One last post before the tab (to the right) turns to November.

My roommate had a jazz concert tonight and it was AMAZING, SPACTACULAR, and more and more and more. There were six girls, seven boys in the ensemble, and they performed the best music I've heard in a while -- inspiring. there was a piano player (who reminded me of the one from Charlie Brown), a bass player (with a sweet guitar and shoulder-length hair), and a drummer (with gold-painted rock-band drums), who accompanied the group -- and together performed "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" without vocalists toward the end of the concert. A horn trio (trumpet+saxaphone+trombone) also played during a few of the chorus's songs; and one song was performed by this really cute womens treble jazz choir that also did the "doop-do-doops" behind the sound of the larger choir. It was jazz, like I said, and it was all MOVEMENT. Really free-form music, and everyone was moving continuously (dancing in place, etc.) and getting into the rhythm which was brilliant in itself: very spontaneous, especially in "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy." The only non-student on stage was the conductor, and she moved around the stage and only directed certain parts of the group on stage when needed (ex: for one of my roommate's solos the director coordinated her part with the trumpet player, so that they listened to eachother pick up the music, one at a time, then free-style together). I wish I could send you a tape or recording of it...it's amazing what some people can do with music.
Tomorrow I'm going to the State Theatre to hear Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings -- another jazz group. So excited!

Hey gang! hope you all survived devils night. ill put pictures up sooner or later of my pumpkin. halloween is only like 5 years old here so its lame compared to the united states lol. no house decorations or anything...im trying to get lena and jonas into the spirit, so we are makeing some pumpkin pie over the weekend. and elenor, i definatly agree with you over the voting, but surprisingly i had it easier. i registered to vote in january, then they mailed me an absentee ballott form, and then they mailed me the actual ballott lol. okay, so it was a lot of hassel, but still. ive voted and i am happy. its strange, because i swear the US election gets more news in sweden then the swedish election lol. everyones alllways asking me about it, so i had to explain the electoral college numourous times...i get blank stares and people are like...well why do you still do it that way? umm i cant ever answer taht one...tradiotion?? haha. but anyway, i dont expecially love either candidate, but well i hope obama wins. and that was hard to say so you better be proud of me elenor!! me and my friend diana (also from the states) are staying up all night to watch all the states turn colors on tuesday. it will sooo be worth it. and i hope the war will be ending soon. and shannon, i will keep your uncle andy in my prayers. let me know how he is doing and you can always talk to me about it, my family went through it last year. i love you guys. xoxoxoxo.

Well, we've all said it so: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! with three exclamation points. We have one moldy pumpkin in our room that was colored, not carved, and trick-or-treating is not an option this year...no costume either. It's going to be a dismal Halloween, which is ok because it's sort of a scary holiday, and a bit on the crazy side. On the bright side: I have reason to suspect one of my teachers is a witch, and the dining halls are now serving candy corn on a regular basis.....maybe dismal is too strong of a word.
Despite voting and politics it sounds like you two are having a good time. Nikole: I sent you a letter like Jackie and El's, but it came back to me today without enough postage (even though I went through the postmaster). So, that should be coming soon : ) Elena: Thanksgiving is up-in-the-air. though soccer's great, it may keep us playing through break (for NCAA playoffs if we do well enough). Miss you guys!
Shannon

Happy Halloween Eve!

Yay for pumpkins!  Nikoleson, you should take a picture of it and post it. :) I want to see.  And a witch is so you. jk! Yay Ithaca soccer once again! I'm glad life is good there Shan, biking sounds very relaxing.  I'll pray for your Uncle Andy, it's good he's with family.  Are you going home for Thanksgiving?  'Cause I'll see you there if you are.  I haven't been going to karate, which makes me very very sad.  But the only good dojo around here is far away, and VERY stuck up.  They think that their style is the best thing since bloody sliced bread, but it's kind of dull.  They don't even allow spinning back-kicks, for crying out loud!  I love spinning back-kicks!  I miss my old dojo...

Halloween is going to be very busy, but I think I'm going to be at a party off campus with the group.  Or clan.  Or legion.  Or whatever it is that we call ourselves, it changes a lot.  I don't have a costume yet, but I'm hoping that will change in the next twelve hours....

I finally got the absentee voter thing figured out; still waiting for it to come, but I should be fine.  I'm supporting Obama.  Big surprise, right? :)  

I'm very frustrated with the U.S. voting system.  For starters, why does it have to be so darn hard to vote?  In MI, your registration address has to be the same as your driver's license address, which makes it extremely inconvenient for college students.  Of course, you could just ask for an absentee ballot, but in order to do that you would have to have voted in person before, which I couldn't do because I wasn't eighteen yet.  So they got around all that by letting me "double register," which just means you go into the SOS office and show them some ID and that shows them that you're a real person and not committing voter fraud.  Because using a fake ID wouldn't get around that? Apparently....  Would it not make more sense to just show up at the voting booth, give them a couple forms of ID, and VOTE?!  That's what Minnesota does, and they have the highest voting rate in the country.  Because it's easy.  And makes sense.  And you know what?  They don't have any more voter fraud than anybody else. 

And I'm not even going into the electoral college, except to say that while it may have been a good idea 200 years ago, it is no longer needed.  

So yeah, sorry about the rant.  I just think that exercising your constitutional right to vote should not be a headache.  That doesn't seem very democratic.

I love you both, have Happy Halloweens.

 

Hey!

So, today i carved a pumpkin..its a ghost! but it was a little sad because i miss doing that with my family. Yes, i have already voted. i sent my absentee ballot home last week! as for the election news here: the stuff i DO understand (which isnt much) gives me the impression that it is very one sided. the only issue that people in sweden care about is basically foriegn policy, and of course not bush lol. so its very much in favor of obama, like seriously, everyone here thinks exactly the same things about the election and politics in general. it makes me miss america and all the variety of people you meet there! what are you guys doing for halloween? i am going to a halloween party on friday and im dressing like a witch! scary! well i miss you both...talk to you soon.

nikole

P.S. The pond is too small for boats...but it does have fish!

El and Nikolie:
Life is beautiful, and I'm starting to get into a rhythm here. We beat Nazareth (our biggest rivals of all time) on Saturday in double-overtime, and scored off of a direct kick just outside the 18m (final score 2-1). I watched, not played, but it was so exciting I didn't notice. Then yesterday we had the day off, so I biked through the trails on the hill above campus; the sun was setting even though it was only 5:30ish and it was fun riding fast through all the leaves -- kind of like when we went trail riding and mud biking a while ago (but with only a little mud).
Elena: The powwows and temples sound so cool! Definitley a must-go. There are lots of things to do on campus here, but nothing as cool as that. Maybe at a visit sometime we'll have to go... Are you still doing karate? Teaching!!! And so soon -- it will be a good experience either way!There are sailboats on the lake here still, but I think they're mostly private (so I need to find a friend with one, like you, my dearest). (wow, this is really choppy...sorry).
Nikole: Casino Royale was the best movie I've seen in a while. I'm trying to watch V for Vendetta again sometime....maybe over winter break. Have you decorated any pumpkins yet? Send some pictures if you do! Are you running track? I hope you're having a good time either way. Did you send in your absentee ballot? I'm sure the news there is much different than here.

I don't know if you've heard yet or not...my Uncle Andy has pancreatic cancer. He just had a biopsy, and they're waiting to hear exactly what it is, or how bad it is. So, I'll try to keep you updated on that. My grandparents McNichols are at our house right now with my Uncle Mike and Uncle Andy, and they'll probably be there for Thanksgiving. That's about it. I don't want to end it on that note, but this is already getting long... Shannon

Sup Ladies, My Name is Slim Shady

Not really.... But my Chinese name is Ai Li Na. It means "Love Beautiful Girl", which doesn't really make sense, but the people who gave it to me said it was "really, really cute." So that's good. :)

I just got back from visiting Adam, so I'm not really sure whether to be happy or sad... But I got to see him play and he was really good and he didn't hurt himself (which he does distressingly often) and so all around it was a good trip.  

I'm a teacher now! I have my first class on Halloween at 3:00!  I'm teaching English to Chinese students at the International Friendship House.  So exciting! I finally get to try the job I want to do for the rest of my life!  I'm actually kind of nervous... I'm going to find out whether or not I need to rethink my entire life plan... whether or not I actually would like teaching English... Aaargh! Life-changing moments! How stressful they are! 

Shan, I got your letter!!! I love knowing where everything is, but where is the lake? You said you could see it from the roof, but what direction?  And how steep is the slope, it was hard to tell from the map.  The fountains look beautiful in the picture, and so does the pond! Can you take boats on it and everything?

I love you both.

In response...

Hey dearest shazza and elenor:

SHAN) I read Matthew 9:4-12, and I agree with you...it is a different look on marriage. i always got the impression that either you marry or become a priest, but this passage says that its not right for everyone. thats pretty interesting. what do you think about it?

Also, Ithaca sounds great! And thats crazy that your soccer team is so good; are you getting more playing time now that you are healed? How was Casino Royale?

ELENOR) Omg all those trible dances and what not sound oh so exciting. You must promise to take me to some of them when i come home (since i will be going to u of m). I expecially want to see a native american powow! Jackie confirmed that she indeed has the baton, and also that you filled it with lots of starbursts haha.

I HEART YOU TWO

Hello, darlings

 Hey guys, sorry I haven't been keeping up.  Yay Ithaca soccer! I wish i could come to a game... And Nikoleson, I got your letter, details are coming soon. :)  I'm going to the Song & Dance Ensemble of West Africa tonight--so excited!! I've been looking forward to it for so long! I also went to a Native American powwow and a Buddhist temple this weekend.  Shan, I think you'd like the temple.  There are three monks living there, and everyone is very peaceful and friendly.  There are lots of woods around it, with hiking trails and labyrinths and such.  The monks have really interesting things to say about Buddhism and other religions... it makes all the conflict about religion seem very silly.  And we should all go to a powwow sometime!  They're so much fun!  The dancing is very easy to pick up and the music is really good, all drums and singing and energy.  And they have amazing jewelry and clothing and art for sale, too.  

I sent the baton to Jackie on Monday, so it should be starting around again soon.

I love you both.

Reply to other posts

Hi. I found this really interesting passage in the Bible: Matthew 19:4-12. It talks about divorce/marriage, and what caught me the most was the last verse that talks about people who are not called to marriage. Read it, it's open to interpretation (surprise, surprise). Talk to you soon.

Hi everybody. Life is going good. We had thurs. and fri. off for fall break, so I got some work and stuff done. Campus was really empty because most people live pretty close (east coastish). We had soccer practice both days and saturday had a game four hours north agains St. Lawrence U. It was FREEZING...but an exciting game. we were behind 1-0 after the first 15 min. and tied it up with three minutes left in the game. very stressful. we went into double overtime (10 min each) and ended in a tie. It was supposed to be a crucial game in deciding who was better -- we're ranked really closely in the region/conference...etc. exciting news: we're ranked 11th in the nation now for Div. III. YES. That took up my whole saturday, and when I got back to Ithaca I caught the 10:12pm bus to the commons and walked the rest of the way to my cousins to see leeza, who arrived in syracuse by train around noon. we walked a lot sunday, around campus, town, hiking trails, and I finally saw Casino Royale. It was the first really relaxing day i've had (no soccer either -- day off). Syracuse is about an hour away, so we left at 8pm the same day (so not much visiting time, but it was quality) to get leezanne to the 10pm train. And that was my four-day weekend. back to reality, and sorry this is so long. Shannon

is anybody there?

hey gang just wondering how life is. i mean. seriosly. how much homework can you have that you havent written on the blog in FOREVER!!! jk. but really. not much news here, fannys in south america, my bro has mono (kissing disease oh no), and im going to finland in a few weeks. on a boat. so yea. thats all....

Just some swedish stuff...

Okay. So first we have some pictures of the track camp i was at, showing the colors of the fall on one of the only sunny days there has been this autumn. Beautiful, i love all the trees and water here! Then, we have me in the outfit i wore at school today, styles much different here! haha, thought you guys would like to see...

Newsage

Hey everybody! Shan, BBBS sounds fantastic! You should definitely keep us posted on that...

Here is State news:

 Nobody has been raped.  However, some girl was assaulted by a guy with a pocketknife.  He ran away when other people walked by, though.  No harm done. :)

 I've been going to International Coffee Hour pretty regularly.  I always meet really cool people from Iran or something.  Or China.  There are so many Chinese students! It's ridiculous, but fun.  I can creep along behind them and try to understand what they're saying. 

 I went to a comedian with my Uncle Matt yesterday evening.  He was pretty good, but talked a little too much about his penis.  The comedian, not my uncle.

 If you guys ever get the chance, you should see The Bible Tells Me So.  It's a documentary on the relationship between the church and the not-straight community and what the Bible actually says about homosexuality.  Very interesting, but kind of sad.

 Did you know that many Native American societies had three genders?  Male, female, and nadle.  Anyone who didn't feel that they were male or female would declare themselves nadle, and they were often very respected leaders and such.  And other societies didn't have three genders, but if, say, a woman was a lesbian, she would go hang out with the men and do everything they did and would be treated like a man.  And it was the other way around for gay men.  I thought it was pretty cool... and we say they were "primitive." Pfft. Their societies were more understanding and civilized than ours.

 So thats about it for now. Love you guys, hope to hear news soon. 

Running is running no matter what.

Hey Koleson and Elenor:
That's a bummer about track. You can still do other things right? Rock climbing...biking...riding the bus...: ) I know not, but I hope it goes ok. How is Fanny doing? El: any new rendezvous for you? My Big Brothers Big Sisters interview is complete, so now I'm just waiting for them to process my app. That's about it for now. I'll talk to you soon. Lots of Love. Shan

?

Why does track cost so much?! Poor Nikolson... hey, if you do have to quit, then you can spend extra time on rock climbing! So there will be something, anyway.  Or you could go to ice bars a lot. :)

hjalp

hey gang
that picture is soo cute! well not much here, except i am a little sad cuz i might have to quit track...it costs around 400 dollars and i still have the rest of the year to think about. i dont kno what to do! love you both

Hooray!

Look! We were cute! 

This is from the window of the bus; coming back from the Skidmore game yesterday.

Ahhhh! I have not been keeping up with you guys!

Hi!
Sorry I havn't posted in AGES! I love the artwork Nikolie and I hope you're not lonely -- Sweden and school seem fantastic! And the costumes are great too! At applefest I met up with some girls from the team and we explored a halloween store: and the "v for vendetta" mask was there and it was awesome! I'm glad someone in your dorm capitalized on that, El. The pirate costume was great: you look like someone out of my "Captain Kidd and the war against the pirates" book. That class is going pretty good. Some of the lit. is entertaining and most of the discussions too. I get to watch an old 1930s film, Captain Blood, and turn in an essay on it for midterm. Renting the movie was not an option -- I tried several -- so ended up buying the movie....maybe it will come with the next baton trip. Hey -- do you guys realize that by the time we're together again we'll have at least 3 foreign languages under our belts? If we traveled together we could get by in almost any country. That's pretty sweet. Anyway I'll keep this short. Looks like you both are having a good time. Maybe I'll post tomorrow. xxoo

some more

here are some more people in my class. we got the blues brothers, napolean dynamite, pedro, mario, luigi, a king, and the spice girls

Speaking of Costumes

Ha! You look fantastic! Also scarily masculine... but fantastic! Was it a special day at school, or were you just being cool?  And I'm so excited that you also dress up!  Here is a picture of a typical dress-up session around my dorm.

I'm the one wrapped up and with goggles. Next to me are Jane, Vi, Bailey, and Jon, and Maurgerite is kneeling.

School

So, this is what i wore to school today. hahaha...argh

Miss you too

I miss you too, Kolson... I put a letter in the mail a few days ago.

Did you know....

i miss my sharona and my elenor. so so much.