Jack's What to Bring, I (Clothes)

sponsored by 
La Crema Coffee and Roastery, 
La Conner, WA

The weather here in Bellingham is fickle in such a particular way. It will jump around from rainy to snowy to windy and sunny, and almost all in the same day. Having gone through a cycle in my first year, I feel pretty confident about what you should bring clothes-wise to adapt with the weather.

Thick rain or hiking boots - I myself have hiking boots that are just a few hairs too big, so they're comfortable when I lace them up, and I don't get too hot if I have to wear them all day. Also, you don't have to be scared about getting your socks wet when walking through campus, which is notorious for puddles. Just relax, and have a moment of childhood nostalgia just splashing through the puddles.

[Jack suggests: "Wearing boots without holes...or made by Disney in China."]

Jackets / coats / sweatshirts - It is a good idea to have a variety of cover, from light to heavy. Then you're ready for the sunny-yet-not-warm days, the truly-rainy days, the suddenly-sunny days, as well as the days the sun takes a break: snowstorm-days. Umbrellas are a good accessory, but be wary--the use of an umbrella is oft-seen as a non-Washingtonian trait.

["One word: layers."]

Cold-day clothes - Layers and boots go a long way to keeping warm. As do gloves and / or mittens, a scarf, and a hat. A hat or hood of some sort is perfect for keeping your head / hair dry. To stay with the "in-crowd," I suggest a beanie, hooded sweatshirt, fedora, or any hat you feel comfortable with.

["Tricornes are perfect, and proven against even the saltiest weather."]

Sunny-day clothes - Once and a while, the sun will decide to visit unannounced, like traveling relatives, and so it is always a good idea to have appropriate apparel for these fleeting moments. Whatever you wear during warm days, whether its short-sleeve shirts, tanktops, shorts, unbottoned-button-up shirts, sandals, etc., that's what I recommend to bring, even during Fall and Winter quarters--just in case.

["You have to learn to take in the sun, especially with some rum."]

Fancy / Dress-up clothes - Many times this year, I've seen groups of people all dressed up as if there was a fancy dance. Most of the time, it was for an off-campus party, or just a group of people wanting to be randomly fancy at dinner or late night. If you are one to wear ties and / or nice dresses, it won't hurt to have them available.

["Make anything look good."]

The main point is to be ready for almost any kind of weather at any time of the year up here.

Looking for good coffee in La Conner, WA? Look no further than La Crema Coffee and Roastery for your caffeine needs. Great coffee and timely service,  with seating, Wi-Fi, and parking available.
Personally, I like the dirty chai.

I claim no rights to Captain Jack Sparrow, Disney does.

College By the Numbers, Year I

For those that are curious, I've compiled some numbers from my freshman year that may be useful. This info has been gathered from each of the quarters (Fall, Winter, and Spring), so you can click the links for more quarter-specific numbers.

Edit: It has been requested that I reveal the numbers on living expenses in the dorms. According to this WWU document, dorms (w/o meals) cost $5,571.

Each student is given a Laundry Card to use the washer and dryers on campus. Initially the cards have $1.75 on them, and then each student is responsible for reloading their card by going to the dining halls and paying cash at the converter. While doing laundry this year, I spent $19.50 from the card ($17.75 of cash onto the card), and found $8.39 in the machines, hidden in wet piles of lint, hair-ties, lipstick, and paperclips.

-17.75-8.39

[-$9.36]

In total, I spent $960.80 on 13 textbooks. Most of them I was able to sell back to the bookstore for some cash, but I'm going to try and do more student-to-student transactions when possible, to keep costs down and cash-back a little higher.

-960.80

[-$960.80]

Each quarter, students with certain meal plans are given $150 Dining Dollars on their ID cards. This money is for buying food and beverages at the on-campus diners and markets. The leftover money is carried over each quarter, except for summer, where it disappears. Of the $450 given to me, I easily spent it all.

450-450

[$0]

I paid for an Unlimited Meal Plan for three quarters, with the combined cost of $3,179. The unlimited plan allowed me to eat whenever the dining halls were open, without worrying about using up all of my meals.  I've been keeping track, and I've used 161 meals which equates to $1,233.75 if I had paid for each meal myself. Each quarter there were 10 guest passes available, and I used all 30.

Meals, 146 (1,125 of 1,208), 176 (1327.5 of 1049), (1233.75 of 922)

3686.25-3,179

[$507.25]

Each student is given $25 a quarter for printing off of the school's printers. With black and white costing $0.05 and color $0.25, that's 500 and 100 pages, respectively. Out of the $75 available to me, I only used $38.10, and all in black and white (762 pages). If students run out of this free account, printing cards can be purchased and reloaded in the library.

75-38

[-$37]

At the beginning of the year I had a $100 gift card to the Associated Students Bookstore to buy things other than textbooks. All of this money was used to buy pens, pencils, paper, CDs, surge protectors, and a few other things I needed throughout the quarter. I found it was really good to have the card on me, as I didn't have to spend my cash--which could then be used to buy other things, like bowling or hot dogs in Bellingham.

College Rat Move-Out

During Finals Week, I had a lapse of humanity, and started to express a possible instinctive trait carried down from rodents after the Great Chasm in Earth's biological evolution from germ to demi-god-germ. The specific trait I am talking about is shared with birds, rodents, pregnant she-humans, and many other organisms discovered and hidden: nesting.

The definition of nesting instinct (according to Wikipedia) includes phrases such as:

...nesting instinct refers to an instinct or urge in pregnant animals to prepare a home for the upcoming newborn(s). It is found in a variety of animals (both mammals and birds) including humans...It is commonly characterized by a strong urge to clean and organize one's home...

[--All-Knowing Wikipedia]

It is thus that I have a confession to make...I am having a nesting instinct because I'm pregnant: with ideas! Also, I was moving out at the end of the week. Here is a selection of picture-images of the sequence of chaos.

My side of the room after I took it un-lofted it (lawfully). I had a fridge, microwave, locker, drawers, and box of food beneath it, so it had to be moved into the open middle.

My roommate's bed before taking it apart (top), and then the following chaos of his bed on my bed [uncensored].

Through the scattered remains of the bed, I noticed that our Jeweled Doorhandle Owl was leering at us. And then I realized his bed was suddenly de-lofted like mine!

This is how my closet and fridge / microwave combo looked until the moment I moved out. The other power plugs were either taken, or inaccessible due to other displaced stuff. So, it was all plugged into my closet.

This clutter intrigues me, and terrifies me at the same time. It's like the image of hiding yourself away in the middle of a huge museum of paintings, or shelves and shelves of books--I'm drawn to that idea, but I'm afraid that once I start, I won't stop.
It is this image of being nested within something inspires me. I want to be enveloped in it. Also, the nesting thing may also be my mind cradling all these ideas in my head--some of which will be taking fruition soon, and some I have yet to start tilling.
Damn, my metaphors and literary devices are scattered today.

Jack's What to Bring, Intro

The full title is actually Jack's What to Bring to College, but it will be shortened for future posts.
This summer, with the help of Captain Jack Sparrow and La Crema Coffee and Roastery, I will explain things to bring with you when you go to college, from clothes to ideas to dorm-living. Hopefully this will be an entertaining little project to keep posts going for a while during summer break.

If you have any suggestions, write them here (anonymously, or not), or post on the Facebook page for Alex Kramer Blogs.

College By The Numbers, Quarter III

Herein lies the continuation of my "College By the Numbers" series. You can click through these links to find the numbers from first quarter, as well as second quarter.

Western's Spring 2011 quarter started March 29, and officially ends June 10. That makes the quarter 2 months and 12 days--equivalent to 10.4 weeks; or 74 days; or 53 weekdays.

[Wolfram alpha is amazing]

Now, time for The Numbers for...

Dorm Life

• Finished one bar of shower soap
• ~2/3 of a bottle of shampoo
• About a quarter of a tube of toothpaste
• One tooth brush
• Visited home four weekends of the ten weeks
• I actually found $0.74 in the laundry machines...
• While spending $8.75 on my Laundry Card
  
  Note: It's a good idea to have like $3 on your card, in case you need to have an emergency cleaning.

Class Materials

• Went through two black, ball-point pens taking notes in four classes.
• Used another half "vial" of pencil lead.
• Between four classes, I went through two-and-a-half  notebooks.
• Almost finished off the last of my lined paper, mainly with math.
• Spent $492.59 on five textbooks--the most expensive being accounting, at $132.

College / Campus

• Every quarter, I have $150 available on my Western ID card to use at the campus markets and coffee shops. Any leftover money goes to the next quarter--but ends up getting deleted when summer starts. Last quarter I had $3.25 left over, so a total of $153.25 at the start of this quarter. [Enter total here]. I had 17 cups of dirty chai (chai latte with at least a shot of espresso--usually two).
• I ate at the dining halls a total of 161 meals, using all 10 of my guest passes. This was using an Unlimited Plan, which I've liked particularly for its flexibility and I don't have to worry about making the meals last the whole quarter. Just like last quarter, I kept extensive track of my meal-usage.
• An average week had 14 meals this quarter. If I had paid for all my meals with cash, it would've been $1,233.75. According to the file I found on WWU's website, the cost of an Unlimited Plan during Spring Quarter was $922.
• I printed about 202 pages using school printers. Each student gets $25 per quarter, which is 500 pages, or $0.05 a page (black and white. Color is $0.25 a page). Students that need more may add money to a card to use with the printers.
• I used the Bellingham Bus system a lot this quarter. The first time I tried, I had to pay because apparently after that much non-use, my account was dropped from my card, but the next day I had it sorted with a quick, three-minute visit to the right offices.

Things I've Heard In College, Quarter III

Girl at the dining hall to her friends (and half the room): "I have a big announcement to make: I know how to make Baja Blast! It is basically blue gatorade and Mountain Dew!"

Woman outside of a house party, "I know how much I weigh: 93 pounds, and five shots."

"Hey, dude, were you in my Econ class last quarter--sat in the back--drank Four Loko in class."

"Yeah, I don't know why everyone made a big deal about it."

"With the utmost respect and love, I call you guys "The Scroll Down Generation.""

Cinema teacher holding a strip of film from a reel: "What if I fell off a spaceship from Mars, that was somehow orbiting Bellingham, Washington--the supposed cultural center of the Universe--how would you explain this to me?"

"We've all seen a Godzilla film, buzzed at 3 a.m....Was I the only one? (somewhat-silence) It was a great spring vacation."

"I don't mind breasts, but I'd rather not show you cockfighting in class. Is that weird for anyone?"

Pack of guys sitting in Red Square, watching the ladies walk around.

Guy 1: "The one thing I have discovered in college that I love: yoga pants."

Guy 2: "Really? You've never seen them before?"

Guy 1: "Nope. I went to a Catholic high school. So this is awesome right now."

"NASA should have cheerleaders! You would get up at 4 a.m. to watch something get shot off into space if NASA had cheerleaders."

"Fuck! This Goofy Movie shit is cramping my night!"

Two guys walking around: "I love this weather! All the booty shorts are coming out and the tank tops are showing!"[They high-fived]

Guy in line ahead of me swagging it up with the barista while ordering coffee.

Barista: "May I help you?"

Guy: "Yes, but I'm not sure what I want. (Looks at menu a moment). You look like a woman with great taste. Why don't you surprise me with something you like, and I'll try it."

The barista winked at him and wrote down the mystery drink on the cup (and maybe even her number by the way she smiled).

Accounting teacher talking about depreciation of items: "We can't make the computer disappear, like with Harry Potter's wand magic. What would it be...not 'disappear'...Anyone know how to cast a wand spell?...'Disappeario!' (wand-flick motion)...Sorry, I really like Harry Potter."

"I find it strange it's okay to show kids peoples' heads blowing up and sing-alongs with purple dinosaurs, but people freak out the moment a woman's breast--something they will actually see in life--is shown on television."

"Don't ask me to draw: I can't draw a straight line with a ruler."

Me during Halo: Reach: "Sorry, that was my grenade. I threw it like an hour ago."

Roommate that was inadvertently targeted: "It's okay, I watched Dodgeball."

Film teacher: "Seems like a lot of people are under the impression that 4-20 is an actual holiday. All of you nice enough to be here will be rewarded, and not in a way related to the date."

A student in the back of a big lecture class (with slanted, concrete floors) knocked over their glass bottle (of V8, Starbucks, or Whiskey, I don't know). It rolled down quite a ways, and then hit something and shattered. From the moment it was knocked over, the attention of the class and teacher was on the sound. There was a moment of "They're gonna get it" silence after the glass shattered, and then the teacher smiles and says, "You guys are seriously giving me flashbacks." And proceeded with the lecture like nothing happened.

After watching The Graduate in class, teacher ends with: "Contrary to popular belief, people from this era did have a sense of humor, and procreated once and a while."

"You should take a bat, hang it from the ceiling, and smash the pinata against it!"

Teacher scans the lecture hall before starting class: "Oh, a lot of you are imitating empty chairs today. Well, it is a beautiful day, and it'll only get harder as the quarter passes, but you should still try to make it to class, I'll make it worth your while."

"If I had 1% of what Avatar made, I would buy an island! I wouldn't be here, you'd have to come to me to learn about cinema."

When asked about if a question would be on the math final, teacher says: "I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of said question on the final--to cover my ass about it."

End of Quarter Procrastination

The final quarter to my first year of college is winding down, and I can't get my mind to focus on one thing for too long. So many possibilities and things to do! I blame the excellent weather, except it was cold and borderline-rainy all day. (It was so sunny this weekend). I jump from immediate things like study for tomorrow's math test,watching YouTube videos, snacking (etc.), to working his summer, working on paintings, and packing for fall's quarter. Long gaps in time between those two, I know.

I find it ironic that in order to procrastinate from something as vital as math studying could turn into somewhat "productive" (possibly more extensive work) of wanting to write this blog, or read a book, or find out a percentage of my paychecks to set aside for next year's taxes, or calculate how many "deaths" the new series Mortal Kombat: Legacy has caused (total time watched vs. average lifespan of humans). It also makes me want to do things of less "productive" value, such as take pictures for this summer's blogs, or watch videos about red blood cells, or play some more rounds of Halo: Reach. 

This evening's path of procrastination as gone thus:

• Dinner
• Check all emails
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Watching all new subscription videos (vlogbrothers, sxephil, relmvision, and tobuscus, to name a few)
• Catching up on Hank Plays Portal 2
• Looking up random articles on Wikipedia
• Thinking of reading more web comics, but realizing I've read all the updates to my favorites
• Watching Charlie McDonnell's video on procrastination (seen below)
• Studying for math
• Remembering and doing something for Biology
• Writing this blog
• Remembering and watching Hank Green's video on Red Blood Cells (link above)
• Reflecting on art
• Watching new  last week's episode of Superjail 
• Studying
•  Posting this blog
•  Sleeping

Here is the Charlie McDonnell video I was telling you about. I guess I have to unplug the internet more and revert to my laptop being a giant iPod, or just take my typewriter and homework upstairs for a little retrocity.

I've been where the sun doesn't shine...

It is on campus, and it is called "Mac Lab" at Haggard Hall. Literally, the sun doesn't shine there because there is no windows, and it is in the middle of the building. You can be in there for hours at a time, and you don't know if it is still day or when dinner was (unless you use the clocks, but still).

With a group of dedicated members, we have edited a 5-minute and 30-second video in roughly 20 hours since Monday evening. This project was due for a film class today (Wednesday), and the reason it took so flippin long was because editing 3.48 GB of HD video files on Adobe Premiere 8 can be...frustrating.

I'm mainly writing this as a warning, rant, and praise at the same time.

Warning: When people tell you that during a film project, editing takes up a majority of the time, listen to them. Our group knew this going in, but a few switch-ups in our filming schedule, as well as people going home for weekends pushed back the days we could actually edit our footage.

Rant: I love what computers and programs and technology can do for us, but sometimes, I just want to back-hand it all back to 1983 and rewrite everything knowing what we know now. At times, all the data, scripts, RAM, disc space, and everything gets too jumbled and complicated and interfering that they actually do the exact opposite of what you want to do. We had to hold our breaths and literally get on our knees and pray for the video to render, save our edits, save as a certain file, and burn to a DVD to be turned in. I even went to the white board, and started conjuring up any amount of luck that I could by drawing lucky things on the whiteboard.

Bottom right, counter-clockwise to center:

Oriental dragon, pig, salt, horseshoe, toad, cricket, ant, crane, turtle, garlic, amulet, four-leaf clover, pentagram, rabbit's foot, praying mantis, and heads-up penny. Also, I drew this while crossing fingers, and our director has a heads-up penny in each shoe. Luck, galore!

Praise: I'd like to praise WWU for having such accessible computer labs all over campus, W7 / Snow Leopard dual-booting Mac desktops, a really awesome student-tech center, and the ability for students to check out equipment. I'd also like to thank my entire group for the project--who knew that randomly meeting strangers in class and relying on them for a grade would work out so well--lots of professional teamwork, productivity, and focus; I loved it!

Video will be "released" to the public later in the future; the director says after Monday.

Typing as therapy from boredom

Last week I had to do three loads of laundry, and I waiting until later in the evening to start so more of the machines would be available. Like I mentioned last week, I began typing out a rough intro to a story, and people seem to like it so far. Hopefully I kick my butt and actually see it through to completion--ink and color and all--for at least this first part. Even though I have up to Part Three typed, we'll see how far I get.

Since last week people seemed to have enjoyed the story I posted, I thought I'd share Part One of this odd story. At the bottom of this blog are scans of the original, typed sheets. You can also see some of my sketches to get better ideas of the story and characters on my Northwestern Artist blog.

 By the way, I'm calling it:

Posthumorously: Ridiculous Stories of the Afterlife

Posthumously: Works published after the creator has passed away.
Humor: See above.

David: At first, I thought it was all a big mistake...
    Hello?
    ...Hello?
David: Boy, was I wrong.
    Hello?!
    Hello! Is anybody out there!?
    Help! Can anybody hear me? I’ve been trapped here against my will.
    Hellooooooo!
((Above, slow pan of skeleton, from either feet up, or from the fingers with a Wedding Band, then up the ribcage to the skull. Words are coming out of the skull)).
Hand enters the frame, taps on the skull, and begins to draw out David from within. Forming him from a small, clay-like thing into more of a resemblance of who he was, but not quite right yet. Still nude.
David: W-Who are you?
Figure: Not quite sure yet? Just look around.
David can’t see anything in the darkness.
David: Do you know where I am? I’ve been trapped--
Figure: --against your will, I get it. Now come on, this way.
Figure leads David into the darkness, which fades into a red room. In another frame it looks like an elevator, with the mount of buttons, a level readout, and doors--except it is Really long, like a hallway.
Figure ushers in David.
Figure: Watch where you step (chuckles)
Figure locks the elevator grill, and pushes a blank button. The level-readout begins changing.
David: You still haven’t answered me, who are you, and what am I doing here? (Just noticing) And why do my hands look so weird?
Figure: Because, you don’t Remember yet.
David: What does that mean? I am David Co--
Figure:  Cozanowski. Born June 3, 1982. Happily married to a beautiful wife and are a proud father. As to Where we are, I’m afraid only You can answer that.
David: Why me? You happen to know your way around here, you shuttled me here and knew what button to push.
Figure: (chuckles), it actually doesn’t matter which button I push.
Panel is revealed to have all blank buttons. Also, this whole time the level-readout has been changing between only two levels in the scenes. Attention is drawn to this when David notices. Maybe something like ‘Dead’ and ‘Alive’, or black and white?
David: Why isn’t it going anywhere?
Figure: Flicker effect. Apparent motion. Beta-waves (use correct terminology).
Dictionary style of words, like the title.
David: You’re not making any sense! Who are you?!
Figure: I am but a messanger, summoned forth by you to help you on your quest. I may seem all-knowing, but let me assure you, I only know as much as you know, even if you haven’t quite realized it yet.
David: I’m not buying any of it. I demand to be released. I demand you bring me back to my---
Figure: --house.
The elevator dings and both of them are now out front of David house (NY-style apartment?). The scene is now blue, framed by the elevator, which is now just the doorway, panel, and grill. David rushes out to go to his house, but as he rushes out he stumbles and falls down into sand.
He looks up, and now his house is just a cardboard panel on a sandy beach, with an ocean or other body of water stretching into the distance. Crows circle overhead.
View of crows circling, reveal that the scene that David sees is the only thing revealed--all else is covered in darkness, as if out of the spotlight.
David is now kneeling on the sand, watching sand sift through his fingers. They look more realistic and Human-like.
David: (through tears, looking up at Figure) You know what is going on--
Figure: --tell me.
They are now in a restaurant, looking at David sitting down at a table. Both Davids are exactly the same--meaning David has refigured himself to fit his true image (starting to remember). Little details in the restaurant are off: clocks don’t have hands, people don’t have faces, etc.
Sitting-David gets up and leaves the restaurant, walking down the street by himself. David and Figure follow behind. David continues down the street and comes across a dark alley. He gets frightened, and then runs down the street, where he falls and collapses.
Figure: Never were the most courageous. And so begins your humorous afterlife (grinning).
David now looks at Figure, which now has the appearance of David. Cut to David’s confused eyes; they shut.
They open, he’s fully waking up. He is in the dark again. There is a tiny crack of light just in front of him. When he pushes towards it, the casket he’s in falls open and stumbles out, blinded by the intense light.
Caretaker: Welcome back.
Caretaker is sitting at a desk with a typewriter and a hookah on the desk. Everything is natural colors, for the moment.
David: Where am I? Was that all just a dream?
Caretaker: Nope. You’re dead as disco right now. How you feeling?
David: Umm. I’m not sure what to feel right now, actually.
Caretaker: Have a seat. I’m the Caretaker. Everyone comes through here before they Acclimate. Now, let’s look at your Record.
Caretaker is an all-black character with a skull and skeleton of white over his face and body. He’s a real slow talking, relaxed and take it easy kind of guy. The Record is on the typewriter, which is fed by a huge spool of paper.
Caretaker: David M. Cozanowski. Male, obviously. Aged thirty-one. Born June 3, 1982, died March 15, 2013. Passed away after falling on concrete face-first. Paramedics called in DOA. (Smiling) Well, just be glad that I’ve seen worse, and funnier. You okay, son?
David: I really am dead...
Caretaker: Hey kid, you get used to it. Look around, explore a bit. You’ll find that being dead isn’t half as bad as everyone claims it is. You never know what somethings like until it happens to you.
David: What do I do now, exactly?
Caretaker: Whatever you want, really. As long as you’re ready to leave this room, you can leave. But only if you’re ready to face being dead. Hell, you can stay and talk all day if that’s what you need. I have plenty of Time.
David looks around the room, noticing details about it. Very bare room, only a few pieces of furniture: a window, a shelf of books, a lamp, a casket, the desk, typewriter, hookah (ghosts), and hourglass.
Caretaker: I know, it looks a little droll, but its a nice place. Care for a hit? (Offers hose to David).
David: I think I’m fine for the moment. What are those books?
Caretaker: All different books of worship. It helps for some people to sit down and read them, or just skim their favorite parts. Makes them feel comfortable. But just like everybody else, they have to Move On, eventually, that is. If you’re still not ready, you up for a game of chess?
David: I’m actually feeling a bit better. Will I be able to come back again and play another time, or am I passing up the only opportunity?
Caretaker: Oh, don’t worry Mr. Cozanowski, you can come back whenever you need to. Here, take my card before I forget. All you have to do is read the directions when you need me. I may be a busy man, but I have all the time i the world.
Gestures to the hourglass, which is flowing upwards. Also, detail shows that the grains are all clocks.
David looks at the card, which is all white, except for a small red symbol.
Caretaker: It will guve you directions when you need them. Well, if you’re all set, then you can move on to Acclimation. (He opens the door) Of course, you have to Sign-In first.
He closes the door, which has slightly fogged glass with his “name” on it. Very detective-noir-esque.
David looks at the card, it now reads: Don’t forget to smile.
He looks up, and sees a hallway ahead of him completely FULL of people.

[[END PART ONE]]

Wait a minute...

I've been here before...

At the moment, it is 1:40 a.m., I just got done with laundry and homework, and I'm just filled and leaking ideas for art, stories, and things to do in general. I am truly contemplating skipping my first class in the morning so I could stay up a bit later and finish typing / sketching what is just streaming through my mind. While waiting for laundry, I finished up homework, and then pulled out my Olympia Traveller C, portable typewriter, and then began roughing out a story, almost completely freeform and just stream-of-conscious writing. It felt very good to be super-productive: typing while waiting. If my typewriter was a little smaller I'd carry it with me everywhere.

I am instantly reminded of when I went to the Whidbey Island Writers' Association (WIWA) conference in February 2008. My Creative Writing teacher in high school brought up in class he was going to this event a few months later, and said that students may apply for a scholarship to pay for it. One of my fellow students and myself applied; she got the big scholarship to go, and because so few students were attending, I got a sightly reduced rate.

The conference was a three-day event, starting with the introduction meeting and key-note speaker, followed with separating into groups and visit with more authors and do workshops. During this time, I was introduced to another young student, one Miss Kate Laster. We've been talking since then, and she's even started producing a comic series, with a second volume just released.

The second and third days of the conference were full of workshops and lectures all day. From the schedule I got, I circled and looked up classes that looked interesting, and planned accordingly. Partway through the first day, I am struck with inspiration, and I just sat down at a table and wrote, for like two hours on end. I ended up skipping a few of the classes that looked interesting, but I had no regrets. I got something accomplished! Also, it was my first taste of what college would be like--the flexibility and option to not go to class, and just sit around in the sun, typing until 3 a.m., or just finish reading a really good book.

I love college.

For those interested, here is the raw, barely edited version of what I wrote during the WIWA conference. The fuller, edited version can be found here.

Rocket Midnight, Basic Version

“Come on!” she said, flashing an exuberant smile and trying to drag him along. He half resisted against her urging, but was also intensely drawn to what she was suggesting.

A car whizzed by them, submerging them in a blaze of light before running into the night, red taillights dimming into dust, then nothing.

“Oh, come on, George!” her eyes twinkled in the night. The road stretched on and on for miles either direction. Not another car along the single road. Complete solitude.

He tried to stand up and not let her push him around…but her eyes, her smile, her laugh…it was all so—intoxicating. His feet unconsciously led him towards her, and utterly followed her words. He could feel his face grow hot as he thought himself like a puppy on a leash. He looked up sheepishly at her, half hoping she’d see the urgency in his eyes, half hoping she’d ignore it. He looked over his shoulder, back the way they had come. In the distance, he could just barely make out her car, parked on the side of the deserted road. A few yards back from him, the shapeless mass of his backpack and textbooks littered about. He wanted to scoop them up and retreat to her car, and go home to lose himself to reading. Her hand gently rested on his back, sending a rush up his spine that made his eyes whirl. He drunkenly looked at her in a daze.

“George,” she cooed and stopped pulling him. “You never get out enough. You’re always so trapped with your studies and everything. It’s just so boring; you need to live!” She yelled the last word up and out into the sky, the brilliant, star-studded sky. “Isn’t it beautiful? George, look!”

His mouth a-gape, he looked up to the deep blue sky, filled with infinity-infinity stars. He blinked once, twice. He adjusted his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He heard his heart hammering in his ears, and felt a small stream of tears running down his neck. He touched a hand to his cheek; yep, tears. Awestruck, all he could do was stupidly stare into the depths of space. The sky above seemed to wrap around his head like a halo; pressing around him, but everlasting.

“George,” she whispered; butterfly-wings quiet. A flood of warmth seeped through his hand as she gently wrapped her pinky around his. He regretfully tore his eyes from the heavens; and looked down at her. Her once brown eyes were now brilliant mirrors full of nebulas and Dwarf stars and asteroids and satellites and moons and suns and…

All hindrance in his mind cracked and suddenly vanished. He could feel his body realign itself as his spine straightened and he shuffled his footing. A dull burning of power was again burning in his chest, after suppressing it for years in his studies. With a smooth move, he removed his glasses and casually discarded them over his shoulder. His eyes locked with hers, and he leaned forward, slowly; she stood on her tiptoes to meet him.

With all the courage he could muster, he tucked his hand beneath her chin, and closed the distance. Their lips warmly sealed against each other. Without words, they spoke of constellations and black holes with their lips.

He withdrew for a moment, and then looked deep into her eyes, deep enough to glimpse her soul, happily lost in the galaxies.

“Thank you, he breathed; his heart hammering like rocket engines.

“Happy Birthday,” she whispered.

He then embraced her and gathered her into his arms as they silently observed the heavens, and the heavens silently observed them; each full of energy and wonderment.