This hasn't been the greatest week ever. For most of it I was sick with either an ear infection or strep throat (I think the latter). Then Grandpa died on Wednesday afternoon. Which was good in a sense, because he isn't sick anymore, but it's still hard to deal with. The funeral will be Tuesday afternoon.
It's strange to think that it's been almost five years since Youth Tour. All these pictures of Memorial Day cemeteries and stuff on Facebook, so it's neat to remember that I've been there at Arlington.
My birthday was yesterday; it was pretty quiet, as it should have been, given the funeral preparations and all. But it was nice. Got the DVD of Inside Out, and a series of books on language by a guy named Mark Forsyth. Started one of them, The Elements of Eloquence, which is wonderful so far. Began rereading through the Anne of Green Gables series for the who-knows-whatth time, which is nice. Definitely needed after finishing Seabiscuit again while reading some depressing textbooks for my summer course. Laura Hillenbrand is a wonderful writer, capturing danger and tension especially well, but at a time like this, especially if not feeling great, that's not necessarily a good thing. I didn't much like C.S. Lewis's A Grief Observed, but it's the best so far out of the textbooks I've read for this course. Watched a strange, but good, movie on Netflix called My Girl. It's a coming-of-age story about a girl who lives in a funeral home, and one summer her dad remarries and her best friend dies. It would make a great novel, reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird if it took place in the early 70's, which makes it even more unusual that it was an original screenplay.
In sports news, an American rookie from California won the Indy 500 yesterday, and the Thunder will likely lose to the Warriors tonight in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. Then Kevin Durant will probably head somewhere else. But the team will carry on somehow, just like Tahlequah will continue to run somehow without Jack Lankford in it. The Sharks and Penguins are playing for the Stanley Cup, the first game of that series in tonight.
Kaitlin's wedding last Saturday went well, it was at First Presbyterian in Sand Springs, which is a very pretty church. It was a good wedding, whatever those criteria are. It was almost like being at GBC seven or eight years ago - with the Buckmasters, Grahams, David Ipock, the Buenos all there. The Scotts drove up from Russellville to be there, their boys are growing up. Most of the Fergusons were there, Laura had just about left for North Carolina for her summer job. Good to see Josh again. Also in attendance were the Wilsons and Ruscos, and half the Coxes.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Friday, May 20, 2016
Recapping Senior Year
Senior year has ended. It was exceedingly long.
Everyone freaked out (in a fantastically good way) about the future of October 21, 2015 actually being here. American Idol ended, which is awful. I starred in the RSU Theater production of Tales From Tent City, that was interesting. Got to see NSU BCM people(Bob and Deb, and Annie, Bucky, Daniel P, Ja Li Si, James and Jordan, specifically) at a conference last fall, which was fantastic.
Finished watching Friday Night Lights; which wrapped up great. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. kept Tuesday nights interesting(and occasionally maddening). Kept up with the Thunder when I could. Learned that I can quote the entire script of The Princess Bride from memory. Fuller House was a great update of 90's sitcom goodness.
Did lots of all-nighters to finish homework projects that needed to get done, which was immensely tiring and lonesome. Roughly one a week, sometimes two. Critiqued fifty-five poems written by classmates, and at least twenty-one short stories. Discovered that writing scripts is a very difficult branch of writing. Plowed through all of the Harry Potter books, which was frustrating. Watched much more Buffy the Vampire Slayer than I would have wanted to, since it was homework for Topics.
But mostly it was just staring at the blank Word doc in my very silent apartment and knowing something had to be turned in by deadline. That doesn't make for much of interesting stories. There was rehearsal for Tent City, which was almost like another class, in that you show up, do your job, and then leave. Songs of this year would be a lot of Avril Lavigne - "Everybody Hurts," "I'm With You," "Keep Holding On," "Mobile," "Tomorrow" all leap to mind - Laura Story's "Blessings," too. Not sure of any others at the moment.
Occasionally heard from Ashland, Amanda, Daniel, Dylan, Elizabeth, Jessica, Jon and Susan, which was helpful in finishing the semester.
Everyone freaked out (in a fantastically good way) about the future of October 21, 2015 actually being here. American Idol ended, which is awful. I starred in the RSU Theater production of Tales From Tent City, that was interesting. Got to see NSU BCM people(Bob and Deb, and Annie, Bucky, Daniel P, Ja Li Si, James and Jordan, specifically) at a conference last fall, which was fantastic.
Finished watching Friday Night Lights; which wrapped up great. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. kept Tuesday nights interesting(and occasionally maddening). Kept up with the Thunder when I could. Learned that I can quote the entire script of The Princess Bride from memory. Fuller House was a great update of 90's sitcom goodness.
Did lots of all-nighters to finish homework projects that needed to get done, which was immensely tiring and lonesome. Roughly one a week, sometimes two. Critiqued fifty-five poems written by classmates, and at least twenty-one short stories. Discovered that writing scripts is a very difficult branch of writing. Plowed through all of the Harry Potter books, which was frustrating. Watched much more Buffy the Vampire Slayer than I would have wanted to, since it was homework for Topics.
But mostly it was just staring at the blank Word doc in my very silent apartment and knowing something had to be turned in by deadline. That doesn't make for much of interesting stories. There was rehearsal for Tent City, which was almost like another class, in that you show up, do your job, and then leave. Songs of this year would be a lot of Avril Lavigne - "Everybody Hurts," "I'm With You," "Keep Holding On," "Mobile," "Tomorrow" all leap to mind - Laura Story's "Blessings," too. Not sure of any others at the moment.
Occasionally heard from Ashland, Amanda, Daniel, Dylan, Elizabeth, Jessica, Jon and Susan, which was helpful in finishing the semester.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Events of Early Summer
We went to Okmulgee Saturday night to see Captain America: Civil War at the Orpheum. It was very good, but very hard to watch, seeing the bonds which have built so strongly disintegrate. The new Tom Holland version of Spider-Man is awesome; much better than Andrew Garfield.
Amy's been getting birthday cards from all over, which she has been thrilled by. It's really fun to watch. Mom, Courtney and I started a book-review blog called Dust-Jacket Judgmentalism, check it out!
In NSU BCM news, Mallory, Jacob, Bucky and Amber all graduated last week, which was cool. Lots of Youth Tour folks graduated, too; so there was lots of posts on Facebook. Justin and Ashleigh's wedding is tomorrow, which is awesome. Susan got an internship as an assistant stage manager in Indianapolis for the summer, which sounds interesting.
Grades came in Wednesday night; I got three A's in Fiction Writing, Studies in Poetry and Scriptwriting, and a B in Topics of Advanced Comp. So that's a 3.75 GPA this semester, which is way better than I was expecting. Kelsey's documentary turned out well; as did this highlight video that Andrew Nichols put together of the last several seasons of RSU Theater shows.
Amy's been getting birthday cards from all over, which she has been thrilled by. It's really fun to watch. Mom, Courtney and I started a book-review blog called Dust-Jacket Judgmentalism, check it out!
In NSU BCM news, Mallory, Jacob, Bucky and Amber all graduated last week, which was cool. Lots of Youth Tour folks graduated, too; so there was lots of posts on Facebook. Justin and Ashleigh's wedding is tomorrow, which is awesome. Susan got an internship as an assistant stage manager in Indianapolis for the summer, which sounds interesting.
Grades came in Wednesday night; I got three A's in Fiction Writing, Studies in Poetry and Scriptwriting, and a B in Topics of Advanced Comp. So that's a 3.75 GPA this semester, which is way better than I was expecting. Kelsey's documentary turned out well; as did this highlight video that Andrew Nichols put together of the last several seasons of RSU Theater shows.
Monday, May 9, 2016
School-Related Reading of Spring Semester
This is a listing of school-things read this year. Classes when I can remember which was read for what. This probably isn't everything, but not everything was read cover-to-cover. So it's just textbooks and short stories, I think. I may add essays read later.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King
Simply the best non-Elements of Style book on writing there is. And entertaining and interesting, too. Fiction Writing.
Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott
Useful for an out-of-the-ordinary approach to thinking about writing. Pretty readable, too. Sure, the author can be a rambling weirdo, but she's from California. It gives a really great perspective of the mindset of a writer, which I tend to take for granted, but I suppose others would find novel. Fiction Writing.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King
Simply the best non-Elements of Style book on writing there is. And entertaining and interesting, too. Fiction Writing.
"Rip Van Winkle," by Washington Irving
Everyone knows this story: A shiftless man(who is a terrible farmer, with a nagging wife) goes hunting in the Catskills one day, he meets some Dutch spirits bowling, and then takes a nap that lasts for twenty years. During this time, the Revolutionary War has happened and ended, and so Rip can finally fulfill his position in life, as a storyteller to the village children. Fiction Writing.
Everyone knows this story: A shiftless man(who is a terrible farmer, with a nagging wife) goes hunting in the Catskills one day, he meets some Dutch spirits bowling, and then takes a nap that lasts for twenty years. During this time, the Revolutionary War has happened and ended, and so Rip can finally fulfill his position in life, as a storyteller to the village children. Fiction Writing.
"The Story of an Hour," by Kate Chopin
A woman named Louise, who suffers from a heart condition, learns that her husband has been killed in a railway accident, and excitedly ponders the future as a free woman, wondering what that "freedom" means. Then her supposedly-dead husband walks through the front door, giving her a fatal heart attack. Fiction Writing.
"A White Heron," by Sarah Orne Jewett
A yougn girl named Sylvy, painfully shy, lives with her poor grandmother in the rural part of Maine. One day a handsome bird-hunter comes looking for a white heron to add to his collection, and Sylvy struggles with whether she should tell him the location of a white heron she knows about. He's offering a reward, after all, and they could certainly use the money. But there are much more vital things in this world than money.
Fiction Writing
Fiction Writing
"Roman Fever," by Edith Wharton
This story is just dying to have been made into a 1950's movie starring Cary Grant.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King
The best book on writing that I've ever read. (Sure, Stephen King isn't the greatest writing in terms of quality or content, but he knows what he's talking about. And some of his stuff is pretty good.) Fiction Writing.
Playwriting Brief and Brilliant, by Julie Jensen
The Elements of Style as approached from the angle of a playwright. Scriptwriting.
Tales From Tent City, by Brian James Polak (2014)
This is the script of the play RSU Theater performed during the spring semester; it follows a group of teenagers living on the street; sort like a homeless Breakfast Club. Examined closely in Scriptwriting for work on the formatting of play scripts.
"A Rose for Emily," by William Faulkner
A portrait of a very peculiar old woman. I would really like Faulkner, I think, if I had the patience to actually get through most of his work. (His tone is great, and the characters seem really good, it's just that he rambles too much to pay attention to.) Fiction Writing.
"The Man Who Was Almost a Man," by Richard Wright
An irresponsible black teenager shoots his boss's mule with a new pistol he bought, then runs away from the consequences by becoming a hobo. Fiction Writing.
"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson
I have no idea what this story is about, which really surprised Dr. Mackie, since I can usually dig through subtext and read between the lines better than most. But the plot follows members of a small rural community one June 27th, where they hold the lottery of seeing who of their number must be stoned. Then they proceed to stone a housewife. It's a rather horrible story, made even worse (and more confounding) due to the conversational, easily-read tone and diction. Fiction Writing.
How NOT To Write a Screenplay, by Denny Martin Flinn
Numerous examples of what to avoid when writing a screenplay. Scriptwriting.
Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry, by David Mason and John Frederick Nims
This is a very thorough overview of poetic forms, though it's a little skimpy of going into the details of what most of these definitions mean. Studies in Poetry.
"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas," by Ursula K. Le Guin
In a perfect society, without harm or distress of any kind, is it worth living in, if you know that someone, somewhere, is suffering all the torment and agony of the whole city? And especially if you know that sufferer is a child? Fiction Writing
Lament for a Son, by Nicholas Wolterstorff (1987)
A man tries to deal with his grief after his son dies in a mountain-climbing accident. Comparative Religion.
A Grief Observed, by C.S. Lewis (1961)
A self-edited version of notebooks he kept after his wife died of cancer; lots of hard, honest questions for God, for himself and for the world in general. Comparative Religion.
Night, by Elie Wiesel (1960)
A very bitter account of time spent in a concentration camp, from the perspective of a spoiled rich Jewish teenager. True, life was quite likely horrible, but even so, this is unnecessarily harsh and ungrateful. Comparative Religion.
Invitation to World Religions, by Jeffrey Brodd, et al. (2013)
A very logically-laid-out textbook on the study of world religions, which seem entirely outside the sphere of academic study, due to their inherent and unconquerable subjectivity. Comparative Religion.
A portrait of a very peculiar old woman. I would really like Faulkner, I think, if I had the patience to actually get through most of his work. (His tone is great, and the characters seem really good, it's just that he rambles too much to pay attention to.) Fiction Writing.
"The Man Who Was Almost a Man," by Richard Wright
An irresponsible black teenager shoots his boss's mule with a new pistol he bought, then runs away from the consequences by becoming a hobo. Fiction Writing.
"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson
I have no idea what this story is about, which really surprised Dr. Mackie, since I can usually dig through subtext and read between the lines better than most. But the plot follows members of a small rural community one June 27th, where they hold the lottery of seeing who of their number must be stoned. Then they proceed to stone a housewife. It's a rather horrible story, made even worse (and more confounding) due to the conversational, easily-read tone and diction. Fiction Writing.
How NOT To Write a Screenplay, by Denny Martin Flinn
Numerous examples of what to avoid when writing a screenplay. Scriptwriting.
Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry, by David Mason and John Frederick Nims
This is a very thorough overview of poetic forms, though it's a little skimpy of going into the details of what most of these definitions mean. Studies in Poetry.
"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas," by Ursula K. Le Guin
In a perfect society, without harm or distress of any kind, is it worth living in, if you know that someone, somewhere, is suffering all the torment and agony of the whole city? And especially if you know that sufferer is a child? Fiction Writing
Lament for a Son, by Nicholas Wolterstorff (1987)
A man tries to deal with his grief after his son dies in a mountain-climbing accident. Comparative Religion.
A Grief Observed, by C.S. Lewis (1961)
A self-edited version of notebooks he kept after his wife died of cancer; lots of hard, honest questions for God, for himself and for the world in general. Comparative Religion.
Night, by Elie Wiesel (1960)
A very bitter account of time spent in a concentration camp, from the perspective of a spoiled rich Jewish teenager. True, life was quite likely horrible, but even so, this is unnecessarily harsh and ungrateful. Comparative Religion.
Invitation to World Religions, by Jeffrey Brodd, et al. (2013)
A very logically-laid-out textbook on the study of world religions, which seem entirely outside the sphere of academic study, due to their inherent and unconquerable subjectivity. Comparative Religion.
School-Related Reading of Spring Semester
This is a listing of school-things read this year. Classes when I can remember which was read for what. This probably isn't everything, but not everything was read cover-to-cover. So it's just textbooks and short stories, I think. I may add essays read later.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King
Simply the best non-Elements of Style book on writing there is. And entertaining and interesting, too. Fiction Writing.
Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott
Useful for an out-of-the-ordinary approach to thinking about writing. Pretty readable, too. Sure, the author can be a rambling weirdo, but she's from California. It gives a really great perspective of the mindset of a writer, which I tend to take for granted, but I suppose others would find novel. Fiction Writing.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King
Simply the best non-Elements of Style book on writing there is. And entertaining and interesting, too. Fiction Writing.
"Rip Van Winkle," by Washington Irving
Everyone knows this story: A shiftless man(who is a terrible farmer, with a nagging wife) goes hunting in the Catskills one day, he meets some Dutch spirits bowling, and then takes a nap that lasts for twenty years. During this time, the Revolutionary War has happened and ended, and so Rip can finally fulfill his position in life, as a storyteller to the village children. Fiction Writing.
Everyone knows this story: A shiftless man(who is a terrible farmer, with a nagging wife) goes hunting in the Catskills one day, he meets some Dutch spirits bowling, and then takes a nap that lasts for twenty years. During this time, the Revolutionary War has happened and ended, and so Rip can finally fulfill his position in life, as a storyteller to the village children. Fiction Writing.
"The Story of an Hour," by Kate Chopin
A woman named Louise, who suffers from a heart condition, learns that her husband has been killed in a railway accident, and excitedly ponders the future as a free woman, wondering what that "freedom" means. Then her supposedly-dead husband walks through the front door, giving her a fatal heart attack. Fiction Writing.
"A White Heron," by Sarah Orne Jewett
A yougn girl named Sylvy, painfully shy, lives with her poor grandmother in the rural part of Maine. One day a handsome bird-hunter comes looking for a white heron to add to his collection, and Sylvy struggles with whether she should tell him the location of a white heron she knows about. He's offering a reward, after all, and they could certainly use the money. But there are much more vital things in this world than money.
Fiction Writing
Fiction Writing
"Roman Fever," by Edith Wharton
This story is just dying to have been made into a 1950's movie starring Cary Grant.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King
The best book on writing that I've ever read. (Sure, Stephen King isn't the greatest writing in terms of quality or content, but he knows what he's talking about. And some of his stuff is pretty good.) Fiction Writing.
Playwriting Brief and Brilliant, by Julie Jensen
The Elements of Style as approached from the angle of a playwright. Scriptwriting.
Tales From Tent City, by Brian James Polak (2014)
This is the script of the play RSU Theater performed during the spring semester; it follows a group of teenagers living on the street; sort like a homeless Breakfast Club. Examined closely in Scriptwriting for work on the formatting of play scripts.
"A Rose for Emily," by William Faulkner
A portrait of a very peculiar old woman. I would really like Faulkner, I think, if I had the patience to actually get through most of his work. (His tone is great, and the characters seem really good, it's just that he rambles too much to pay attention to.) Fiction Writing.
"The Man Who Was Almost a Man," by Richard Wright
An irresponsible black teenager shoots his boss's mule with a new pistol he bought, then runs away from the consequences by becoming a hobo. Fiction Writing.
"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson
I have no idea what this story is about, which really surprised Dr. Mackie, since I can usually dig through subtext and read between the lines better than most. But the plot follows members of a small rural community one June 27th, where they hold the lottery of seeing who of their number must be stoned. Then they proceed to stone a housewife. It's a rather horrible story, made even worse (and more confounding) due to the conversational, easily-read tone and diction. Fiction Writing.
How NOT To Write a Screenplay, by Denny Martin Flinn
Numerous examples of what to avoid when writing a screenplay. Scriptwriting.
Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry, by David Mason and John Frederick Nims
This is a very thorough overview of poetic forms, though it's a little skimpy of going into the details of what most of these definitions mean. Studies in Poetry.
"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas," by Ursula K. Le Guin
In a perfect society, without harm or distress of any kind, is it worth living in, if you know that someone, somewhere, is suffering all the torment and agony of the whole city? And especially if you know that sufferer is a child? Fiction Writing
Lament for a Son, by Nicholas Wolterstorff (1987)
A man tries to deal with his grief after his son dies in a mountain-climbing accident. Comparative Religion.
A Grief Observed, by C.S. Lewis (1961)
A self-edited version of notebooks he kept after his wife died of cancer; lots of hard, honest questions for God, for himself and for the world in general. Comparative Religion.
Night, by Elie Wiesel (1960)
A very bitter account of time spent in a concentration camp, from the perspective of a spoiled rich Jewish teenager. True, life was quite likely horrible, but even so, this is unnecessarily harsh and ungrateful. Comparative Religion.
Invitation to World Religions, by Jeffrey Brodd, et al. (2013)
A very logically-laid-out textbook on the study of world religions, which seem entirely outside the sphere of academic study, due to their inherent and unconquerable subjectivity. Comparative Religion.
A portrait of a very peculiar old woman. I would really like Faulkner, I think, if I had the patience to actually get through most of his work. (His tone is great, and the characters seem really good, it's just that he rambles too much to pay attention to.) Fiction Writing.
"The Man Who Was Almost a Man," by Richard Wright
An irresponsible black teenager shoots his boss's mule with a new pistol he bought, then runs away from the consequences by becoming a hobo. Fiction Writing.
"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson
I have no idea what this story is about, which really surprised Dr. Mackie, since I can usually dig through subtext and read between the lines better than most. But the plot follows members of a small rural community one June 27th, where they hold the lottery of seeing who of their number must be stoned. Then they proceed to stone a housewife. It's a rather horrible story, made even worse (and more confounding) due to the conversational, easily-read tone and diction. Fiction Writing.
How NOT To Write a Screenplay, by Denny Martin Flinn
Numerous examples of what to avoid when writing a screenplay. Scriptwriting.
Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry, by David Mason and John Frederick Nims
This is a very thorough overview of poetic forms, though it's a little skimpy of going into the details of what most of these definitions mean. Studies in Poetry.
"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas," by Ursula K. Le Guin
In a perfect society, without harm or distress of any kind, is it worth living in, if you know that someone, somewhere, is suffering all the torment and agony of the whole city? And especially if you know that sufferer is a child? Fiction Writing
Lament for a Son, by Nicholas Wolterstorff (1987)
A man tries to deal with his grief after his son dies in a mountain-climbing accident. Comparative Religion.
A Grief Observed, by C.S. Lewis (1961)
A self-edited version of notebooks he kept after his wife died of cancer; lots of hard, honest questions for God, for himself and for the world in general. Comparative Religion.
Night, by Elie Wiesel (1960)
A very bitter account of time spent in a concentration camp, from the perspective of a spoiled rich Jewish teenager. True, life was quite likely horrible, but even so, this is unnecessarily harsh and ungrateful. Comparative Religion.
Invitation to World Religions, by Jeffrey Brodd, et al. (2013)
A very logically-laid-out textbook on the study of world religions, which seem entirely outside the sphere of academic study, due to their inherent and unconquerable subjectivity. Comparative Religion.
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Overheard in the Classroom - Part Two
The second "Overheard in the Classroom" post, this time dealing with the spring 2016 semester at Rogers State University.
1-12-16, Topics of Advanced Composition
Dr. Dial-Driver - "....my daughter's kids live in a two-story house - there ought to be a law against two-story houses...."
1-12-16, Studies in Poetry
Since almost everyone from fall's Poetry Writing was back for Studies in Poetry, someone mentioned McKenzie's phrase "It's cool to learn shit!" as a sort of motto for the course. This got a good laugh.
1-12-16, Scriptwriting
We were supposed to write nine adjectives on a slip of paper, pass it to someone else, who would write nine more adjectives before passing it to someone else, who wrote down nine nouns. Then we selected one word from each set to finish the sentence "My life as a..." and explain the metaphor. Answers included "panicked, tormented airplane" (from Eric), "open cluttered notebook" (from Lauren, my favorite of these descriptions) and "furious, thoughtful tornado" (me). Jalexa wrote down "twinkling blasphemous supervolcano," which caused Dr. Blakely to frown, chuckle and say, "What is that? A Disney volcano with glitter? I don't know....and if it's blasphemous, then it maybe looks like a penis."
1-14-16, Studies in Poetry
"I didn't know the name." - Cody. "Well, his middle name wasn't Batman, so, no, you wouldn't!" Dr. Mackie snaps. (Eruption of giggles from the rest of us who had to endure his Batman fixation all last semester.)
After a peculiar guy named Eric reads his latest poem, there's a stunned silence. "Well. That was depressing," Dr. Mackie finally says.
"Did I hear you right, that you just used 'cucumber' in a poem?!" - Dr. Mackie to somebody.
Catee refers to herself as "devious and sneaky." That got a laugh.
"Did you really use 'trailer park'?" Dr. Mackie asks me after I finish reading my poem focusing on imagery(because that was the day's assignment.) "Well, there's so many poems about aardvarks...." Jeff says.
"Maybe the theater smells like a book in a fish tank." - Jalexa, during a discussion of how weird the auditorium is. (It's not anywhere near as bad as people say.)
1-19-16, Studies in Poetry
Today's assignment - reference a song of our generation in a poem, where audiences can catch the allusion easily. After the third guy in a row(Alex) picks "All Star" by Smashmouth, Dr. Mackie asks him, "Why was this the only song you could think of? You're a musician!"
"So many times I have no idea what you're talking about," Dr. Mackie says to Brandon after the latest poem. (Lots of us nod in agreement.)
"You haven't let go of Whitman yet, have you?" Dr. Mackie asks Jeff after we hear his latest poem. (More chuckling from the rest of us who were in Poetry Writing last fall.)
1-19-16, Scriptwriting
Today's assignment is to create a character and write a monologue for him/her based solely off a row of hats. I created Alphonso the Graduation Cap, who complained about the state of public education today and the lack of Latin being taught.
Anyway, Dr. Blakely was wearing a Medea mask when he walked in, which surprised us somewhat. He had us guess what it was for before explaining, I took a stab at IDing this role: "You're a....pelican?"
1-21-16, Topics
During one of Dr. Dial-Driver's stories, she got to talking about how she was fired from a waitressing job in high school because she dumped coffee on a guy who was harassing her. That seems like a great reaction worth getting fired for.
1-21-16, Studies in Poetry
"I never see you without your Diet Coke," Dr. Mackie says to me.
1-21-16, Scriptwriting
"I lost my title page in an hour and a half." - Eric, talking about his script.
Archer, reading Eric's script - "I was one of your key detonators! I mean, donators."
1-23-16, Topics
The class was talking about how Oklahoma doesn't fit anywhere, since it seems to be right in the middle of everything happening around the country. Dr. Dial-Driver - "Yeah, well, in the southwest part of the state, where I grew up, there's nothing there between you and God except a barbed-wire fence."
1-26-16, Studies in Poetry
Today provided many, many entertaining quotes, as this class was even more bizarre than normal.
Eric, on drugs for some kind of infection, was rambling on about something, Dr. Mackie interrupts: "You're on drugs! STOP talking!"
"I just wanna get my BB gun and shoot people in the ass when they say, 'I love winter!'" Dr. Mackie grumbles.
"How am I supposed to teach iambic pentameter to a bunch of people who can't even agree on pronouncing 'cement'?!!!" Dr. Mackie wails. (She couldn't. Only about three people could understand it out of the fifteen of us in the class. We all tried really hard, though, but there is much gnashing of teeth and hiding whenever the term "iambic pentameter" comes up ever after.)
Brandon's observation poem came from The Phantom Tollbooth, parking lot problems were griped about, people did Yogi Bear impressions, and Zach wrote about his puppy Gruber. "I don't know how puppies think," he says in closing.
"Did you just say 'shark race'?" Cody asks. (No, Zach didn't.) Me and Lauren immediately pounce on this as a good scene to use later in some kind of project, though no one can figure out how exactly a shark race would work.
"Geese hate everyone. They're assholes," Catee states matter-of-factly. This starts a large discussion of how awful geese are, particularly the ones which live on campus. Near the end of it, Dr. Mackie mutters in amusement, "What'd you talk about in class today? We talked about geese shit."
"I think my cat was a serial killer," Jeff says calmly.
1-28-16, Studies in Poetry
Since we all know how much Dr. Mackie detests Leonardo DiCaprio's acting, Jeff tries to encourage her to see The Revenant with "He gets mauled by a bear!"
"It's titled 'To my Daughter.' It's a crush poem," Brian says. "Awww...." is the reaction of everyone else. After he's finished reading it - "Wait. That bastard who?" Dr. Mackie. "Elmo," he answers.
"I come off as a bitter nerd in this, but I don't care," Jeff says in preamble to reading his latest work. None of us did too well with utilizing understatement and hyperbole.
"'Kitchen Floor, Why Won't You Stay Dry?' is the title." - Donna. (Approving laughter from the rest of us.) "Don't you dare say you hate this title, Cody! It's a great title!" - Dr. Mackie.
McKenzie wrote a poem snarling at the never-ceasing fire alarms in UV-B. It was great!
"Have you read all of Finnegan's Wake? And why?" Dr. Mackie asks Brandon. (Much complaining and howling about Joyce occurs here.)
"I wonder if anyone has ever written an ode to crawfish before...." Dr. Mackie says in response to Catee's poem.
2-2-16, Studies in Poetry
I wrote this in my notebook: "You know you're bored when you intensively scrutinize your fingernails." Also, apparently someone wrote a novel called I Got an Alligator for a Pet entirely in iambic pentameter, for some awful reason.
"There's a hairbrush stuck in the wall partition," Catee reported for general edification. (Apparently she was bored, too.)
There were the first of many, many political rants that ate up most of class time....although Jeff and Dr. Mackie were insulting each other about Leonardo DiCaprio in iambic pentameter. That was funny.
"Does anyone else think of pet food whenever we say 'iambs'?" Dr. Mackie asks.
2-4-16, Studies in Poetry
While discussing whether songs could be considered poetry(a debate that never got finished by semester's end), someone mentions this amazing remixed cover of "Call Me Maybe" by Jenny Owen Young.
2-9-16, Studies in Poetry
There was a quiz today, and the creepy unnatural silence and formal solemnity in the room before it started was hilarious.
"You have a very strange relationship with your Xbox," was Dr. Mackie's pronouncement after Cole reads his poem about his N64.
"My emotional range can fit in a teaspoon," McKenzie says. I think that's a Harry Potter quote, but it was still hilarious.
2-11-16, Studies in Poetry
"No, I thought we were supposed to write about vocab words...." Zach tries to explain his poem, which completely missed the point of that day's assignment. (It was a great poem, though.)
Dr. Mackie: "Wow. Moral of the story - Don't play saxophone. You'll die. Good thing my daughter switched to oboe."
After we try fruitlessly to dig some kind of meaning out of Donna's poem, which makes no sense whatsoever, she says, "...Yeah, I don't get it, either." More silence, then Dr. Mackie says, "It was a very strange marriage between Harry Potter and The Lion King."
2-26-16, Studies in Poetry
After finishing reading his very sappy love poem, a stoical guy named Alex says, "I think I must be a maiden in love." Everyone snorts. "It's not bad, it's just - so light and fluffy. I want to gag." "It gave me diabetes," Eric comments.
Cody is explaining that his coworkers decided to call him "Dick," as in "Grayson"(Robin), due to his obsession with Batman. "Are you sure that was their explanation for it?" Brian asks blandly, sending the rest of us snickering.
2-26-16, Topics
"Negatively perky. That's me in a nutshell." - Madison.
2-18-16, Studies in Poetry
Everyone gushed about how much they loved the Berenstain Bears before class. That was awesome.
"Yeah, 'dumbass' is a term of endearment." - Dr. Mackie to Cody.
I wrote a sestina for Parks and Rec fans that was one long inside joke after another, as it was delivered deadpan by Ron Swanson. After some of us quickly explained the joke to Dr. Mackie, it got lots of praise from everyone, and Dr. Mackie even shared it around the English department.
2-23-16, Topics
For some reason we get to talking about The Wizard of Oz today. Dr. Dial-Driver - "In the book, he gives the Scarecrow needles and pins for brains." Why, Sage asks, as she is one of the handful who hadn't read the book before. "Because they're sharp," DD answers.
3-1-16, Topics
Today's random topic was child pornography....it was one of those classes everyone bolts out the door as quickly as possible. Unrelated to that discussion, there was this quotable quote: "I don't get on my phone very often in public. Like, unless something weird happens, like a phone call." - Zach.
3-1-16, Studies in Poetry
"It's too songy, and less poey," Eric tries to clarify what was off with Catee's latest poem.
3-1-16, Scriptwriting
After we finish reading Eric's latest script about a humorous street fight: "Has anyone here actually been in a fight? Cause I haven't." - Dr. Blakely.
3-3-16, Studies in Poetry
Because it was iambic pentameter, we all kinda failed an assignment to write in blank verse. So we cheered ourselves up by teasing Dr. Mackie about her New England accent. Also, apparently "smile" and "poem" are both one syllable, but "fire" is two?! None of us could figure that one out.
3-23-16, Tales From Tent City
While rehearsing Tent City in the basement due to the auditorium showing a movie tonight, we had to improvise a little bit, and keep the sound down a lot. Zach races through one of his character's songs, which is the bridge between scenes. So I zone out, since I had been offstage for quite a while, and I miss my cue. Eventually Autumn and Zach wake me up, so I spin around on the piano bench I'd been sitting on, not quite all there yet:
"Is it morning?" "Yeah, it's morning." I then deliver my line: "Doughnuts!"
"Wrong morning!" Charli, Zach's girlfriend and the stage manager, snaps. (The actual line was "Do you ever sleep?", but I mixed those scenes up.)
3-24-16, Studies in Poetry
Today's random conversations included horror movies and being scared of the dark.
3-29-16, Topics
Jeff described a civil war that he was involved in during elementary school. Apparently it started because the first- and second-graders disagreed over Santa's existence. The first-graders believed in him, the second-graders didn't. I loved this idea, so I scrawled it down for safekeeping.
3-29-16, Studies in Poetry
My playing Brad Paisley's "Mr. Policeman" as an example of poetic elements within songs got an entertaining discussion started. Taxes and tornadoes were also "subjects of general interest," to quote from Cheaper by the Dozen.
"You can always tell a Wesley poem," Dr. Mackie muses, and everyone else agrees. (Not sure what sets mine apart, but okay....)
"Did Eric write that?" Lauren laughs after Cody reads a poem about zombies.
"Wait, he's depressing-" Dr. Mackie changes her mind on who should read next. "Actually it's more existential," Brandon tries to defend himself. "You mean it's a Brandon poem?" Dr. Mackei shoots back, much to the amusement of the class.
4-7-16, Tales From Tent City
While getting set for Tent City to open on the first night of shows, Kessiah says randomly, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened." Me, not paying much attention: "Was that a euphenism?" "No, it says so right on that wall. See?" Slight pause, then she snorts. "I can see how you would think that, though, it being me...but no, my Chamber of Secrets has not been opened!"
4-12-16, Studies in Poetry
Cody wrote a poem about the movie There's Something About Mary, so we were grateful it wasn't another Batman poem. Jeff does tease him, though, since someone has to, saying, "Pick better movies..." Dr. Mackie frowns at him - "You know I could stand up and smack you, right?" "Don't. Please?"
Catee's poem for today included the phrase "nurses' baffled hurrumphs." I had to scribble that down in the margins of my notebook.
Unrelated to earlier conversation about Cody's poem, Dr. Mackie randomly turns to Jeff and asks, "Did you just growl?"
4-12-16, Scriptwriting
Once the OU theater department was putting on a play, which was interrupted by a tornado. So after hustling everyone to the shelter, they finished the play there, improvising the props necessary. How awesome!
4-14-16, Topics
Dr. Dial-Driver plunks a package of Oreos on her desk when she comes into the classroom, apparently so she and her husband won't eat them all up. "Have a cookie," she says, sounding exactly like May from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
After Zach's phone rings, since he forgot to silence it: Dr. Dial-Driver says "I thought we didn't allow phone calls in here. I left mine in the other room[her office] so my sister can't say something weird." She then describes the weird texts her sister sends her on a regular basis. (And yes, they do sound strange.)
4-14-16, Studies in Poetry
Cole wrote a mock-Frost poem about Cody and his tendency to write about Batman all the time, which was met with much general acclaim. Cody literally wrote about diarrhea. (Everyone hated that one.) "You really are 11," Dr. Mackie sighed at him in disgust.
4-19-16, Scriptwriting
"I'm trying not to spit on Archer," Eric interrupts one of his lines as a lisping snake. Archer, sitting next to him: "IT'S NOT WORKING!"
A frizzy-haired blonde girl(no one ever learned her name, maybe it was Jenna) enters the room a half hour late. "Sorry. I was hung over." More blank stares. "But I'm better now." "Oh. Okay," Dr. Blakely answers for the rest of us. "Glad you could make it."
4-21-16, Studies in Poetry
Another set of sestinas has just been assigned, and reminders have been given that they lend themselves well to narratives. "I did that narrative in the attic-" Cody begins to say, before getting interrupted by Lauren's joy-filled "I liked that one!!!" "Thank you-" "No, I meant the sestinas!" An eruption of laughter followed.
4-26-16, Studies in Poetry
Zach asked Charli for endwords for his sestina. She gave him the following: ocean, girlfriend, sprinkler, butt, cupcake and fall. He managed to turn into something halfway understandable.
"Did you say your dog was driving?" Zach asks Lauren. this led to stories of dogs pooping in places they shouldn't.
"I had a nightmare last night I made the final where you all wrote a sonnet," Dr. Mackie says while dismissing us. Someone agrees that that would be a nightmare, as we howl in appropriate panic. "I know, that's why I'm glad it was just a dream!"
1-12-16, Topics of Advanced Composition
Dr. Dial-Driver - "....my daughter's kids live in a two-story house - there ought to be a law against two-story houses...."
1-12-16, Studies in Poetry
Since almost everyone from fall's Poetry Writing was back for Studies in Poetry, someone mentioned McKenzie's phrase "It's cool to learn shit!" as a sort of motto for the course. This got a good laugh.
1-12-16, Scriptwriting
We were supposed to write nine adjectives on a slip of paper, pass it to someone else, who would write nine more adjectives before passing it to someone else, who wrote down nine nouns. Then we selected one word from each set to finish the sentence "My life as a..." and explain the metaphor. Answers included "panicked, tormented airplane" (from Eric), "open cluttered notebook" (from Lauren, my favorite of these descriptions) and "furious, thoughtful tornado" (me). Jalexa wrote down "twinkling blasphemous supervolcano," which caused Dr. Blakely to frown, chuckle and say, "What is that? A Disney volcano with glitter? I don't know....and if it's blasphemous, then it maybe looks like a penis."
1-14-16, Studies in Poetry
"I didn't know the name." - Cody. "Well, his middle name wasn't Batman, so, no, you wouldn't!" Dr. Mackie snaps. (Eruption of giggles from the rest of us who had to endure his Batman fixation all last semester.)
After a peculiar guy named Eric reads his latest poem, there's a stunned silence. "Well. That was depressing," Dr. Mackie finally says.
"Did I hear you right, that you just used 'cucumber' in a poem?!" - Dr. Mackie to somebody.
Catee refers to herself as "devious and sneaky." That got a laugh.
"Did you really use 'trailer park'?" Dr. Mackie asks me after I finish reading my poem focusing on imagery(because that was the day's assignment.) "Well, there's so many poems about aardvarks...." Jeff says.
"Maybe the theater smells like a book in a fish tank." - Jalexa, during a discussion of how weird the auditorium is. (It's not anywhere near as bad as people say.)
1-19-16, Studies in Poetry
Today's assignment - reference a song of our generation in a poem, where audiences can catch the allusion easily. After the third guy in a row(Alex) picks "All Star" by Smashmouth, Dr. Mackie asks him, "Why was this the only song you could think of? You're a musician!"
"So many times I have no idea what you're talking about," Dr. Mackie says to Brandon after the latest poem. (Lots of us nod in agreement.)
"You haven't let go of Whitman yet, have you?" Dr. Mackie asks Jeff after we hear his latest poem. (More chuckling from the rest of us who were in Poetry Writing last fall.)
1-19-16, Scriptwriting
Today's assignment is to create a character and write a monologue for him/her based solely off a row of hats. I created Alphonso the Graduation Cap, who complained about the state of public education today and the lack of Latin being taught.
Anyway, Dr. Blakely was wearing a Medea mask when he walked in, which surprised us somewhat. He had us guess what it was for before explaining, I took a stab at IDing this role: "You're a....pelican?"
1-21-16, Topics
During one of Dr. Dial-Driver's stories, she got to talking about how she was fired from a waitressing job in high school because she dumped coffee on a guy who was harassing her. That seems like a great reaction worth getting fired for.
1-21-16, Studies in Poetry
"I never see you without your Diet Coke," Dr. Mackie says to me.
1-21-16, Scriptwriting
"I lost my title page in an hour and a half." - Eric, talking about his script.
Archer, reading Eric's script - "I was one of your key detonators! I mean, donators."
1-23-16, Topics
The class was talking about how Oklahoma doesn't fit anywhere, since it seems to be right in the middle of everything happening around the country. Dr. Dial-Driver - "Yeah, well, in the southwest part of the state, where I grew up, there's nothing there between you and God except a barbed-wire fence."
1-26-16, Studies in Poetry
Today provided many, many entertaining quotes, as this class was even more bizarre than normal.
Eric, on drugs for some kind of infection, was rambling on about something, Dr. Mackie interrupts: "You're on drugs! STOP talking!"
"I just wanna get my BB gun and shoot people in the ass when they say, 'I love winter!'" Dr. Mackie grumbles.
"How am I supposed to teach iambic pentameter to a bunch of people who can't even agree on pronouncing 'cement'?!!!" Dr. Mackie wails. (She couldn't. Only about three people could understand it out of the fifteen of us in the class. We all tried really hard, though, but there is much gnashing of teeth and hiding whenever the term "iambic pentameter" comes up ever after.)
Brandon's observation poem came from The Phantom Tollbooth, parking lot problems were griped about, people did Yogi Bear impressions, and Zach wrote about his puppy Gruber. "I don't know how puppies think," he says in closing.
"Did you just say 'shark race'?" Cody asks. (No, Zach didn't.) Me and Lauren immediately pounce on this as a good scene to use later in some kind of project, though no one can figure out how exactly a shark race would work.
"Geese hate everyone. They're assholes," Catee states matter-of-factly. This starts a large discussion of how awful geese are, particularly the ones which live on campus. Near the end of it, Dr. Mackie mutters in amusement, "What'd you talk about in class today? We talked about geese shit."
"I think my cat was a serial killer," Jeff says calmly.
1-28-16, Studies in Poetry
Since we all know how much Dr. Mackie detests Leonardo DiCaprio's acting, Jeff tries to encourage her to see The Revenant with "He gets mauled by a bear!"
"It's titled 'To my Daughter.' It's a crush poem," Brian says. "Awww...." is the reaction of everyone else. After he's finished reading it - "Wait. That bastard who?" Dr. Mackie. "Elmo," he answers.
"I come off as a bitter nerd in this, but I don't care," Jeff says in preamble to reading his latest work. None of us did too well with utilizing understatement and hyperbole.
"'Kitchen Floor, Why Won't You Stay Dry?' is the title." - Donna. (Approving laughter from the rest of us.) "Don't you dare say you hate this title, Cody! It's a great title!" - Dr. Mackie.
McKenzie wrote a poem snarling at the never-ceasing fire alarms in UV-B. It was great!
"Have you read all of Finnegan's Wake? And why?" Dr. Mackie asks Brandon. (Much complaining and howling about Joyce occurs here.)
"I wonder if anyone has ever written an ode to crawfish before...." Dr. Mackie says in response to Catee's poem.
2-2-16, Studies in Poetry
I wrote this in my notebook: "You know you're bored when you intensively scrutinize your fingernails." Also, apparently someone wrote a novel called I Got an Alligator for a Pet entirely in iambic pentameter, for some awful reason.
"There's a hairbrush stuck in the wall partition," Catee reported for general edification. (Apparently she was bored, too.)
There were the first of many, many political rants that ate up most of class time....although Jeff and Dr. Mackie were insulting each other about Leonardo DiCaprio in iambic pentameter. That was funny.
"Does anyone else think of pet food whenever we say 'iambs'?" Dr. Mackie asks.
2-4-16, Studies in Poetry
While discussing whether songs could be considered poetry(a debate that never got finished by semester's end), someone mentions this amazing remixed cover of "Call Me Maybe" by Jenny Owen Young.
2-9-16, Studies in Poetry
There was a quiz today, and the creepy unnatural silence and formal solemnity in the room before it started was hilarious.
"You have a very strange relationship with your Xbox," was Dr. Mackie's pronouncement after Cole reads his poem about his N64.
"My emotional range can fit in a teaspoon," McKenzie says. I think that's a Harry Potter quote, but it was still hilarious.
2-11-16, Studies in Poetry
"No, I thought we were supposed to write about vocab words...." Zach tries to explain his poem, which completely missed the point of that day's assignment. (It was a great poem, though.)
Dr. Mackie: "Wow. Moral of the story - Don't play saxophone. You'll die. Good thing my daughter switched to oboe."
After we try fruitlessly to dig some kind of meaning out of Donna's poem, which makes no sense whatsoever, she says, "...Yeah, I don't get it, either." More silence, then Dr. Mackie says, "It was a very strange marriage between Harry Potter and The Lion King."
2-26-16, Studies in Poetry
After finishing reading his very sappy love poem, a stoical guy named Alex says, "I think I must be a maiden in love." Everyone snorts. "It's not bad, it's just - so light and fluffy. I want to gag." "It gave me diabetes," Eric comments.
Cody is explaining that his coworkers decided to call him "Dick," as in "Grayson"(Robin), due to his obsession with Batman. "Are you sure that was their explanation for it?" Brian asks blandly, sending the rest of us snickering.
2-26-16, Topics
"Negatively perky. That's me in a nutshell." - Madison.
2-18-16, Studies in Poetry
Everyone gushed about how much they loved the Berenstain Bears before class. That was awesome.
"Yeah, 'dumbass' is a term of endearment." - Dr. Mackie to Cody.
I wrote a sestina for Parks and Rec fans that was one long inside joke after another, as it was delivered deadpan by Ron Swanson. After some of us quickly explained the joke to Dr. Mackie, it got lots of praise from everyone, and Dr. Mackie even shared it around the English department.
2-23-16, Topics
For some reason we get to talking about The Wizard of Oz today. Dr. Dial-Driver - "In the book, he gives the Scarecrow needles and pins for brains." Why, Sage asks, as she is one of the handful who hadn't read the book before. "Because they're sharp," DD answers.
3-1-16, Topics
Today's random topic was child pornography....it was one of those classes everyone bolts out the door as quickly as possible. Unrelated to that discussion, there was this quotable quote: "I don't get on my phone very often in public. Like, unless something weird happens, like a phone call." - Zach.
3-1-16, Studies in Poetry
"It's too songy, and less poey," Eric tries to clarify what was off with Catee's latest poem.
3-1-16, Scriptwriting
After we finish reading Eric's latest script about a humorous street fight: "Has anyone here actually been in a fight? Cause I haven't." - Dr. Blakely.
3-3-16, Studies in Poetry
Because it was iambic pentameter, we all kinda failed an assignment to write in blank verse. So we cheered ourselves up by teasing Dr. Mackie about her New England accent. Also, apparently "smile" and "poem" are both one syllable, but "fire" is two?! None of us could figure that one out.
3-23-16, Tales From Tent City
While rehearsing Tent City in the basement due to the auditorium showing a movie tonight, we had to improvise a little bit, and keep the sound down a lot. Zach races through one of his character's songs, which is the bridge between scenes. So I zone out, since I had been offstage for quite a while, and I miss my cue. Eventually Autumn and Zach wake me up, so I spin around on the piano bench I'd been sitting on, not quite all there yet:
"Is it morning?" "Yeah, it's morning." I then deliver my line: "Doughnuts!"
"Wrong morning!" Charli, Zach's girlfriend and the stage manager, snaps. (The actual line was "Do you ever sleep?", but I mixed those scenes up.)
3-24-16, Studies in Poetry
Today's random conversations included horror movies and being scared of the dark.
3-29-16, Topics
Jeff described a civil war that he was involved in during elementary school. Apparently it started because the first- and second-graders disagreed over Santa's existence. The first-graders believed in him, the second-graders didn't. I loved this idea, so I scrawled it down for safekeeping.
3-29-16, Studies in Poetry
My playing Brad Paisley's "Mr. Policeman" as an example of poetic elements within songs got an entertaining discussion started. Taxes and tornadoes were also "subjects of general interest," to quote from Cheaper by the Dozen.
"You can always tell a Wesley poem," Dr. Mackie muses, and everyone else agrees. (Not sure what sets mine apart, but okay....)
"Did Eric write that?" Lauren laughs after Cody reads a poem about zombies.
"Wait, he's depressing-" Dr. Mackie changes her mind on who should read next. "Actually it's more existential," Brandon tries to defend himself. "You mean it's a Brandon poem?" Dr. Mackei shoots back, much to the amusement of the class.
4-7-16, Tales From Tent City
While getting set for Tent City to open on the first night of shows, Kessiah says randomly, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened." Me, not paying much attention: "Was that a euphenism?" "No, it says so right on that wall. See?" Slight pause, then she snorts. "I can see how you would think that, though, it being me...but no, my Chamber of Secrets has not been opened!"
4-12-16, Studies in Poetry
Cody wrote a poem about the movie There's Something About Mary, so we were grateful it wasn't another Batman poem. Jeff does tease him, though, since someone has to, saying, "Pick better movies..." Dr. Mackie frowns at him - "You know I could stand up and smack you, right?" "Don't. Please?"
Catee's poem for today included the phrase "nurses' baffled hurrumphs." I had to scribble that down in the margins of my notebook.
Unrelated to earlier conversation about Cody's poem, Dr. Mackie randomly turns to Jeff and asks, "Did you just growl?"
4-12-16, Scriptwriting
Once the OU theater department was putting on a play, which was interrupted by a tornado. So after hustling everyone to the shelter, they finished the play there, improvising the props necessary. How awesome!
4-14-16, Topics
Dr. Dial-Driver plunks a package of Oreos on her desk when she comes into the classroom, apparently so she and her husband won't eat them all up. "Have a cookie," she says, sounding exactly like May from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
After Zach's phone rings, since he forgot to silence it: Dr. Dial-Driver says "I thought we didn't allow phone calls in here. I left mine in the other room[her office] so my sister can't say something weird." She then describes the weird texts her sister sends her on a regular basis. (And yes, they do sound strange.)
4-14-16, Studies in Poetry
Cole wrote a mock-Frost poem about Cody and his tendency to write about Batman all the time, which was met with much general acclaim. Cody literally wrote about diarrhea. (Everyone hated that one.) "You really are 11," Dr. Mackie sighed at him in disgust.
4-19-16, Scriptwriting
"I'm trying not to spit on Archer," Eric interrupts one of his lines as a lisping snake. Archer, sitting next to him: "IT'S NOT WORKING!"
A frizzy-haired blonde girl(no one ever learned her name, maybe it was Jenna) enters the room a half hour late. "Sorry. I was hung over." More blank stares. "But I'm better now." "Oh. Okay," Dr. Blakely answers for the rest of us. "Glad you could make it."
4-21-16, Studies in Poetry
Another set of sestinas has just been assigned, and reminders have been given that they lend themselves well to narratives. "I did that narrative in the attic-" Cody begins to say, before getting interrupted by Lauren's joy-filled "I liked that one!!!" "Thank you-" "No, I meant the sestinas!" An eruption of laughter followed.
4-26-16, Studies in Poetry
Zach asked Charli for endwords for his sestina. She gave him the following: ocean, girlfriend, sprinkler, butt, cupcake and fall. He managed to turn into something halfway understandable.
"Did you say your dog was driving?" Zach asks Lauren. this led to stories of dogs pooping in places they shouldn't.
"I had a nightmare last night I made the final where you all wrote a sonnet," Dr. Mackie says while dismissing us. Someone agrees that that would be a nightmare, as we howl in appropriate panic. "I know, that's why I'm glad it was just a dream!"
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