TRACINGS

I cannot even begin to express the amount of growth that has taken place over the course of this semester. I truly "didn't get it" at the beginning (hence my lack of insightful blog posts). I didn't know what to think, I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what I was missing. I wanted to and I tried, but I always left class feeling like I was wearing blinders. These blinders were keeping me from seeing something really important, that there was something important waiting to be seen just on the outskirts. Something really clicked just over the mid-semester mark. Pieces of the intricate puzzle started falling into place and the end result? A CIRCLE. No big surprise there, but really: Everything is connected. Past to present to future, myth to stories to real life, dreams to reality to imagination. It is one and the same, just a different angle. I wish it had clicked sooner, but I'm just glad that it did at all. This class is a diamond, with multiple facets and each one shinier than the last.

First off, thank you for telling me what you thought of my poem/performance. I am so flattered by the praise and thoughts of everyone, I couldn't have performed for a better, more supporting group of people! You made it such an enjoyable experience and I'm so glad that it touched everyone. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life, I have never felt more exhilarated. I didn't really think of it affecting others, I was only focused on my part in it and I'm so happy that it stuck with people and made them think about it/help them accept them for who they are (which is, in the words of Bruno Mars: beautiful just the way you are.)

Part of the success of this class is due to the people who occupy it and share their inner most selves. We lucked out with an incredibly group, I have been able to relate to EVERY single person on something and it feels so awesome to have that connection to people here. As said in the poem I wrote, making friends had a rough start but since high school, I have lucked into so many and I count the people in this class as some of the most intelligent group of friends I've made yet. Thank you all for everything.


JOE: I am so happy we have a class together. When we met a few years ago, I instantly knew that you were one charismatic son of a bitch. I have enjoyed your film exploits and you always make me smile. Even when I've pulled an all nighter and want nothing more than to sink into deep slumber, your comments snap me awake. Your presentation made so much sense that it made my brain hurt but I was still hoping that you would just keep on talking and making sense for eternity. I'm so bummed I have a class afterwards so I had to miss your song but I can guess that it was really amazing.

JONAH: Ever since we ran into each other and confused all of our friends with our "quote fingers", I have admired the crap out of you. You are one killer guy. Your fairytale was so raw but sweet. You're always so ready with a thought or reply, I'm in awe of you. I cannot think that quick on my feet when it comes to connections. But you never take yourself too seriously, humor is always lurking in your comments and you're always ready to pounce on a joke. Thank you for all of your comments in class. And thank you for the hug you gave me after my poem, I was so elated that you liked it and that just sent me over the edge. I'm kicking myself that I had a meeting during your presentation, but I've asked around and have gotten the gist of it, bravo.

SPENCER: Oh Spencer. Where to even start? When I met you, I was so scared of you. You pretended to be mad at me during the first retreat and I believed you for months. Then, when we started talking, you quickly became one of my very good friends. I'm so so happy I know you. And contrary to what has been said by Calder... And me, I'm so glad that you're in this class. I don't science at all, but your presentation made it accessible to an art nerd such as myself. One of the more compassionate and thoughtful people I know, I can't wait to see where you end up in life.

ROSE: I respect the hell out of you, ma'am. Your presentation was so personal and open, wow. Talking about depression is tricky, it seems like society discourages it but it needs to be talked about. Thank you for sharing that part of yourself. I shared the same feelings with you at the beginning of the semester, I just did not get it. I didn't get it and I was mad that other people did and that I just could not make the connections. Your comments always challenged everything and added yet another layer of thought to the discussion. Your humor brought us up when we started getting too deep and your wit made sure that there was never a dull moment.

YASMIN: Hey (old) Roomie! Funny to remember that we used to live together (sorry for my sometimes grouchy nights.) It has been so much fun with you in this class, I categorized everyone's smile after your presentation. I loved how spot on your observations were. It's nice to reconnect with you after the year apart. You're so smart and compassionate, I know you'll go far and be a star in your field. You're always taking notes and listening, I can't keep up with your thoughtful comments.

CALDER: Our post class/walk across campus discussions have been one of my favorite rituals this semester. Head pounding with information, talking with you cements the major points while winding down from the discussions. You have been compassionate from the start and it was so great getting to know you this summer and to then have a class with you. You're one line zingers and humor is always appreciated, as well as your input and thoughtful comments. The question you posed in your presentation is one that I have often wondered about. To this day, I still don't know what to think about the events of that fateful day. And I wonder how many times history has been skewed by one victor to the other... Would our history books be different if someone else had written it? Most definitely because it is most definitely true that history is just the third person account of a witness, written by someone else. Crazy stuff to think about, eh? Thank you for driving that home.

CONNOR: What a great addition to our class. Your comments and thoughts have always left me spinning. I've thought about a few of your comments after class has ended and have had several aha moments. I don't know you as well as the others in class, but it's obvious by what you share that you are incredibly intelligent and beyond talented. And based on what Joe has said, you're incredibly thoughtful and fun. And your sweaters are awesome, by the way.

KATIE C: You're so sweet, I always relate to everything you say in class. And thank you for your hug after my presentation! That made me so happy, I was shaking and smiling the rest of the evening. Your reaction was the cherry on top for me. I really enjoy your take on our material, you're so sassy! You always evoke and speak with such emotion, that sometimes I just listen to you talk and I feel more than hear. You're a big personality in a quiet way, which I love. You are like a shadow: Everyone knows that you're there but they sometimes forget and then WHAM, you make yourself known so quickly that they marvel how they could ever forget something so important.

VALERIE: I want to talk about your life sometime. You are an amazing woman. I love that you bring the mystical side of things to the table, talking about tarot and the universe. I have tarot cards and have been trying to teach myself but I'm really awful. When you talked about it, I was glued to your words. You're so intuitive, I love your take on everything. I'm really inspired by you, you're so confident in yourself and I want to be that kind of women. Self assured and strong. And open, I can't even imagine the trials you faced with your ordeal. Terrifying. Inspiring. During your presentation, when you passed out the Tarot cards, I held them in my hands longer than my neighbors because I really wanted to "feel" my card and when I got the Sun, I was so happy with it. I appreciate all of your kind words on your blog and in person, for some reason you're one that I really wanted to impress in class. I really admire you.

BRADY: From our first T&C class together to now, it's fun to look at the growth of our thoughts and comments. You're so poetic, in all that you do. And never rude, you're always firm in your opinions. Your presentation was perfect for you, I really enjoyed it as a fellow lover of poetry and how it's portrayed. I've never thought about the fact that I've never heard a poem by the author and that I love the ghost of the poem and not the actual thing itself. It made me sad. But at the same time, I imagined how much more moving it would be if I could hear Fitzgerald or Shakespeare reading their own words and I got chills. Wow. You are goin' places Brady, and don't let your dream tell you otherwise. You'll have that nameplate on a desk fer sure.

LOGAN: Ouch, you make my head hurt. So much sense. TOO much sense. I don't even know what to say. You captured everything I've thought in this class but compiled it into one lecture. You said out loud what I've thought but never fully realized. Congratulations on your brain, sir. I'm glad we finally have an honors class together, I've known you for years and I've always known you were smart but wow. You are beyond brilliant.

CAROL: You always look so excited to say things, and that energy is contagious. I find myself leaning forward, listening, and assessing whatever you say because you're so full of life. Thank you for infecting us all with that fervor. Your comments after my presentation were so encouraging. I really appreciate it. Your talk of myths and stories really hit home with me. Your opener alone made me incredibly nostalgic. Thank you for being such a presence in class.

KATIE N: I'm so glad that you came up with a mystery game for your project. That was so much fun. When non honors think of honors, I bet that that is not what they imagine. It was relevant (and had a brilliant message behind it) but still engaging and fun. We all talked and had to think of our own responses. Afterwards, I thought of how our lives are a giant board, and we're the pieces. We all have our lines and our secrets, and we DO want to know everything. We want answers, knowledge, explanations but your game taught us once again that you don't always get what you want. Your interjections in class have really made me think about my life and how it pertains to all of our readings. And vice versa.

BROOKE: You're awesome. I want to buy you a drink sometime. Thank you for your presentation, it was eye opening and so true. I've always been most comfortable with someone after I've been vulnerable but I never really realized that that was why. I went through all of my relationships and close friends and the ones that I'm happiest with are those that I've exposed my whole self. Until we are vulnerable, we are shorting ourselves of happiness. In the few days since your presentation, I've made more of an effort to be more vulnerable. I've shared a fact with friends to help them get to know me more, I open up more than I usually do, and I've tried to bare parts of myself to loved ones. And you know what? I'm still here. And I feel good. Thank you. You're such a neat person and I love that you're so outdoorsy. I hope to run into you outside of class, you're an incredibly neat person.

This has been one of the most challenging and rewarding classes I've ever taken in my life. I am so happy to be a part of it. I would have never learned so much as I did without the help of my incredible classmates.