong dislikement of her alone. Believe me I've vented many a time. This class is turning into the headache of my life. It has made me sit and actually think if I want to be an Art Major (which I am), but if all the classes are going to make me hate art as much as this class has then it is plainly not for me. We do construction drawings (you don't even want to know), pen drawings, we've just started room drawing and have gotten into value with charcoal. I've gotten into the groove now where we go, critique our homework for about an hour, then we just draw for the rest of class while I listen to music. But at the beginning is was mostly sit in these ghastly chairs that were designed by the devil himself while listening to bitter cynical first time teacher that just got out of the program herself and is taking out all of the crap she had to do on us. I know it's pretty much like I'm getting credit for partying really. Did I mention that our homework usually takes around 3 hours? Oh and don't even get me started on the "art majors". For the love.

the class room

designed by the devil yes? yeah try sitting in those for 3 hours two days a week and we'll see if you're in a happy disposition afterwards. it's as if the small inadequate cushions are mocking me.

these beauties took a good 3 hours to draw. enlarged from an 8x11 to a poster size piece of paper. no rulers allowed. (these are construction drawings)


we seriously spent 2 hours one day drawing rolls of toilet paper.


my first pen drawing. i think i only like it for the subject



pen drawing: turn this

into this


(construction drawing) make this

into this

more construction drawings:


more pen drawings:



this one is a particular favorite :) shoe face

Tomorrow: Tuesday