AMATEURS AND PROS
I spent the past weekend shooting pictures and video of mountain bikers. I probably took over 100 pictures and this is the only one I would consider decent. I have always wanted to learn photography, but learning how to use a camera on manual settings is turning out to be a lot more difficult than I had expected! However, I plan to keep working at it until I can consider myself an expert rather than an amateur.
On the other hand, unlike photography, mountain biking is not exactly something that should be attempted by an
amateur. The guys and gal who participated in the downhill race I shot on Sunday were intense (or should I say insane?) -- My camera captured several crashes, and it's astounding to see how quickly the riders recovered from the painful tumbles! What's even more astounding is the fact that most of the contestants rode their bikes down the steep trail of soft dirt, broken branches, and loose rocks
without any protective gear (except for the helmet, which is basically required by law). The idea that anyone would be so careless with his or her body makes me cringe! It's basically like riding a car without a seat belt or sky diving without a parachute -- Yes, it's absurd! But then again, that's probably why these guys can call themselves pros!
LIFE IN/OF CEMETERIES
"If Only . . . Those must be the two saddest words in the world"
On Monday, while running on the trail around the Pioneer Cemetery for my Jog/Run class, I noticed some bright pink flowers right by a grave: They appeared to be in perfect condition, which I found quite odd! I could not figure out how the flowers had managed to survive the freezing temperatures of the past week. Yes, I was very curious indeed, especially since my lungs were practically collapsing from the cold air as I was running :)
I did not have a chance to stop and glimpse at the flowers, but decided that I would come back and take pictures of them specifically for this assignment. Most people who know me are aware of the fact that aside from babies, flowers are my second favorite thing on the planet! Not only do I love taking pictures of them, but I basically prefer them over jewelry, chocolate, presents, or any other thing!
I came back to the cemetery a few days later to take pictures of the flowers, and to my surprise they were still there -- still in mint condition! At this point I became a little suspicious about these flowers! As I knelt down to take a picture, the mystery was finally solved. I could not help but chuckle once I realized that the flowers were made of plastic. I felt pretty silly for not realizing it sooner; after all, it made perfect sense -- Every other plant in that cemetery was completely dried out!
As I took pictures of the pink flowers, my eyes caught a glimpse of others scattered across the cemetery from grave to grave. Suddenly, I could not help but notice that many of the graves were in dire need of maintenance. The observation depressed me a little, especially once it dawned on me that some of the graves had probably not been visited in years. As I sat pondering about the condition of the graves, it got dark and foggy -- so, I left in a hurry. Being in a cemetery when it gets dark is not exactly my thing!
The oddest thing happened a few hours later -- My mom called to tell me to go buy a phone card and call my grandma in Romania because she was suddenly passing away. The timing of the awful news really disturbed me! Nevertheless, I ran to 7/11, got a phone card and drove over to my sister's apartment -- My grandma wanted to speak to all her grandchildren before she died, so my sister and I decided to call her at the same time. I had a brief conversation with my grandma before my aunt grabbed the phone from her to inform me that my grandma was falling in and out of consciousness. If I had known then that it would be my last conversation with my grandma, I would have pleaded with my aunt to allow me to speak with her a little bit longer.
A few days later my grandma passed away peacefully. The worst part is not the fact that she passed away, but rather the timing of her passing. My mom and all my other siblings (minus my brother who still lived in Romania until recently) have not seen my grandma in exactly one decade -- and it makes me so angry that they did not get a chance to reunite on more time. My grandma did not even get a chance to ever meet her great-grandson, my nephew :( What's even more upsetting is that my family has a trip planned to Romania for this summer. I am the only person in my family who has seen my grandma recently and my regret runs even deeper than theirs. The last sentence requires quite a lengthy explanation, but I just realized that I have probably written way too much for this assignment already, so I will just stop here. Let's just say that it will probably be quite some time, and I will probably shed a few more tears before I come to terms with this unfortunate and unexpected event!
SORORITY HOUSES I just realized that this is going to be the most depressing blog ever, so I apologize in advance if these photo captions ruin your current mood! So, what's so depressing about sorority houses? Well, I walk by all the Greek houses at least twice a day, and each time I cannot help but wonder what would have been different about my college career if I had lived in one of these houses. That's not the depressing part!
When I came to the UofO for IntroDucktion right before the start of my freshmen year, I was set on joining a sorority and decided to go on a house tour. Right as the sorority tour was about to start, my mom called to tell me to meet her back at the EMU because we had to go home immediately -- Apparently, my aunt, uncle, and three of my cousins had been tragically killed in a car accident. We drove straight to Portland only to find out that three of my cousins had survived the accident, but two were in a coma. In the chaos that ensued after the accident, I completely forgot about sororities, pledging, or anything that had to do with Greek life. I spent the rest of the summer in hospitals, praying and hoping that my young cousins would recover. [Two of them recovered completely, but Emma, who was twelve at the time, would spend nearly the next two years in a coma.]
It's crazy how our lives can take such unexpected twists! Tragedies such as these have taught me that making plans for the future is practically a waste of time. As cliche as it sounds, one's time truly is better spent living the present rather than dreaming of the future. It's sad to think of it, but tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone!
11:11 THEORY
This picture is pretty self-explanatory. Catching a glimpse of the clock at exactly 11:11 -- whether it's on the microwave, computer, cell phone, or any other electronic device -- happens to me on a daily basis! It used to freak me out because it happened so often. For example, on one occassion I wrote a message on my friend's Facebook wall to tell her that we had both joined the "11:11 Theory" group, only to notice minutes later that she had responded to my post about seeing 11:11 all the time at exactly 11:11 (I know, it may be a bit confusing -- Sorry!). I thought I was unique in terms of this phenomenon, but apparently it's quite common -- So common in fact, that it has given birth to several theories. Most of the theories are pretty confusing and quite ridiculous, in my opinion, so I will not bother to explain them. However, if you are curious to find out more, just google "11:11 theory," and you'll find out what I am talking about.
GOT JESUS?
"The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."
I've always admired people who are not afraid to
publicly profess their religious beliefs -- I find it quite brave and refreshing, especially in this day and age! I secretely (Well, I guess it's no longer a secret.) wish and pray that one day I will be able to display such courage regardless of the situation.
I do not, however, admire the individuals who sit on street corners shouting at, judging, and condemning every person who walks by him or her. There's nothing wrong with
sharing one's beliefs, but I've always found it quite distasteful when one
forces his or her beliefs unto others.
ROMANIAN CUISINE
One of the things I miss most about Romania and about living with my parents -- Nope, it's not people, it's the food ;) Romanian cuisine is delicious (Just look at these two albums if you don't believe me --
Yummy Romanian Dishes &
Why the Holidays Make People Fat -- and then reconsider!). All my friends regard my mom as the greatest chef/baker they have ever encountered and are constantly nagging her about opening a restaurant. One of my goals is to open a Romanian restaurant at some point in my life. I wouldn't do it to generate income for myself or my family, but simply just to have Romanian food within reach at all times and to share the awesome cuisine of my country with Americans!
If the restaurant business does not happen, then I would like to publish a Romanian cookbook with my mom's recipes. This summer I started writing down some of my mom's recipes and taking pictures of the step-by-step process of making various dishes, desserts, etc. For example, check out this album to learn how to make
plum dumplings.
Before I forget, the picture above is of Romanian meatballs topped with cranberry sauce. I made both this week -- and they were delicious! I will never be able to figure out why anyone would ever eat pre-cooked frozen meatballs or cranberry sauce out of a can, when making both is so terribly simple that a five-year-old could figure it out!
This story would be a great counterpart to the football-player-turned-gospel-director story (assuming that story makes it into Flux.). JJ Birden (a former Duck football player) is a former-NFL-player-turned-chocolatier! Birden is "now an executive with Team X 88, a company that sells a delicious dark chocolate called Xocai, which has amazing healing and restorative powers." [The quote is from an article published in the Lake Oswego Review.] Birden will be presenting his chocolate products at an upcoming event in Eugene, this Saturday. Check out the Craigslist post below for more info.
I have been researching story ideas for Flux for the past two weeks, but this morning, instead of finding an idea -- well, the idea sort of found me! While eating breakfast, I looked up from my delicious bowl of fresh strawberries, plain yogurt, and Raspberry Ginger cereal only to notice a little girl staring back at me. No worries, it wasn't a ghost -- It was actually a picture of a little girl on the back of my cereal box. The girl's pose caught my attention: She looked like a spider ready to crawl down the street! I was confused by the picture, so I had no choice but to read the text that accompanied it.
Eating healthy is actually quite simple for me because I absolutely adore fruits and veggies! And because I had the privilege of growing up in Europe where people actually enjoy things like plain yogurt, kefir, and pate (aka pork liver spread), which most Americans apparently hate because they, in my opinion, have a misconception about how these foods actually taste. Trust me, not only do they taste delicious, but your body will start loving you much more from the moment you begin swapping your fruit yogurt or hamburgers for these healthy European staples! But you don't have to stop at what Europeans eat -- Fruits and veggies as well as brown rice or oatmeal or oven-baked chicken breasts, which are pretty much universal, are only a few of among your plethora of options when it comes to getting or staying lean.
