Annie_Scribblings: On Spirituality and Creativity

A very nice essay witten by Pope John Paul II...
Interesting and intriguing...

Annie_Scribblings

The Greatest American and The Little House on the Prairie Books...

This evening Brian and I ended up watching The Greatest American on the Discovery Channel. They are down to the selection of the top 5. As a result of highly spirited debate on our part, Brian and I ended up having a conversation regarding the American South during the Civil War - more specifically, what happened after Lincoln died.

In the end, Brian stated that one could easily upset many American sensibilities simply by systematically proving that red necks do live above the Mason-Dixon Line.

We both believe that this would eventually prove that Southerners are routinely maligned to this day as backwards, uncouth, and uneducated.

As a result, Brian just about has me convinced that I should write books about my childhood as I grew up in Omer, Michigan. This led me to become fascinated by the writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder - especially the Little House books.

Of course, I have had help. Last week I happened to catch a few old episodes of the acclaimed TV show - which I grew up watching. It instantly took me back to my childhood.

What I take away from all of this is the courage to eventually tell the story of my unique life at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st.

Even if it takes me until I am 75 years old, I will tell it in full and glorious detail.

Lindsey.

Arbitrary and Capricious - Another Interesting Blog

I was amazed by the lastest and greatest entry in this blog!
Something else...

More later...

Lindsey

Arbitrary and Capricious

Laughing Through the Tears

DE, an online diary community. Free web-based online diaries. - View Diary:

"Laughing at the situation I am now in,
I can't help but want to cry at it all.
When I be able to come through grinin?
Or am I set up for an very hard fall?

I hope to soon look back through the tears
At all that I have been through lately
And once and for all leave behind my fears
Only then will then will I look stately."

Random Train of Thought

As day turned into night, the train sped along
Leaving her alone to ponder all that is wrong
In her life, her family, and all of society
She did not want to simply gain notoriety

For that which she said and did so long ago
She knew for a fact that they all did not know
All of her dreams, desires, hopes, and wishes
Now would find their way into passionate kisses

Starting Over Again... And Again...

Moving on is harder than it sounds,
Opening yourself to new possibilities
As your shear determination abounds
Creating light from dark realities

All I need is courage and resolve
In order to make it all right again
After all, I will eventually evolve
And believe and see all that I can

Death of the Great Lakes

Swallowed under by the rolling wave,
All I could forsee was a watery grave.
I could no longer see sky or shore.
I only wish I had accomplished more.

As my last gasp of air escaped in tiny bubbles
And I somehow was relieved of all my troubles,
The darkness swallowed me once and for all
Only light and laughter do I recall.

Argentina's Attitude Towards in Globalization - 10/24/2003

Included is the web address for an academic paper I wrote for the first annual Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies Conference at Michigan State University:

Argentina's Attitude Towards Globalization

My first published piece!

Reflections of 9/11/2001 -

Here is the posting I placed on September 12, 2002:

At the time, I had been in Quito attending the Universidad de San Francisco for about 2 weeks. I arrived on Aug. 26th, 2001 as part of a group of 3 students from Michigan State University (all Spanish language majors) participating in the semester long study abroad program.

9/11 -

That morning I had been in the process of getting ready for class, which didn't start until 10 am, when I knew it wasn't an ordinary day.

Around 8:30 am my host mother yelled for me to come to her room, where she happened to be watching CNN Espanol while she was getting ready. At this time, only the first plane had hit. I thought it was a terrible airline accident, nothing more.

I went about my routine and made my way to class with that image burned in my mind, not knowing that it was about to get much worse.

At 10 am in my lit. class, no literature was discussed. Hearing "Pentagon," "Washington, DC," "dos aviones," "Torres Gemelas" intermingled with several words spoken in rapid Ecuadorean Spanish (it was only my second week there) assured me that something horrendous had happened.

I didn't understand the full extent of what happened until I ate lunch around 12:30 pm. Everyone at the cafe was glued to CNN Espanol, not knowing what to expect.

Later that day, in more classes, we just discussed what was going on in the US, though there were several conflicting reports. It gave me goosebumps to discuss all of this in my US, Latin American Relations course.

One image that sticks out from that long afternoon at USFQ was the mass of students, Ecuadorean and American alike, glued to the large screen TV in the main lobby of the university. I believe Ecuador lost 30 some people in the attacks.

Most striking, however, was the scene in the hall infront of the international programs office (most foreign students at USFQ are American, in all roughly 10% of the student population). Unlike me, most of the American exchange students were from small, private colleges/universities on the East Coast. It seemed as though everyone know someone in the World Trade Center or Pentagon. Anyway, in the hallway outside the international programs office, there was a large group of American students crying, waiting to hear something about their loved ones whom might have been in either the World Trade Center or the Pentagon. That image has stayed with me.

Finally, I go back to my host parents' home in Quito. I glue myself to CNN Espanol while my host mother informs me that she heard reports that as many as 8 planes were still missing. Thank God that wasn't true!

That evening, I called home, basically to have my parents's reassurance. Luckily, most of my family lives in Michigan and I knew no one who would have been in New York or DC at the time. A sad commentary on the state of the world - during this conversation with my family, my little brother, 10 at the time, proceeded to assure me that no one would ever attack our small Michigan town, there wasn't anything there. All I could think of was that my little brother shouldn't have to even think about that possibility.

That Fall -

Anyway, being so far away from the US at the time made the entire incident seem like a nightmare. It didn't seem fully real until yesterday - 9/11/02. I'll admit, I thought about who I'd call if a plane I was traveling on was hijacked and I knew we were going down. The was foremost in my mind as I returned from Ecuador, which is quite a story in itself (I flew home on Dec. 22, 2001 - the same day as the shoe bomber incident. Luckily I knew nothing about it until I was safely home.)

Beyond -

On 9/11 I believed that I was going to have to change my plans for studying abroad the following spring in Caceres, Spain. As an act of defiance, small as it seems, I didn't. After a harrowing experience returing home from Ecuador for the holidays, I turned around and got back on a plane Jan. 4th.

9/11 put a unique perspective on a year spent studying abroad. I am only now, one year later, realizing the profound impact it had on my personal experiences.

~ Lindsey Russell

As a side note, you can check out the story on the 9/11 digital archive website. Feel free to share your story about 9/11 as well!
http://911digitalarchive.org/stories/details/6757

Move Beyond Your Fear

Sometimes the best things in life take more effort than we originally anticipate. The time, effort, and creativity spent in pursuit of a dream will never be spent in vain. No one wants to believe that even the best-laid plans can fall short, but it does happen. Many people will tell you that everything happens for a reason. While this may seem cliché and the last thing you want to hear, take comfort in the advice. The most important thing to remember at this time is that you owe it to yourself to continuously work towards your dreams, no matter what they may be at this time. This is simply one more obstacle that stands in the way of your dream. Everything need to overcome this obstacle lies within. All that is needed is a creative way to work through this roadblock and confidence in your ability. I believe in you. It is now time to believe in yourself.

- Created on 5/1/2004

Another Night...

Asleep with my love at my side...
I know for sure that I will be his bride.
After years of internal unrest,
I have now put my unease to rest.

Every night I kiss him goodnight
And wake to glowing morning light.
Every night I pray for us to last
And to leave all else in the past.

Welcome to Writings of a Misguided Blonde...

I created a new blog simply to collect all of my writing....

Much more to come later...

Lindsey