A. Age: 26. gee I'm old as hell.
B. Bed size: full size and even though I'm short, I still sleep with my feet hanging off the end of my bed. I honestly can't understand how its physically possible, but I still do it.
C. Chore you dislike: dishes. right now, my dad does the dishes and I love him for it. Cuz I'll never do it.
D. Dogs: My mom has a dog named Max and my dad has a dog named Harley (Harley is currently a resident of my grandma's house since my apt doesn't allow pets).
E. Essential start to your day: Everyday is a little different. My work schedule is flexible. I try to be up around 8am, but that doesn't work half the time. and Thursdays are the only days I have school. Weekends involve a lot of sleeping in.
F. Favorite color: Green and not just because it's March.
G. Gold or silver: Silver for sure
H. Height: 5’3". I used to say 5'4" but some jerk decided to measure me to prove me wrong.
I. Instruments you play(ed): I am bad at music, I just don't have it in me. As a kid I played the trumpet and clarinet. I tried to play bass in High School but never practiced enough.
J. Job title: Website content writer and Grad student.
K. Kids: I have sims characters? does that count?
L. Live: South Suburbs of Chicago
M. Mom’s name: Diana
N. Nicknames: Coalleen was my high school nickname. I have also been called Rayne (Joy gave me that one) and Coco was a nickname I got last summer. We were drinking so I don't remember how I got this name.
O. Overnight hospital stays: I have had pneumonia a few times. I recall being in the hospital for a month when I was in Kindergarten. I was also accident prone so I've been in the hospital more than I can remember.
P. Pet peeves: I have so many of them. I don't even know where to begin.
Q. Quote from a movie: "To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure" Dumbledore. Yes I know this is from a book as well, totally cheated on this answer.
R. Righty or lefty: Righty
S. Siblings: One older brother, Shawn. He is awesome, trust me on that!
T. Time you wake up: I don't have a normal schedule.
U. Underwear: Um yes. I have a draw stuffed full of underwear and wear a pair almost every day.
V. Vegetables you don’t’ like: Onions! I hate onions! YUCK!
W. What makes you run late: I am notorious for being late to everything. When a train or bus schedule is involved, I am always early. But meeting with friends, I am often late. The best time was my 25th birthday. I told everybody to go to the bar at 9ish and arrived at 10:30pm and this caused a round of applause when I walked into the bar. Made my feel like epic royalty! haha
X. X-rays you’ve had: I have had way too many. Probably 5 x-rays on my head, my back, my hands, my left foot. Accident prone ftw
Y. Yummy food you make: My new favorite is sweet potato fries. yum.
Z. Zoo animal favorites: Monkeys. I want a pet monkey and I don't care if they are illegal, I'll steal one from the zoo and treat it like a baby.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
travel plans and intentions
I came across an interesting quote, and I found that I could apply it to my life in some ways and made me think 'deeply'.
"If Jane Austen suffered in any way from her circumstances it was in the narrowness of life that was imposed upon her. It was impossible for a woman to go about alone. She never travelled; she never drove through London in an omnibus or had luncheon in a shop by herself. But perhaps it was the nature of Jane Austen not to want what she had not. Her gift and circumstances matched each other completely. But I doubt whether that was true of Charlotte Bronte, I said, opening Jane Eyre and laying it beside Pride and Prejudice... And I read how Jane Eyre used to go up on to the roof when Mrs. Fairfax was making jellies and looked over the fields at the distant view. And then she longed-and it was for this that they blamed her-that "then I longed for a power of vision which might overpass that limit; which might reach the busy world, towns, regions full of life I had heard of but never seen: that then I desired more of practical experience than I possessed..."
A Room of One's Own by Virgina Woolf (page 68).
I read this while doing research for a paper about an Austen novel and Mary Wollstonecraft's a Vindication of the Right of Woman. But I thought about this applies to more than writing novels and literature.
When you think about it, we are all sometimes content with life as we know it. The cliche idea that you don't know what you have til it's gone, doesn't really work in my mind anymore. It's not that you didn't know what you had, it's that you are comfortable with what you have and losing that thing puts you in the unknown. Does that make any sense at all? It makes sense in my mind, but I may not be using the right words to express it.
The little exert lays out a philosophy for two types of people. There's the Jane Austen's who make the best out of the current situation and do not want what is beyond reach or reason. Then there's the Charlotte Bronte's whose mind dwells on what else there could be or what lies beyond their reach and long for it. I also think these could be stages in life. I was content with life a feel months ago. But now I want to push myself and go beyond what I already have.
I guess that I would be a Bronte. I have always had those dreamy ideals that are beyond reach. But that isn't fair to say exactly. Charlotte Bronte lived from 1816 to 1855. In her age, women could not own property, attend schools/colleges, publish anonymously, and were confined to the domestic drawing rooms.
When I compare my situation to Bronte, Austen, Wollstonecraft, or any other women writer that I am really familiar with, I feel a great deal lazy. I have the right to do more in my lifetime than they could dream about. Yes, women still have lots of inequality in the workplace and women writers are still branded as sentimental or insignificant, but I could travel anywhere I want and do anything I want.
To be fair, I have been to Dublin and Berlin but only for a week at a time. Not to undermine the things I've done in life, but I'm 26 now, and I have not achieved very much. I have my bachelors degree and in the process of completely my Masters degree. But I've never stepped out of my comfort zone, I've never lived outside of Chicago and the Chicago suburbs.
I haven't even done anything incredibly daring. I guess this explains my month long stay in Ireland that is forthcoming this year. I will be living and working in a culture outside of my own. I will be completely alone for the 12 or 15 hour flights there and back. I will be alone for the three buses I need to take to get to Valentia Island, where I'll be staying.
Some part of me thinks that I may never want to come back. After a week in Dublin, I remember kicking my feet at the airport and not wanting to leave. My ex boyfriend may have even pushed me into the airport a little bit.
So what will stop me from coming back in June? I have no clue. I might need to make a list or it will be really easy to stay there. Here's a list in progress.
1) Family
2) Finish your damn Masters degree
3) your vast book shelf is in Chicago
4) hockey
5) the rest of your shoe collection?
Well it's a start. I left friends off that list since a lot of them have let me down in the past month, either by ignoring me or lying and avoiding me. It was nice when I had lots of friends, or when I had a group of guys that I called my extended brothers. But I guess that doesn't stay the same when you get older. You lose that when everyone is dating, having kids, or doing their own thing. Oh well. I don't mean to sound pessimistic, cause I do still have those great friends who'd be mad if I didn't come back. I know who they are, and they know who they are. The people I'm mad at wouldn't read this anyways.
But in the long run, I think I'm getting my priorities straight. Living in Ireland was a dream I had for a long time. A month stay will either have me running back after my Masters is done, and be a great memory that I'll hold on to forever. Now I just gotta figure out how to pack for a month of living abroad!
"If Jane Austen suffered in any way from her circumstances it was in the narrowness of life that was imposed upon her. It was impossible for a woman to go about alone. She never travelled; she never drove through London in an omnibus or had luncheon in a shop by herself. But perhaps it was the nature of Jane Austen not to want what she had not. Her gift and circumstances matched each other completely. But I doubt whether that was true of Charlotte Bronte, I said, opening Jane Eyre and laying it beside Pride and Prejudice... And I read how Jane Eyre used to go up on to the roof when Mrs. Fairfax was making jellies and looked over the fields at the distant view. And then she longed-and it was for this that they blamed her-that "then I longed for a power of vision which might overpass that limit; which might reach the busy world, towns, regions full of life I had heard of but never seen: that then I desired more of practical experience than I possessed..."
A Room of One's Own by Virgina Woolf (page 68).
I read this while doing research for a paper about an Austen novel and Mary Wollstonecraft's a Vindication of the Right of Woman. But I thought about this applies to more than writing novels and literature.
When you think about it, we are all sometimes content with life as we know it. The cliche idea that you don't know what you have til it's gone, doesn't really work in my mind anymore. It's not that you didn't know what you had, it's that you are comfortable with what you have and losing that thing puts you in the unknown. Does that make any sense at all? It makes sense in my mind, but I may not be using the right words to express it.
The little exert lays out a philosophy for two types of people. There's the Jane Austen's who make the best out of the current situation and do not want what is beyond reach or reason. Then there's the Charlotte Bronte's whose mind dwells on what else there could be or what lies beyond their reach and long for it. I also think these could be stages in life. I was content with life a feel months ago. But now I want to push myself and go beyond what I already have.
I guess that I would be a Bronte. I have always had those dreamy ideals that are beyond reach. But that isn't fair to say exactly. Charlotte Bronte lived from 1816 to 1855. In her age, women could not own property, attend schools/colleges, publish anonymously, and were confined to the domestic drawing rooms.
When I compare my situation to Bronte, Austen, Wollstonecraft, or any other women writer that I am really familiar with, I feel a great deal lazy. I have the right to do more in my lifetime than they could dream about. Yes, women still have lots of inequality in the workplace and women writers are still branded as sentimental or insignificant, but I could travel anywhere I want and do anything I want.
To be fair, I have been to Dublin and Berlin but only for a week at a time. Not to undermine the things I've done in life, but I'm 26 now, and I have not achieved very much. I have my bachelors degree and in the process of completely my Masters degree. But I've never stepped out of my comfort zone, I've never lived outside of Chicago and the Chicago suburbs.
I haven't even done anything incredibly daring. I guess this explains my month long stay in Ireland that is forthcoming this year. I will be living and working in a culture outside of my own. I will be completely alone for the 12 or 15 hour flights there and back. I will be alone for the three buses I need to take to get to Valentia Island, where I'll be staying.
Some part of me thinks that I may never want to come back. After a week in Dublin, I remember kicking my feet at the airport and not wanting to leave. My ex boyfriend may have even pushed me into the airport a little bit.
So what will stop me from coming back in June? I have no clue. I might need to make a list or it will be really easy to stay there. Here's a list in progress.
1) Family
2) Finish your damn Masters degree
3) your vast book shelf is in Chicago
4) hockey
5) the rest of your shoe collection?
Well it's a start. I left friends off that list since a lot of them have let me down in the past month, either by ignoring me or lying and avoiding me. It was nice when I had lots of friends, or when I had a group of guys that I called my extended brothers. But I guess that doesn't stay the same when you get older. You lose that when everyone is dating, having kids, or doing their own thing. Oh well. I don't mean to sound pessimistic, cause I do still have those great friends who'd be mad if I didn't come back. I know who they are, and they know who they are. The people I'm mad at wouldn't read this anyways.
But in the long run, I think I'm getting my priorities straight. Living in Ireland was a dream I had for a long time. A month stay will either have me running back after my Masters is done, and be a great memory that I'll hold on to forever. Now I just gotta figure out how to pack for a month of living abroad!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Colleen's Bucket List
Making a bucket list so I can do the things I've always wanted and keep track. Will update and cross things off as I go along, may even add more.
3/10/2011
Eat a traditional Irish Breakfast (wish I didn't look up the definition of Black Pudding)
Go Skydiving
Visit the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto
Do something regrettable in Vegas
Travel from London to Paris on the underwater train (channel tunnel)
Run in an 8K Race
Go to Mardi Gras
Visit a small Irish countryside town or Galway
Volunteer/Tutor young children or be a mentor
Ice Skate on the United Center
Visit a country in Asia
Spit into the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls
See a Shakepeare play performed live
Ride an Elephant in a Foreign Country
Drive a car on the left side of the road (legally)
Feel free to make suggestions for new things on my list or join me in achieving some of these things.
3/10/2011
Eat a traditional Irish Breakfast (wish I didn't look up the definition of Black Pudding)
Go Skydiving
Visit the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto
Do something regrettable in Vegas
Travel from London to Paris on the underwater train (channel tunnel)
Run in an 8K Race
Go to Mardi Gras
Visit a small Irish countryside town or Galway
Volunteer/Tutor young children or be a mentor
Ice Skate on the United Center
Visit a country in Asia
Spit into the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls
See a Shakepeare play performed live
Ride an Elephant in a Foreign Country
Drive a car on the left side of the road (legally)
Feel free to make suggestions for new things on my list or join me in achieving some of these things.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
update on the romance bs of life
I recently became single for the first time in a long time. This transition has been difficult and trying, to say the very least. I can't say that I've officially healed or moved on. But I can say that I'm a work in progress.
But aren't we all a technical work in progress in some way regardless of whether or not we are romantically involved. If you don't consider yourself a work in progress in some way, then doesn't that mean you have given up on the concept of improving your self? I ask these questions because I feel stuck at a crossroads.
Sometimes I am ready to pick up the peices and make the best of what life has dealt me, and other times, I am ready to lay down and say fuck all.
"Only by forgetting this primitive world of metaphor can one live with any repose, security, and consistency"
But aren't we all a technical work in progress in some way regardless of whether or not we are romantically involved. If you don't consider yourself a work in progress in some way, then doesn't that mean you have given up on the concept of improving your self? I ask these questions because I feel stuck at a crossroads.
Sometimes I am ready to pick up the peices and make the best of what life has dealt me, and other times, I am ready to lay down and say fuck all.
"Only by forgetting this primitive world of metaphor can one live with any repose, security, and consistency"
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
The importance of Proofreading
I decided I wanted to post a blog, but I wasn't really sure what. Then I saw on TV some written text about a woman (at the end of the show Intervention), and it said "he". I became immediately annoyed that people don't proofread well enough.
This was something that bothered me a week or two ago after reading a pdf article for a class. It referred to the terrorist attacks on "September 9, 2001," and as I read past this date, I doubled back and looked again. I don't remember September 9th 2001, but I do remember two days later when a terrorist attack did hit America. Now, I am very sure that the World Trade Center was still standing at the end of the 9th.
After complaining to a few people about what I thought, I said to myself, It's ok. Maybe it was overlooked in the first edition. But then I checked the info about the book the article was pulled from and saw that it was a second edition. This angers me. A little bit of proofreading goes a long way in my opinion.
Maybe I am being too cocky or hot headed about these things. But when you screw up the date of a major RECENT event or one of three sentences on the TV screen, it becomes a problem of laziness. Oh well, I am done complaining now.
On to other news, I went to a massage school to get a free massage from a friend. She is in school for it and needed to gain practice hours. I felt like it'd be nice and relaxing while still helping a friend. A massage isn't something I'd shell out the money for considering my tight budget right now.
It was very nice and relaxing. I even brought my good friend Stephanie since she's been my hair stylist for so long and deserves a little pampering (in my opinion). I had an hour to kill while she was getting her massage and made the mistake of not bringing a school book to work on homework (and I always have a book with me).
They had bookshelves in the lounge area, so I spent some time looking through. Most were very religious orientated books. A few were older feminist books from the 80's. I looked through it and was reading a little about meditation for women who need to clear their minds. This idea intrigued me.
I knew that if I start meditating, my boyfriend will laugh and call me a hippie. But at the same time, I find myself very overwhelmed and anxious with my thoughts and planning and getting things done. While I am a very busy person, I began to wonder if meditating could help me organize my mind to take life one step at a time. I almost ordered a book on amazon about meditation but decided to go to the library and find a book (saving my money and all).
Funny enough, I went to library tonight and picked out a book. At the counter was a high school friend that I hadn't seen in years. This delighted me to see her. Now it makes me think about how my friend going to massage school ending in me going to the library and seeing an old friend. It all sort of lead me to library and to check out meditation. I haven't even read the book but am happy I went and checked it out.
This was something that bothered me a week or two ago after reading a pdf article for a class. It referred to the terrorist attacks on "September 9, 2001," and as I read past this date, I doubled back and looked again. I don't remember September 9th 2001, but I do remember two days later when a terrorist attack did hit America. Now, I am very sure that the World Trade Center was still standing at the end of the 9th.
After complaining to a few people about what I thought, I said to myself, It's ok. Maybe it was overlooked in the first edition. But then I checked the info about the book the article was pulled from and saw that it was a second edition. This angers me. A little bit of proofreading goes a long way in my opinion.
Maybe I am being too cocky or hot headed about these things. But when you screw up the date of a major RECENT event or one of three sentences on the TV screen, it becomes a problem of laziness. Oh well, I am done complaining now.
On to other news, I went to a massage school to get a free massage from a friend. She is in school for it and needed to gain practice hours. I felt like it'd be nice and relaxing while still helping a friend. A massage isn't something I'd shell out the money for considering my tight budget right now.
It was very nice and relaxing. I even brought my good friend Stephanie since she's been my hair stylist for so long and deserves a little pampering (in my opinion). I had an hour to kill while she was getting her massage and made the mistake of not bringing a school book to work on homework (and I always have a book with me).
They had bookshelves in the lounge area, so I spent some time looking through. Most were very religious orientated books. A few were older feminist books from the 80's. I looked through it and was reading a little about meditation for women who need to clear their minds. This idea intrigued me.
I knew that if I start meditating, my boyfriend will laugh and call me a hippie. But at the same time, I find myself very overwhelmed and anxious with my thoughts and planning and getting things done. While I am a very busy person, I began to wonder if meditating could help me organize my mind to take life one step at a time. I almost ordered a book on amazon about meditation but decided to go to the library and find a book (saving my money and all).
Funny enough, I went to library tonight and picked out a book. At the counter was a high school friend that I hadn't seen in years. This delighted me to see her. Now it makes me think about how my friend going to massage school ending in me going to the library and seeing an old friend. It all sort of lead me to library and to check out meditation. I haven't even read the book but am happy I went and checked it out.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The decision to stay in grad school or pursue more permanent full time work has been my main concern since my research papers were turned in and I had spare moments to think. While I love studying literature and planning my thesis, Roosevelt has not been as academic as I expected. Considering my thesis has been my main motivation to continue and just get my Masters Degree now.
At the same time, I fear that my Masters will never lead to a PhD program or any teaching position. Just another expensive piece of paper. Here are my thesis ideas so far:
1) Harry Potter and the book's ability to teach Children how to read by each book adding new layers of complexity and improving young adult interest in and ability to read literature.
2) Parody Literature what it says about contemporary culture and our views about classic like Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice.
3) The reoccurring theme of the orphaned child and adversity faced without parental protection and love as seen in Jane Eyre, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and research more classic books.
I hope to come back to these ideas next summer do some real research and make a decision. I am afraid that the school would not approve my thesis ideas.
I'm still writing about the Blackhawks at blackhawksmix.com but have found minimal time to do this. I hope to start doing more freelance writing in the future and freelance jobs in SEO or copyediting/proofreading.
At the same time, I fear that my Masters will never lead to a PhD program or any teaching position. Just another expensive piece of paper. Here are my thesis ideas so far:
1) Harry Potter and the book's ability to teach Children how to read by each book adding new layers of complexity and improving young adult interest in and ability to read literature.
2) Parody Literature what it says about contemporary culture and our views about classic like Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice.
3) The reoccurring theme of the orphaned child and adversity faced without parental protection and love as seen in Jane Eyre, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and research more classic books.
I hope to come back to these ideas next summer do some real research and make a decision. I am afraid that the school would not approve my thesis ideas.
I'm still writing about the Blackhawks at blackhawksmix.com but have found minimal time to do this. I hope to start doing more freelance writing in the future and freelance jobs in SEO or copyediting/proofreading.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Welcoming the Cup back to Chicago
By Colleen BoyleSince the Stanley Cup was carried ceremoniously off a chartered plane on June 10th around 4am, I have not been able to comprehend the transition my life would have to make. I turn on the tv this evening, but the only channels in my head at Comcast Sports Net and Versus.
Earlier in the day, I was at the mall with a friend and everywhere I looked, someone was wearing a 2010 Chicago Blackhawks Championship t-shirt. The phrase hasn’t even sunk into my head, and the reality still hasn’t taken a hold of me.
Last Friday, I made my way to Michigan Avenue with 2 other million people from the chicagoland area to glimpse at the cup myself. I watched it slowly creep down the street on top of a doubledecker bus with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, and all I could do is hold my breath and soak in the goosebumps as they traveled around my body.
Growing up in Chicago, I come from a generation of sports fans who complain about the Chicago Bears and argue over the Cubs and White Sox. But rarely did I find a fellow hockey enthusiast. My boyfriend and I began our relationship partly for our shared joy of watching hockey together.
However, today in Chicago, almost the entire city rallies behind the Chicago Blackhawks. It began last year during the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs when the Hawks made it as far as the Western Conference finals but defeated by the long-time rival, the Detroit Red Wings.
I was afraid that in the following year, we would fail to make it to the playoffs again and that people would lose interest and curiosity. I was wrong.
The 2009-2010 Chicago Blackhawks spent the entire year at the top of the Conference and in competition with San Jose who ended up taking the top spot but losing in a four game sweep to the Hawks in the Conference Finals.
The roster that Coach Joel Quenneville managed was unstoppable all the way to the end. And I found myself overwhelmed with joy and completely numb in shock when Patrick Kane scored the game winning goal in game six against the Philadelphia Flyers.
I mean that very literally. I was numb and motionless for nearly two minutes. The bar I was at for game six erupted in screams and laughter. In the corner of my eye, I saw all my friends hug and cheer and smile while I stood paralyzed by the thought that we actually did it.
This means a lot to a city in doomed sports. I grow more impatient with the continued complaints of a dismal football team. I have no tolerance left for arguments about baseball and which team is better/worse. But I can finally share my love of hockey with millions of others.
A lot of the loyal and long-standing fans dislike the newcomers. People at bars yell ‘kick the puck in’ without knowing that a kicked-in puck is always ruled a ‘no goal.’ But I don’t share their sentiment. Maybe I will when the bandwagon fans forget about hockey and put their sweaters to the back of their closet. But I like to think that hockey gained millions of new fans that won’t forget or lose interest.
I expect the cup will not be long from Chicago’s reach for another 49 years. With the new owner, Rocky Wirtz in charge, the team has taken all the right steps. While the off-season will provide many changes to accommodate a salary cap, I hope to see a similar team of talented and hard working players and hope to move up on that season ticket waiting list.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)