Hello, friends. As you might guess, this semester so far has been a rough one. I neglected to post in September as a symptom of this struggle. So prepare for a lengthy post about what I’ve been up to.

academic

As I mentioned in my last post, this semester I am enrolled in 17 credits. Here are the classes I’m taking.

Environmental Science – One science class is required for the general education requirements, so I’m taking enviro. Although I was dreading the thought of being forced to take a science class, enviro is pretty interesting and not nearly as hardcore as theoretical science. I’ve been learning lots of interesting and relevant information. Plus, it’s become one of my easiest classes this semester. Thank God.

Creative Non-fiction – Another of my easier classes, CNF studies how to apply creativity to expressions of real life. Basically it’s an emphasis on the emotions and experience that are present in facts. There are many forms of creative non-fiction, and I’ve enjoyed learning about them.

Metaphysical and Cavalier Poets – This class, y’all. It studies some very specific poetic movements during the seventeenth century. All of it is highly metaphorical and rather complex. Still, this is probably my favorite class. While the work is challenging, the way we study it in class makes it so accessible. We sit in a circle every class, discuss our overall thoughts, and then dive into reading and interpreting poems together as a class. Everyone works together to discern meaning and understanding. Sometimes the biggest challenges are the most rewarding.

Literary Criticism – Speaking of challenges, here is one that is Not rewarding. This class studies ways of reading and viewing texts. It is painfully academic and excruciatingly tedious. It is not something I enjoy studying at all. If I were more academically minded, maybe I’d enjoy it. But this class has taught me something about myself which I find highly valuable: I’m not meant to be a literary scholar. I can read and analyze and interpret literature just fine. But I am not interested in deep criticism of texts. I am not meant to study and publish academic articles through lenses of theory. And that is okay. This class has taught me who I am not meant to be, and there’s something comforting in knowing who not to be. I am a creative, and I feel more comfortable knowing creativity is where I belong.

History of Rock and Roll – While on the discussion of who I am not, I have learned I am not meant to be a history major, which is good because I’m not. While this class is fascinating, the emphasis on research is intense. We read several books on different artists and rock movements and write responses to each book. We also have to write a research paper on a significant rock album. It’s intense and has taught me I am not a researcher. I’m glad I’m taking this class because for a long time I thought maybe I should’ve been a history major to seem more versatile in my education. But studying literature is comfortable to me, whereas history is not. I’m glad I took this class because now I know more about myself. And now I have a whole new appreciation for a lot more music.

Junior Honors – This semester, the Honors Program has gotten serious. At least for the juniors. We’re starting work on our capstone projects, which for me, as you know, is a novel set during WWI. This semester is focused on research, drafting our proposal, and forming a defense committee. It’s a lot more work than past semesters have been, but it’s the start of a huge project to come. I’m a little intimidated by the project, but the more I work on it, the more excited I am.

Honors internship – Once again, I am interning at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum. More on that below.

activities

On top of those classes and their accompanying homework, I’ve also got some other things going on. I’m the Vice President of our school’s chapter of College Democrats. With election season happening, we’ve had a lot going on. We’ve had educational meetings about candidates and platforms, we’ve gone canvassing and phonebanking, we’ve done voter registration trainings and drives. And there’s been lots of tabling on campus to inform students of voting information. Lots of tabling. In addition to that, we’ve been doing some other fun stuff on campus, such as a discussion of Columbus Day and the truth surrounding it, a showcase for National Coming Out Day, and a roundtable discussion with the College Republicans. It’s been a busy semester for Dems, but it’ll begin winding down after the election is over.

This semester, I started a new work study position. For six hours a week, I work in the News and Information department, writing and editing copy for web posts, press releases, newsletters, and more. It’s a really cool job that I actually enjoy. I also have my Lighthouse internship, where I do a lot of the same work, but on a smaller scale. I actually got to attend the Lighthouse’s 144th anniversary event and oversee some of the activities. I also got to go on a ghost tour on Halloween so I could write a review for the blog. Always love the Lighthouse.

creative

As I’ve been talking about since the start of the summer, I’m working on a novel set during WWI. This semester, I’ve had to balance outlining and developing that idea alongside everything else. At first, it was hard to start coming up with ideas that I wanted to write about; I felt like I hadn’t done enough research and I needed more information before I could settle on anything. But as my professor told me, there comes a point where you just have to stop researching and start writing. You can defer a project forever by claiming you need more information. But eventually, you just have to get started and learn as you go.

I also mentioned before that I submitted a short story for publication on a whim a while ago. As expected, I was not accepted. I took a little while – perhaps too long – to figure out what my next move would be, and I submitted it somewhere else. If it doesn’t get accepted there, I’ll find somewhere else to submit to. Repeated attempts and rejection are all part of the publishing process, which is where I intend to make my career, and I’m glad I’m exposing myself to it now with a smaller project.

I also have two new videos, including My Notebook Addiction part 2, because I can never save myself from notebooks, and Forgive Me Not, which is a poem I wrote for National Coming Out Day. Check them out if you like writing or if you’re gay.

inspiration

I’ve gotten really into the show Twin Peaks lately. It’s such an intricate show, so many details and mysteries floating around. It is especially appropriate to watch during the spooky Halloween season. I finished season 1 and am making my way through season 2 now.

Speaking of spooky content, my roommate Ray made me watch Psycho for the first time. Surprisingly, I knew next to nothing about the iconic film so I was appropriately shocked by all of it. It was such a well-crafted movie and I’ve thought about it at least once a day since seeing it.

Perhaps most importantly, I kept up with Shane Dawson’s series The Mind of Jake Paul. I thought it was a very interesting look into the life of a person who I don’t understand. While I had some problems with a few things (namely the portrayal of sociopaths in episode 2), I thought the series was overall intriguing and entertaining. I’m not going to start watching all of Jake Paul’s videos or anything, but I do appreciate knowing more about him.

personal

Unsurprisingly, I have not had a ton of free time. I still hang out with my friends and have fun, but for the most part, we keep things lowkey. Still, there have been a few exciting events these past couple months.

September 16th, my friends and I saw Vinyl Theatre in Jacksonville. I bought tickets for Ray for her birthday, and a few other friends tagged along with us. As always, the concert was a blast.

October 7th was my mom’s birthday. Conveniently, her birthday always falls during Columbus Day weekend so I was able to take my extra day off school and travel home to see her. That Saturday, she had a birthday party with her friends where we played board games and hung out. Then we celebrated the next day with family and enjoyed catering by Olive Garden, which is always a good idea if you’ve never tried it. I had homework to work on, but I’m glad I got to hang out with my mom for her birthday.

October 10th, shortly after I returned to St. Augustine, Hurricane Michael stormed the panhandle. My family in Tallahassee was fortunate to avoid sustaining any major damages, but they did have to suffer through some major power outages and a general disruption to their usual routines. I’m grateful they were okay and sending sympathies to those who were more heavily impacted. Big shoutout to all the power line workers and relief aid who have been working nonstop to help those in need.

The weekend before Halloween, I dressed up and hung out with my friends. Ray and I were Han Solo and Princess Leia, respectively. On Halloween night, we attended a ghost tour at the Lighthouse so I could write a review about it. It was pretty spooky and we actually experienced some weird things. Definitely a great way to spend Halloween.

As usual, stressors like school, work, and life have their mental impacts. The challenges of this semester have really made me question my abilities and worth as a student. It’s something I’m working through but it’s been an added struggle on top of everything else. Additionally, some pretty wild changes in my romantic life have been going on, but I’ll keep that to myself for now. It’s an interesting situation, to say the least.

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So that’s what’s kept me occupied lately. Tell me how your fall has been going. For those of you in school, how do you keep up with your projects while still making academics a priority. Feel free to like, comment, and follow as you see fit.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!

Oh, and most importantly: DON’T FORGET TO VOTE. Midterms are how we change the sway in our other branches of government. Election Day is November 6th. If you can vote, do it. No excuses.