All Around

This past weekend, I was standing in the middle of a farm field. An oat field, to be exact. I've always wanted to walk through a field like that. I had my camera with me, and everywhere I looked I saw something that I wanted to photograph. The sky was clear, the weather was warm, the leaves were gleaming. It was then that I realized something. You can find God anywhere. I saw him in the sun that lit up the trees. In the green oat stalks that danced in the soft wind. The beautiful painted draft horses in the pasture. It was like God was saying, "Look, I put this here for you. Isn't it lovely? I made it with you in mind." In that moment, I felt so close to him. I knew more than ever that there was a reason why I like photography so much. God showed me it's what I'm meant to do. The peace and quiet of that moment touched my deeply. I love being outside. It's where I get the most inspiration. God's creation continues to blow me away. I think I'll end my entry with that. I hope you can take something from it like I did.

I'll Eat You Up

Tonight, my dad and I went to see Where the Wild Things Are. First off, I grew up on this book. My mom must have read it to me and my sisters at least fifty times. Then when I learned how to read I probably read it fifty more times.I always dreamed of finding the place where they lived. One of my all time favorites. Going into the film, I knew that some parts were going to be different, since it's only a 300 word book, and half the pages are just pictures. Despite that, everything about it worked beautifully together. I really liked how all the wild things had names. It made them seem even more real. It is visually stunning, and the camerawork is amazing. It draws you in and makes you feel like you are part of the film too. After watching it, I can understand how some kids wouldn't understand the film. The story has a deeper concept than any children's book. All the wild things represent a different part of Max's personality. Carol is Max's anger. He doesn't understand why things can't stay the same forever. Judith is Max's negative side. She thinks that things are always going to fail, no matter how hard you try. Alexander is the part of Max that feels like no one ever hears what he's saying. Ira is Max's gentle side. He is the one that steps up when there is a problem and tries to solve it peacefully. KW is Max's caring side. She sees the good in people, but doesn't like it when people change. Douglas is the part of Max that wants to be accepted, so he goes along with whatever everyone does. Through them, Max realizes how he acts isn't right and that he needs to change. He grows up in a sense. Knowing what he has done wrong, he tries to make things better. If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend it. I hope I haven't given anything away but it is truly a wonderful story. There is a wild thing inside all of us.

Decisions

Today I went on a college visit to Kent State University. Going into this visit, I admit I was a bit apprehensive. Up until now, I hadn't visited a college as big as Kent, and I didn't like how big it was. I was frustrated because my original plans for my major didn't seem attainable. This really upset me. I felt like I wasn't going to be able to pursue my passions. My dreams drive me, sometimes literally, almost every day of my life. I had also heard all of the stereotypical rumors about Kent. I think most of us have heard them. There's the saying "Can't read, can't write, Kent State." I had also heard that it had a bit of a reputation as being a party school. Then there were some students in some of my classes that said they didn't know what to do with their lives so they were just going to go to Kent. Upon arriving on campus, all of these things left me. I saw a campus that had so much to offer me. It's size was not as daunting as I had thought. Talking to various people in my departments of interest made me see how I could make my dreams reality. I can't even describe to you how that makes me feel. It can actually happen! I'm going to do it! They are in reach! All of my questions were answered and then some. It calmed a lot of my fears about going to college. While I know that there will probably be partying at any school I go to, it's my choice about whether or not I participate. And I can tell you right now, it is the last thing I would ever want to do. I have dreams and I don't want to do anything that might jeopardize that. This new part of my life is getting closer every day. After taking in everything, I've decided that Kent is the school for me. It has everything I want. Now I just have to apply! This time next year, I hope to be a Photoillustration major with a minor in writing. Wish me luck!

Tom Hanks!

Yesterday my theatre class went to hear Tom Hanks speak. Actually, it was an interview. We were in the WVIZ/PBS TV station in Cleveland. It was filmed in a TV studio and we were the audience! How cool is that? Scott Simon, who works for NPR and has done hundreds of interviews conducted the whole thing. He asked Tom all about his work and he told us tons of stories about how he got his start and acting in different movies. Two people from each school that came got picked to ask Tom a question. It was so interesting hearing his answers. He is so down to earth and real, which is something that I was so happy about. I was afraid that he was going to be one of those people that puts on an act all the time and can never be themselves, but it wasn't like that at all. He was so funny and was joking around with everyone. He loves to make people laugh. At the end of the interview he took a group photo with everyone. He kept saying funny things and we were laughing the whole time the photographer was taking the pictures. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience, and I got to be a part of it! Since it was filmed for PBS, it's going to be on national television. I don't know when exactly, but they got many shots of the audience during the interview and the camera man filmed my section where I was sitting quite a few times! It was such an honor to listen to a master actor like Tom Hanks.