Things Fall Into Place

So, after a long time of debating and weighing options and consequences, I had finally decided that transferring colleges would be the best thing for me to do. One, I wasn't having a great time at my college and it was costing my family thousands of dollars and two, transferring to a college close to home meant I could save my family about $15,000. It wasn't really that hard of a choice at first. I don't go out to party and I don't have many friends, so I would miss that. The only thing, in fact, that I would really miss would be the Equestrian Team. Which, believe me, I almost would miss enough just to stay. But finally, after two or three weeks of debate, I put in a transfer application and sent in my transcripts. And I was happy about my decision.

Then, of course, that's when things started to pick up for me at the college I'm at now.

First, I started to make some really good friends. I got invited to dinner and movie nights. I started hanging out with people in my spare time. I laughed more in the past two weeks than I have all year long. I started thinking that maybe staying here wouldn't be so bad. I got to show in an IDA intro class, and I get to show again this weekend. And I realized that I'm definitely sacrificing some things that I could have going for me by transferring.  It just goes to show that things can change, and fast, and never think that something bad is going to last forever, and remember that nothing ever ends cleanly. You're always going to leave something behind when you move forward.

End of Another Week

Well it's finally Friday!!! Which for me, means relaxing at home. This week was pretty standard, just classes and working out and more classes. In fact, nothing exciting happened until last night, when I found out that I would be competing in my school's Dressage Show. I've been on the team all year, but this will be my first competition. I'm so excited for it!! And very very nervous, of course. I want to show my instructors that I am competition worthy and they weren't wrong in picking me to show. So that's my big news for the week. Hooray!!!

On another Equestrian note, I'm trying to figure out how to get to the 2011 Rolex. I really want to Volunteer on that Saturday, but I'm worried I might have to go to training or something and that would conflict with my classes. So...we shall see.

So, that was a relatively short post. Not much going on in Ohio right now. Check back later for something more exciting.

There's No Place Like Home

Dorothy had it right when she said "there's no place like home." It's Spring Break! Which means delicious home cooked meals, sleeping in, and bookstores!! Hooray! 

Yesterday I went to Cincinnati to see an exhibit on Cleopatra VII, the last queen of Egypt. Personally, she's one of my favorite women in history just because she was incredibly intelligent and extremely educated, and she tried to help Egypt grow and stay independent from the Roman Empire. Although she ultimately failed, she's still one of, in my opinion, the bravest and heroic women who ever lived. 

The exhibit was good, though I'm not sure it was worth the $20/ person that the museum charged. But it was set up really well and they had a lot of ancient and interesting artifacts, and it was really informative. Being a die-hard Tut-Nut and Egyptian freak, I had a lot of fun, and it made me really want to study Egyptology. I don't have any pictures from the exhibit, but I do have pictures of the Museum Center in Cincinnati, which was almost as interesting as the Cleopatra exhibit. 

The Museum Center is the old train station, and I walked into it and immediately wished that I could see it when it was in use, during the 1930s and 1940s. It would have been really cool. I think, that if Atlas Shrugged were to be made into a movie, then that's where it should be filmed. Maybe not in the actual city, just in the train terminal. It's perfect for the Taggart Terminal that Rand writes about in the book. Now, if I can figure out how to upload pictures, i'll get them on. 

Say Hi To George For Me

George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ryan Gosling are on my college's campus this week, filming for Clooney's movie The Ides Of March.  No, I haven't seen them yet. Usually I'm not one who likes conformity or following trends (I only wear riding boots when I'm going down to the barn to actually ride) but I have to admit that seeing Clooney or DiCaprio would be pretty cool.  (I don't know who Gosling is really) Actually, it would be really cool. BUT I'm not going to hang around Farmer School of Business all day long and bug the filming people about seeing him.

It would still be cool.

So with George and his 'Cloonies' around, who's going to notice that today a bus full of American SPs was attacked at Frankfurt Airport in Germany? Two Americans died, and two were wounded. But on my campus, with the filming and Green Beer Day, I doubt 90% of the school knows this. It was on the news this morning, and it scared the shit out of me.

When I first heard the news, I was walking out of the dining hall and saw the big TV announcer and a picture of an airport that looked vaguely familiar. And then I heard the words "Americans" "Attack" "Air field" and "Germany" and I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart pounding, everything slowing down. I was thinking, Oh my God, Germany...Ramstein! What if..? Did anyone die? Was it Ramstein? My friends, were any of them victims? Oh God, let them be okay. Please.  My fears weren't completely ungrounded; as the largest Air Base outside the US and one of the largest populations of Americans outside the US, it was, and had previously been, a terrorist target. I turned to the person sitting at the nearest table and demanded to know what base it was. He said shortly "Frankfurt Airport" and I felt the world resume it's normal pace.

Still. Four victims. Of a random and meaningless violent attack. Yet the students at my school aren't even aware of it. It just makes me sad, makes me wonder about the people in our country who don't look at the Military and their families and realize just what it is they sacrifice for people who they don't know and for people who don't even care. Like those people who protest the war at the funerals of soldiers. Those who say that the men who died did so because it was "God's message" or whatever. Imagine if that was you, standing there at the funeral of your loved one, your son, daughter, wife, husband, father or mother, and people are shouting, yelling, abusing the memory and peace of that soldier who sacrificed him/herself so those people could stand there and shout.

Just think.