LOST

about six years ago, i was sitting in my high school's library [DMCI] reading a MAD magazine, the issue was lampooning a tv show that had just started out. the premise was described as a group of people surviving a plane crash on a deserted island, while also encountering polar bears, smoke monsters, and another faction on the island known as "the others". immediately i fell in love.

unfortunately, i had already missed most of the first season, and because the internet wasn't what it is today, i was unable to catch up. i would frequently check the dvd section of different stores to see if this "lost" tv show had finally been released, but i would have to wait about six or seven months before it was. the day i saw it sitting in wal-mart [don't shop there], i picked it up and watched it within a week. i would have to wait another year to watch season two. by this point, i was able to start watching season three week by week.

i watched the season three finale with a group of friends who had never watched an episode previously. all three were hooked by the end of the two hour long finale.

tonight, i watched the series finale with one of those friends. it was definitely a bittersweet experience to watch the last episode, in the sense that it was good to know that the producers had a definite ending planned, but knowing that nothing new would ever be made with the same writers and actors.

so, as annoying as most of the characters had become, as frustrating as the constant lack of answers and the raising of new questions was, as unrealistic as the dialogue was between characters, as familiar as the score would become between scenes... i somehow look past all that and have become captivated by the multi-layered characters, the interweaving storylines, the mystery of the unknown, the philosophical references...
i have really appreciated two themes that have been cropped up in the series: the idea that every person has a purpose in life and importance of the people around you. very inspiring.

overall, i would say Lost is a worthy investment of one's time. as i've pointed out, it is not without it's imperfections, but it is a well-crafted, original piece of work that dips into a wide variety of genres. if ever you find yourself wanting to escape into something deep, check out LOST and tell me what you think.

KSherman

"she looks like a deer caught in the headlights!"

that's what a friend said about a girl this year.

and now i understand the metaphor. the motivational speaker, the the teacher, and myself hit a deer last night!!

running water

something we have not had for the past 24 hours.

for the past 2 weeks

i have been living in a house with five other single young adults; a textile science major, a kinesiology major, an education major, an agriculture major, a social science major, and a... traveling motivational speaker...

sounds like the premise of an MTV reality tv program.

what are we doing? we're putting together a summer program for a kids camp. some of us are hiring staff, scheduling, and networking, others are processing applications, one us is maintaining the site, while others are preparing the outdoor gear for the wilderness program.

we've has some pretty crazy experience so far, and i'm sure a lot more will come in the next 3.5 months.

so be sure to tune in to see (read) what happens!

commercialize this!

went shopping for a new bible today.

felt like i was looking at a magazine rack.

talk, not talk

so about a month ago, i tried something different. i wanted to go a whole week without talking about someone behind their back [in the sense that i didn't want to partake in any conversation about someone while they're not there. i would still ask where someone was, etc.][silly to clarify that, i know, but someone asked how far i would go with it].

i've come to realize how often people rely on this type of conversation, and as interesting as it can be, i've started to appreciate it less and less. i've heard my name being mentioned in someone's room the other day, which was weird because they could be talking about anything, good or bad, but it's still pretty uncomfortable. also, i know countless groups of friends that have been splintered on account of this. so about my week...

i first noticed that this type of conversation came up in a few forms: there was 1) anecdotal stories, which was just a funny observation someone had noted about another person, which came off as more of harmless banter. then there was 2) "mother hen circles", where a group of three to five people gathered and skipped through topics of people who weren't in the room. finally there was 3) malicious conversation, where the intent was to defame the individual who was not present.

so what is there to do if you do not want to partake? not inviting this type of conversation by brushing off comments about other people by stating something positive and changing topics is probably the best option.
sure, we all like to blow off steam and vent every once in a while. just make sure it's not always at some other persons expense in front of a large group.

KSherman

the long semester.

36 papers, 24 assignments, 10 quiz's, 4 presentations, 3 exams, 2 committees [missio dei 2010!], 1 major production, from 7 classes/21 credit hours.

81 credit hours in total, 9 more to get my degree.