Photography, Vocabulary, and the Lottery

What do those three things have in common? Well, nothing actually. But those three things are the topic of this post! So today is Thursday, the day before Good Friday, which we have off from school. In other words, everyone is going home today...except me, of course. See, I have a Ballroom Dancing class TONIGHT that was NOT canceled at 7 pm. "Why don't you skip?" you may ask yourself. Well, it's a pass/fail class, and you if you miss more than three classes you fail. Unfortunately, I've already missed three.

I say all that to make the point that I am still here and therefore have had a lot of free time today since my only class got over at like 11:15. So, I decided I would go to my favorite park in town and just chill! It's quite a popular park, with its landscaping, greenery, and waterfall. Thus, you'll often see people there taking pictures. Well, I didn't think that it being so near to Easter, that people would be there in their pretty little 'Easter outfits.' While I was there, there were two different moms there with their respective children. And I think I learned a life lesson: Never photograph your on kids. Just don't do it. I mean, you know the moms were asking for it, just having the kids all dressed up. And besides, what do kids want to do in a nice big open green space? Play, run around, goof off, etc. Not take pictures. I found it quite hilarious, and a few times downright disturbing, as the mom would yell at her kids to get their attention. "Nate! Nate! Look at me honey. Blu blu blu blu blu (strange high-pitched sound remenicient of a chicken)! Nate! NAAAAAATTTEEE!" I mean, really, is that necessary. What kid wants to listen to mommy tell them how to sit and where to look when the sun is out, the grass is soft, and there's a nice breeze?

Ok, now to vocabulary. So, while trying not to be distracted in the park, I did what I came to do-read. I actually started reading a book that was NOT required for class. Those are the best kind! It's Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. He's a journalist who became friends with a doctor named Paul Farmer who does tons of volunteer work in Haiti and elsewhere in the world. I just started the book today, so this won't be a review. Rather, in only reading a few pages, I learned some cool new vocabulary:

haranguing: (noun) a scolding or a long or intense verbal attack; diatribe
ebullience: (noun) high spirits; exhilaration; exuberance

And now to the last topic, the lottery. So at Mercer we have a lottery system to determine housing assignments for next year. Some of my good friends who are living together got pretty shafted. Seriously, their numbers were like 456, 475, 476, 460...out of like 500 or so, which means that's their position in line to get their desired housing. AKA, they likely won't get their desired housing. Not cool. They're pretty upset, and I would be too. Seniors get the low end it seems.

Well that's all for now. I'm out like a skanky trout.