tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66162515493758422422012-02-02T22:15:25.482-08:00merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.comBlogger1051100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-3805353605097785362011-01-02T18:42:00.000-08:002011-01-02T19:57:27.929-08:00

This is also about my inability to throw anything with my name on it away.I went through a couple of boxes full of holiday trinkets that i've been hauling from place to place since college. I found little heart poster board cutouts, a light–up pumpkin window decoration, a jump rope, silly putty, a string of heart–shaped lights, a black garland with shiny jack–o'–lantern accents, a small slinky.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-66586445989004977672009-09-13T19:09:00.000-07:002009-09-13T23:23:03.212-07:00

it is generally a mystery to me about whether this blog is for you or for me. this post is self-indulgent and i recognize that. one month ago i spent my twenty-second birthday with alyssa, blade, josiah, charity, kevin, and nick. i had been priming my roll-top desk white, running errands, and helping alyssa put the finer touches on my burgercake, which came to her in a dream. days before, i had

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-74944049648530060752009-09-13T00:38:00.000-07:002009-09-13T00:39:14.916-07:00

the night bugs are singing.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-84184375930343175372009-08-09T20:02:00.000-07:002009-08-09T21:15:21.870-07:00

dear july,i'll be honest: i didn't expect much from you. june, while having fun moments and adventures of its own, was kind of a letdown in the ways of "figuring out what do with my life." see, i found myself out of a job in may. when school ends, so does the need for an assistant administrative staff member at clapham. i told myself that i needed to find a sustaining job here this summer or i'd

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-32610095142034904692009-06-28T20:50:00.001-07:002009-06-30T11:55:25.554-07:00

whew. thank goodness for sunday nights. this one finds me a little battered an sore, but not for lack of fun getting there.on friday, i took my bike to the city on the metra (semi-illegally: the taste of chicago started this weekend and the trains aren't supposed to let on bikes to make room for all the people) to participate in my favorite chicago activity: chicago's critical mass. free, fun,

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-20939597086320586022009-06-23T15:44:00.000-07:002009-06-23T21:22:08.099-07:00

i recently participated in a Bible study covering Ruth and the idea of a kinsman redeemer. the crux of the study connects the ruth-boaz relationship with humanity-Jesus, but not without a stop over in Leviticus 25 to talk about Jubilee. this is the part where i need to tell you (again) that i am neither a proper theologian nor anything that would make my perspecitve more than just an opinion.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-82619185937165458422009-05-20T18:29:00.000-07:002009-05-21T00:59:54.324-07:00

i haven't written in three months. i haven't written in three months because, well, not much has changed. well, that's not even true. things have changed, but not so significantly that the earth is shifting. um, let's recap.in march, my mom, aunt kelly, and cousins katy and emily visited me in chicago. it was great! we went to the field museum, the hancock tower, north michigan avenue shopping,

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-85919672637846968532009-02-26T19:49:00.000-08:002009-02-26T20:11:52.408-08:00

i sit in the stupe, wheaton's on-campus grill-below-the-dining-hall (does every campus have this?), listening to sweet boys with beards and guitars play heady songs, and i am swept by nostalgia. i am on campus tonight to play improv, to listen to the talk-back on the theater's play, to watch the campus get slowly swallowed by the fallen rain that would seem familiar to the flood two and a half

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-27183171049290681132009-02-15T13:58:00.000-08:002009-02-22T13:31:36.859-08:00

(wreckage out the malony front door, photo credit mom)(various spots around town the day of: photo credit the amorphous internet)i first must send my condolences to residents of the mid-south who were hit by the ice storm a few weeks ago. my hometown of fayetteville was among those affected, and reports from my parents say that the town looks noticeably different, that they'll be no lack of

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-85074834278598146832009-01-20T14:48:00.000-08:002009-01-21T00:29:05.681-08:00

Christmas and new year's in arkansas may be missing the weather typically called for during the season, but it is always home for me. i got to see family (matt and victoria visited from little rock for both Christmas and post-new year's celebrations), and friends new and old. namely, the five:(spring 2005)(winter 2006)(winter 2008)*(jenny, mary kate, me, claire, jessie). i am blessed to have

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-9400993119483452592008-12-28T01:11:00.000-08:002008-12-28T02:20:19.671-08:00

a friend of mine asked me recently what i want out of life, and i had no good answer for him at that moment. what dawned on me within the next day after much pondering was that i want a life full of stories where God comes through. i'm uncertain of precisely how cliché that is, but if i were to describe my last few days at wheaton that little phrase would pop up frequently. my roommate, karen,

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-10952644207586508062008-12-14T12:18:00.001-08:002008-12-14T12:34:38.737-08:00

oh hi it's been awhile hasn't it oh it doesn't feel like it at all no really i can't believe it well i mean how could you when the weeks have been as packed as they've been i've had books to read and papers to write and people to love and shows to see and housing to sort out oh did i mention i found a place to live i'll show you a picture when i get around to it you can see it pretty plainly on

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-2484785030418350162008-11-16T00:26:00.000-08:002008-11-16T15:14:41.527-08:00

the night is young, and you're so beautful. let's get everyone up to speed!about two weeks ago, post script ambiguity hosted its second show. it was another hit! we focused a lot on sensory perception. we included games that wheaton improv has never played in a formal show before, such as "taster's choice" (where two createe a scene and are occasionally handed a cup of food, such as peanut

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-25176324237802227242008-10-21T14:25:00.001-07:002008-10-22T20:49:55.725-07:00

um. yeah. let's just get this out there. i'm terrified.yep. terrified. i'd put it in all caps if only it didn't sound/look like sarcasm, and i'm far too serious about this to even pretend that sarcasm or a joke. but i'm serious. i'm scared. this weekend/monday/tuesday has been fall break, which gives poor wheaton students a little time to collect themselves and take a break from breakneck classes

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-5716564531341122482008-10-14T13:08:00.000-07:002008-10-14T13:40:52.718-07:00

i received my absentee ballot this week, and can i just say my heart started beating fast when i opened it today? weirdest thing. it did. my first election, guys! this is a big deal for me. my state has been republican for the last thirty years (except when clinton ran), so who knows what my vote will actually amount to. BUT. look at this cute little pencil they sent in the envelope (just as i

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-18841260133375338812008-10-11T12:05:00.000-07:002008-10-11T13:11:27.058-07:00

post script ambiguity's first show was last night, and we were a HIT, if i may be so bold to say. we packed out our smallish venue to standing room only, despite the large choral concert going simultaneously that drew away many friends who would have otherwise attended. our host commented several times that we had a great connection with our audience, and i loved playing for them. after spending

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-33443734773433400842008-10-04T12:15:00.000-07:002008-10-04T12:20:01.260-07:00

i would be so flattered if you pushed this link. you'll see my pretty face!and this is my troupe, Post Script Ambiguity! LOVE LOVE LOVE.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-25084633447308212262008-10-03T15:01:00.000-07:002008-10-03T17:35:35.614-07:00

hi! let's do the obvious thing and have a little breakdown of what's been going on recently.academics my three classes are going well. this is the time of the semester where things start to kick into gear, the end of what freshmen call the "honeymoon phase." in my communication criticism class, we have been asked to select a "communication artifact" to analyze. i've picked a series of south park

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-33372662370305273832008-09-08T17:31:00.000-07:002008-09-21T13:20:47.390-07:00

if you've been around long, you might notice that i am constantly amazed by the passage of time as marked by a season's change. i know. i've been on this planet long enough and should probably be done with the childlike wonder, but i'm totally hooked. so...it's september. fancy that. i've been in blissful ignorance of that fact for the last week due to beautiful weather and general frolicking

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-9567961849444661352008-09-05T21:13:00.000-07:002008-09-05T21:55:54.550-07:00

today, i was supposed to make a complicated trip to see an australian friend who happens to be visiting the US. suffice to say, i didn't make it. let's break down the segments of this trip that needed to happen:1. take a train from wheaton into the city.2. catch another train from the city to a southern suburb.3. get picked up by a friend and drive 2.5 hours to final destination. okay, perhaps

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-66176975051874729872008-09-03T22:37:00.001-07:002008-09-21T13:29:49.175-07:00

when classes begin on wednesday and are followed by a three-day weekend, it hardly feels like they've begun. but, such is the case. this week, our second "week" of classes, things are starting to roll at a respectable pace. it's keeping me on my toes.in the past few years, i've followed somewhat in the steps of my father by expressing a minor interest in following politics. i say "minor" not as

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-76138539375771256482008-08-25T23:42:00.000-07:002008-08-26T07:33:58.379-07:00

i believe i coined a new phrase recently: collegiate mortality: the sudden realization of a: how long it's been since you were a freshman, b: how quickly the time has passed, and/or c: how much longer school as a stage of life lasts. just like real mortality, but for college students. since arriving back on campus yesterday, i'm already in full swing of it. i may have said this before, but it

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-77139272833001187442008-08-11T22:28:00.000-07:002008-08-12T00:59:31.210-07:00

one of my good friends has this lovable way of speaking in an accent reminiscent of a young child from the south (if you're thinking it's you and the title of this post reads properly to you, it probably is you.) it makes me feel strangely at home in a siblings-at-play sort of way.it hasn't been an easy past few weeks for me here in chicago. please don't fret, i'm in no danger, but you know how

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-42183169109245788202008-08-04T14:13:00.000-07:002008-08-04T14:21:51.556-07:00

hurray!my dad is running for school board in my hometown!and if that weren't enough of an exciting thing, he's letting me help him setup his online connection and maybe his yard signs! of course, i'm just excited that there are going to be yard signs, with my dad's name on them, but having a hand in them is pretty cool too! so. keep watching, and i'll be posting a link soon. three cheers!

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-410825026581693752008-08-01T13:38:00.000-07:002008-08-01T16:10:31.794-07:00

since i'm on this image spree, i'd like to show off some work i've been doing recently. (don't be fooled: if you see a texture in the black of the above two images, i can't claim anything for it. it's got some weirdness to do with the file as it uploaded... i like it, for sure, it looks great. but it was not intentional and i am not that cool. imagine them with flat black fill: that's how cool i

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-36558060935000010162008-07-30T19:28:00.001-07:002008-07-30T20:00:34.792-07:00

ta da! these images were in my digital photography final last fall. these images were part of an assignment for the same class. we had four images to take: a panorama (mine, true to meredith form, was up and down instead of left to right), a macro (close up of an object), landscape, and a portrait. my friend chris was happy to oblige, and he took one of me in turn (see my new profile picture!)

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-45677638509177335052008-07-30T11:39:00.000-07:002008-07-30T11:56:06.797-07:00

alright, true fans. i dare to test your loyalty. for those of you who have been aching for australia pictures since i got back, here's your chance to see them. warning: they are organized alphabetically by event (roughly) instead of chronologically because i was not about to plow through hundreds of photos that have been moved from storage device to storage device (ie. thumb drives, an ipod, a

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-39238811863072015072008-07-24T11:39:00.000-07:002008-07-24T12:34:36.741-07:00

i finished my classes last week, and have passed with flying colors. i hope to get images up soon so you can see what i've been working on, but be patient with me. i have a way of not doing these things on a good timetable. (ask anyone still waiting to see my australia pictures!) i enjoyed my experience more than i thought i would-- i was pretty apprehensive about being a "Christian-liberal-arts"

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-88822637258470180692008-07-21T18:29:00.000-07:002008-07-21T18:44:00.148-07:00

i miss bugs. it sounds weird, i know--who misses bugs? with their creepy-crawleriness and tendency to show up in undesirable places. truth be told, it's not their physical presence i miss nearly as much as their sound. katydid, cicada, grasshopper, whatever it is that "sings" at night (especially the frogs, who can be deafening in arkansas at this time of year) are eerily absent in the city.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-71076788390882252532008-07-20T18:10:00.000-07:002008-07-20T18:24:16.030-07:00

i hope i can write as much as i want to soon. there are many words stuck in my fingers, so keep coming back.i discovered during the weekends and summer months while still in high school that the hour between three and four in the afternoon move faster than all the other hours in the day. i think it has something to do with the difference between the feeling of, "oh, i have plenty of time, it's

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-27280177726123845972008-07-15T02:07:00.000-07:002008-07-15T02:31:52.337-07:00

on our first day of photo class, we were informed that we would be lucky and moving right along if we got one print done per hour. "haha!" we all scoffed, "we've learned how to use the enlarger and do a test strip for density and make a good looking print! in fact, we got four prints done in an hour. what could be so difficult?" enter filters. filters are the magic ingredient to making

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-76110085773880826002008-07-10T13:07:00.000-07:002008-07-10T13:42:50.073-07:00

the older black man called me when our eyes met. “God said he’d help me. i think you’re it.” he introduced himself as minister moody, like the Bible college. his teeth were worse than his wandering eye, and he smelled faintly of time. he needed sixty dollars for medication--he had a family. i hesitated, strangely sympathetic. i had one bill: not enough. i bought him orange juice and a sandwich at

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-78806053986980031292008-07-10T12:43:00.000-07:002008-07-17T04:01:18.891-07:00

(and now, let the navel-gazing begin: blog style!)there are things that do not end up posted here, mostly trying to put together a "public face" for readers i know and readers i do not. i consider that tactic "safe." but look around. posting is infrequent, impersonal, and i end up worrying about whether or not the person i'm portraying through my own writing appears to "have it together" or not.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-70485796947138108652008-07-07T11:17:00.001-07:002008-07-07T13:38:19.650-07:00

i woke up the morning with a little back pain. search me! sitting around waiting for it to subside gives me a good excuse to post some fireworks pictures i took!it's been a sort of standard couple of weeks around here: nothing too crazy going on. class, homework, running errands and trying to get some sleep! this weekend, of course, was the fourth of july!school was closed on the third for the

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-4667946514658459952008-06-25T10:09:00.000-07:002008-06-25T11:01:06.204-07:00

last saturday i found myself serving at breakthrough ministries , as they celebrated opening a new, and may i say, amazing men's shelter. they threw a giant block party with entertainment, free food, games, and people. even the jesse white tumbling team came out!there were tons of volunteers, kids, adults, and lots and lots of food. i got put in a food tent assembling and serving hamburgers

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-14322942708734212052008-06-22T09:38:00.000-07:002008-06-22T09:55:56.487-07:00

as i walked back from church this morning, i passed a sight not often seen. View Larger Map a section of balbo street, above, was cut off from traffic and covered in film crews, traffic diverters, and actors. ("b" is where i passed by. "a" is where i assume the blockage ended. "c" is where i LIVE. boom baby!)i asked a traffic diverter what all the bustle was about, and he said it was for the film

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-77130220857725220962008-06-14T22:20:00.000-07:002008-06-14T23:05:11.836-07:00

i had to answer this question all the time in australia. and it makes sense, too-- you talk funny, you have a slightly different way of dressing, and something about an international kid just reads "international kid" to the locals. it makes sense. but i have recently started getting the question again.it makes a lot of sense. i just forgot that i wasn't done answering the question because it's

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-34382349550353381082008-06-12T21:19:00.000-07:002008-06-12T21:39:04.389-07:00

i have to congratulate my big brother, matt, for recently being accepted to med school at / uams, after a long process of back and forth with different schools and such. give three cheers and a huzzah for him!also, keep victoria (his wife) in your prayers this weekend as she takes the LSAT. [my family is brilliant. is that okay to gloat about?]also, keep ME in your prayers this weekend as the

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-31185577231081684632008-06-10T22:18:00.000-07:002008-06-11T10:09:05.242-07:00

hello! this is the second week of june, if you can believe that. i've been here three weeks! it feels like a day if it feels like a year. i am enjoying my classes well enough. i have enjoyed getting into some discussions on theory with my drawing teacher and our class continues to bond, slowly but surely. my photography class is even smaller than the drawing and meets twice is often, which means

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-2903465254635847402008-06-09T13:34:00.000-07:002008-06-09T13:43:23.463-07:00

of course, it doesn't take two days for me to fall off the wagon with this "one post a day" thing. keep on the lookout, i'm coming back.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-11740356898565740902008-05-31T00:20:00.000-07:002008-05-31T00:21:41.390-07:00

tomorrow, i'm going to wheaton to play some improv with kids i like. yippee!

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-81321352803390506722008-05-29T22:48:00.000-07:002008-05-30T01:12:28.051-07:00

well, hey there kids. what's up?it's hard to believe it's been only how long now? three weeks or so? since the last post. my locales have changed since then, but not much else. i'll try to give the short version:i spend my first few weeks of summer at home in arkansas, as planned. i had a wonderful time once i started some allergy medication (who knew?) i saw a few friends from high school,

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-26751883942553845652008-05-07T20:40:00.000-07:002008-05-08T08:22:12.720-07:00

as of this evening, i am done with the academics of junior year. in the quiet and guilt-free moments of no homework i find myself looking backwards about the semester, realizing that not everything significant that happened was said here. dare i try to recap? oh, let's. somewhere in the midst of winter, i became relationally single again. as with all things that end, there is sadness and a wish

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-38816350822356399722008-04-28T12:12:00.000-07:002008-04-28T12:52:41.560-07:00

well, well, well. even though we are a few days from may, this still happened:that's it. breaking a nigh-on two-and-a-half-week stretch of amazing weather, we actually had about twenty minutes of very chunky snow this morning. after revealing this fact to someone who was in class during this time, he responded with, "oh, it snowed a little awhile ago? that's like throwing up a little in your

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-78986654047309129732008-04-26T13:49:00.000-07:002008-04-26T14:02:11.763-07:00

the apartment is a very nice two-bedroom, two-bath setup in the south loop--about three blocks from columbia's main buildings. the building itself is nice and, although some mention was made of other columbia students in the building, but is mostly quiet families and couples. sweet. the apartment currently houses three columbia students, all girls my age. two of the girls are moving out, and i am

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-17878876300396110472008-04-25T18:26:00.000-07:002008-04-26T13:45:55.396-07:00

here's what happens in my brains when i start making plans. ready? go.i process things through writing them out. so, when i wrote down my last post, i started realizing a few things. there were housing issues in chicago i hadn't thought about before, some fairly good reasons to be in arkansas that hadn't previously occurred to me. what am i doing? i thought. so, i talked to dad, and started to

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-29205173414199187952008-04-09T21:59:00.001-07:002008-04-10T00:07:08.748-07:00

that's right. summer plans. well. maybe i should be less vague. i'll lay out all the known plans from here until december (because that's as far as i got).this summer, i'll be in chicago taking some summer courses at columbia college in chicago. (not to be confused with columbia university in new york.) to finish my minor in graphic design, i need just two more classes, and it makes sense to do

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-79818842192048929112008-04-09T21:19:00.000-07:002008-04-09T21:58:29.878-07:00

from january to march, i wept over my poor broken laptop. the circa 2005 ibook g4 had its logic board replaced three times, and still didn't work. thanks to the insurance plan we purchased with it, repairs and replacements didn't cost a thing. when the support team at apple heard what i'd gone through, they decided to grant me a full computer replacement. apple is obligated to give me the same or

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-33565421902123553192008-04-02T23:31:00.001-07:002008-04-03T00:01:10.723-07:00

sorry it's been awhile, fans. a busy few weeks coupled with only the handful of good news here and there means very little posting from me. i hope to write the following blogs as soon as time allows:-new computer!-hanging out with dad!-summertime opportunities!-spring break laziness!-cleaning out the cobwebs of my mind (you know you're excited about this one)!and i'm sure more will follow. on the

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-80325391973500346982008-03-06T14:12:00.000-08:002008-03-07T00:58:10.101-08:00

these pretty people came to visit me a few weeks ago. we visited the museum of science and industry, walked downtown to see a giant ice sculpture in millenium park, and went to dinner on the magnificent mile. it was very cold for my southern counterparts, but we enjoyed being together.i am currently in the process of finishing my last assignment before spring break. i'm headed home, where i look

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-3291064745781697092008-03-02T12:42:00.000-08:002008-03-05T14:05:14.273-08:00

there are few more self-conscious activities a graphic designer (or anyone professing an interest and/or knowledge of visual communications) than the assembly of a resume (and by extension, a portfolio). for anyone else, a resume is strictly about content. for most people, they know employers will be looking for their past work experience, their interests, and their skills. they can even fudge a

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-58873873454217579562008-02-25T00:29:00.000-08:002008-02-25T12:26:00.541-08:00

my school's dining hall does not do sunday night dinners. this means students get to be resourceful or perish. i thought i'd be resourceful and scavenge this week.i had a strange idea to bake one of the pie crusts i bought randomly at a grocery store closing last week. i didn't have any filling, but i like the crust all by itself anyway, so the theory is good. i went to my dorm's kitchen where

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-32703550520028075552008-02-17T23:31:00.001-08:002008-02-18T00:43:14.481-08:00

iron and wine came to wheaton.okay, i'll stop feeding off other's work soon, but this article will give a great background for the rest of this. i worked security at this show last weekend. i was basically a body with a brain at strategic doors during the show to be sure only the appropriate bodies went through at the appropriate time. my assignment allowed me to be standing in the wing as sam

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-91725919218441327222008-02-14T12:58:00.000-08:002008-02-14T13:58:41.925-08:00

this is an essay/article i received from a weekly newsletter from my current favorite publication relevant. it's only 850 words. my thoughts are below. It’s that time of the year again: candy-colored hearts, pink-and-red greeting cards and naked babies shooting people with romance-inducing arrows (which is a little weird when you think about). It’s a time of bliss for the lovebird and contempt

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-14722999715894210492008-02-06T06:57:00.001-08:002008-02-06T07:14:18.969-08:00

dearest family and friends, whoever still happens to be paying attention to this place:i have a couple prayer requests to send forward. 1. my roomie's grandfather goes into heart bypass surgery in the next few days. pray for his safety, for the hands and wisdom of the doctors, for his healing. and, above all things, God's will be done.2. i have friends connected with the fighting and turmoil in

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-82249647663889895122008-01-30T22:02:00.000-08:002008-01-30T22:29:53.779-08:00

two days after bringing my computer home from the apple store with a shiny new logic board and keyboard, it started playing the same old games it played before i took it in. so, i head back to store and genius bar (repair center) tomorrow with stern words in tow. i need this computer to work! in the meantime, i've been battling public computers and borrowing friend's computers. and computing less

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-23155405698408531522008-01-30T15:10:00.000-08:002008-01-30T22:01:24.334-08:00

more stories from the city:a friend of mine and i went to usher for a production of titus andronicus, a shakespeare play i'd never heard of before with a reputation for being the least redeeming of his work. it was an interesting production, for sure, and i'd recommend it. again, this meant enduring the fun of public transport: hour train ride to the city, short walk to an el, then a city bus.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-30774967595812335402008-01-19T20:39:00.000-08:002008-01-20T14:21:42.205-08:00

week one down here at wheaton, and have been struggling to get my schedule together pending some new information i received from the registrar's office. it was good new,s it just caused a minor tizzy among the people i like to take classes from. but that's not what i want to write about here.i tell this story not because i think it is that amazing of a story or because i think i can turn it into

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-26757088584808491222008-01-03T12:07:00.000-08:002008-03-06T14:11:47.808-08:00

okay. i started writing "let's recap" three weeks after my arrival and just, this very moment, january 3, 2008, completed it. there's not even pictures or video to accompany it. what's wrong with me? what's going on? what have i been doing? what now?let's pick up where i left off--asleep in my bed the tuesday before thanksgiving. i wish i could say how long i slept that night, but i genuinely do

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-82351241004531628692007-12-16T18:25:00.001-08:002008-01-03T12:05:19.591-08:00

hey there. it's been awhile. nice to see you. i've been meaning to write since i stepped back on american soil. needless to say, that's been a month in coming. let's rewind a bit.last real post i wrote, we were in the midst of stuvac and going into our last handful of days in sydney. i did indeed spend them with my australian friends, and came away with some great photographs that i'm still

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-9284047459769418212007-11-25T01:28:00.001-08:002007-11-25T13:42:41.369-08:00

dear sarah and mrs. joan,thank you for teaching dana. love,meredith

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-31461953323119328332007-11-08T06:59:00.000-08:002007-11-10T08:34:53.585-08:00

let me say, here and now, that it is insanely hard work to not become nostalgic, regretful, or homesick. now, watch as i proceed to be all three.november 2 was the last time our ASC class met on wesley campus for class. it was an all day debriefing/processing day. the entire class sat around this meeting room, shared various baked goods, and discussed all the ins and outs of returning to the

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-5180849216554803102007-10-28T04:06:00.000-07:002007-11-02T18:37:59.747-07:00

a few nights ago, the ARIAs are on: the Australian Record Industry Awards. a band called silverchair were the belles of the ball: they took single of the year, album of the year, highest-selling single of the year, best band and best rock album. this was their flagship single. "straight lines"Breathing from a hole in my lungI had no oneWith faces in front of meRacing through the void in my headTo

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-42152266986052622982007-10-21T07:25:00.000-07:002007-10-21T07:31:29.555-07:00

i took this viewo a few weeks ago and have just now gotten around to posting it. i haven't re-watched it since i took it and am pretty sure the lighting is awful. and there's three of them. yeah, it got out of hand. but! i post them all not in expectation that they must all be watched, but that they're there for watching if desired. love you guys, and miss you. also! be prepared. a massive "who

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-69430060654964089712007-10-19T08:55:00.000-07:002007-10-21T07:07:29.360-07:00

this friday, october 19, marked the third month of our stay in australia. can i tell you how odd this is?we have approximately two more weeks of school, then a week of student vacation--stuvac i'm not kidding when i say everything is shortened--which is like a calm before the storm for aussie students' last week before finals, but for us, it's a last hurrah. after that week, we clear out of here

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-56617645003304795382007-10-10T21:32:00.000-07:002007-10-10T22:32:27.907-07:00

first things though: happy belated birthday lindsay! i'm sorry i'm doing such a bad job at this birthday thing, but baby steps. i hope you had a great one!now. there is no such thing as a trendy mullet. a mullet is a mullet is a mullet. if your hair is significantly longer in the back than it is in the front, it's a mullet. if your hair is one style the whole way around except for three square

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-65691314623628989012007-10-05T07:31:00.000-07:002007-10-05T20:14:45.547-07:00

hello, true blue! i'm sorry i've not been good about writing like i said i would. needless to say, it's been a busy couple of weeks.the bush trip was amazing. we went about 1.5 hours north of sydney to kincumber, where we all stayed at a youth camp on the harbor. you could still hear cars, but it was still great to get out of the city. the terrain was the most like that of home in arkansas, which

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-57885096950915662132007-09-21T04:00:00.000-07:002007-09-22T08:50:50.485-07:00

first, my oldest brother celebrated his 24th birthday this past week and i completely bungled the whole operation. i'm sorry, matt! happy birthday! hip, hip, hooray! (here, they cheer that more often than the little "and many mooore..." diddy.)in a few hours, we'll pack up into smaller buses--a small group will go by train--and make our way an hour and a half north, near gosford. it's not far,

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-55560799185644264272007-09-20T03:44:00.000-07:002007-10-05T20:16:49.926-07:00

today has altogether not been good. i fell asleep at my computer last night working on a paper. when i awoke, my screen was black. my computer has been acting strangely for the last week or two. it doesn't appear to be a hard drive thing, but more an electrical thing. sometimes the screen will just shut itself off and take the rest of the computer back with it, sometimes the battery reader will

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-56829296537623257432007-09-18T05:51:00.000-07:002007-09-18T06:33:27.127-07:00

i guess this blog is what happens when life happens to you. i have a lot to say, but i am tired and have some things to work on in the immediate time being, so i'll bullet-point them and tell a brief story and have to call it a day:-the outback: sunsets, tree climbing, boomerangs, johnny cakes, sheep shearing, niffler birds, emus, kangaroo "hunting", stars, red dirt and farming thereof, original

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-52355271314226778612007-09-04T22:01:00.000-07:002007-09-06T11:31:21.536-07:00

one: there was an anniversary last week! happy 50 to my grandparents on august 30. i remember being just a little one (or was i ten? wow.) running around your 40th anniversary party and watching that amazing photoslideshow with many of your friends and our family. hope you found an amazing way to celebrate. here's to many more!two: we leave for the "outback" bright and early on tomorrow morning.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-67153563143775657552007-09-02T04:44:00.000-07:002007-09-02T19:41:59.722-07:00

i realize that my last post is kind of hard to follow if the rules of chronology are to be applied at all. all apologies. one ridiculously long day makes for one incredibly confusing blog post. which leads me to a basic quandary: does one go back and correct old posts, making them readable for those who aren't following along, or are they like diary entries for a specific moment and to go back

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-73670984496962771472007-08-28T06:06:00.000-07:002007-08-28T19:05:29.229-07:00

it's been a long day. yesterday was something unexpected, as our photo class took a little field trip to a spot across the harbor and took practice shots. for the past couple days i've been pleasantly surprised as my knee has actually started to behave somewhat normally. like, there's still something not quite right about it that seems to have been righting itself, but it is still a slow process.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-6743244919224319812007-08-26T07:10:00.000-07:002007-08-26T08:04:36.606-07:00

our group visited one of the largest/the largest (can't recall!) mosque in the area on friday. in retrospect i should have taken in my camera so i could post pictures, but hindsight is 20/20. it was beautiful. the auburn gallipoli mosque is a turkish style mosque, meaning the inside was covered with detailed calligraphy and designs in vibrant whites, reds, blues, and golds. we were given a tour

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-23119634535917084002007-08-23T03:44:00.000-07:002007-08-23T04:42:46.445-07:00

today was a wholly extraordinary day. all the music majors at uni (that's university for the septics) have to take a class called concert practice, which is exactly what it sounds like. a handful of students prepare a song or two and perform in front of the rest of the class, as if putting on a small concert. my friend joel (the same fellow who nicknamed me) was performing a song and let me be

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-64783524200573492912007-08-21T09:00:00.000-07:002007-08-22T20:48:00.963-07:00

it's raining in sydney. sydney has been experiencing a fairly serious drought for the last season or so, but more rain has fallen in the last few days than all of past average augusts (or so i hear). i have a rain jacket, which makes walking in the rain an enjoyable experience. the hood is big enough that it actually stays up when a stiff wind blows. the weather feels so much like an evening in

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-76045809104753711852007-08-19T18:14:00.000-07:002007-08-19T19:20:58.766-07:00

the bus ride to canberra is only three or four hours long, and our group isn't big enough to load an entire charter bus to capacity, so a handful of us got our own seats to and fro. that was nice.on friday, our group was on the bus by a bleary 7 am. we stopped at macca's (that's "mcdonalds" for all you septics (septics is short for "septic tank" which is rhyming slang for "yanks," which i've

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-42810134761730512182007-08-16T07:41:00.000-07:002007-08-16T08:05:22.631-07:00

did anyone else know that mullets were an aussie thing? apparently they were born here and transplanted to the southern us during the eighties as the best thing ever, or so i hear. they're still in full swing here. saw three the other day, five this afternoon. i plan on photographing them when i get a chance. tomorrow the ascers drive three or four hours to canberra, australia's capitol. we've

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-52820960397691782322007-08-12T22:59:00.000-07:002007-08-12T23:04:43.891-07:00

really, like, a surprise birthday cake (with tuba accompaniment for the song) approximately 40 happy birthday wall postings, an email from mom and a little gift she suck into my bag make a birthday amazing, even when i'm sick.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-24168959440142433372007-08-11T22:29:00.000-07:002007-08-11T23:52:42.407-07:00

i'm feeling better. still not up to par, but better. i wish the last post wasn't wrought so much out of sheer frustration, but there you have it. i turn twenty today. a few people around the house were surprised to hear that i was only twenty--someone had thought i was twenty-two or something. i think i'm still young enough for that to be a compliment, but i'm twenty now. i wonder when my

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-77353480624735597042007-08-10T08:19:00.000-07:002007-08-10T09:18:53.115-07:00

okay. so i took this video around noon on friday, when everything was pretty good. the sun was shining, it was warm, i had just finished the oral presentation i was up far too late working on, and i had the day to wander as i pleased and forget homework for a little while.the truth is i had developed a small but deep cough. through the day it developed. right now, i'm nursing a jacked up voice,

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-15448294523984422022007-08-06T06:26:00.000-07:002007-08-06T17:10:02.294-07:00

bus bus bus. aaaaaaaargh. can't live with them, can't live without them.buses in sydney are kind of cruel. i mean, they're nice, but they're kind of cruel. have i already talked about this? sometimes a bus runs late, runs early, or doesn't run at all. and there's no warning for any of this--you just get to your stop fifteen minutes early and hope for the best. the one bus route that goes from my

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-2577369296665690712007-08-05T07:48:00.000-07:002007-08-06T17:27:04.255-07:00

aussies love shortening things. take "aussie" for one--who really wants to say "australian" all the time? really, no. too much. gas stations are "servos," taken from the time when they were service stations, this afternoon becomes "th'sahrvo," which is really confusing if you're trying to distinguish one from the other. names are no exception: you know a guy is a friend when you add "-o" to the

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-72823505753456517592007-08-04T02:38:00.001-07:002007-08-04T07:47:33.001-07:00

sorry it's been a few days. i've been busy. on friday, we had our first field trip to the new south wales library. it's amazing place-- the main library room is kind of like something out of beauty and the beast, except the room is square and only about four layers up. yeah, that kind of amazing. funny thing is, you can't take books in with you--just paper and pencils. also, you're not to

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-19850226372865498412007-07-31T09:20:00.000-07:002007-07-31T09:38:28.763-07:00

buses in sydney are, how would one put this lightly?, tempramental.sometimes they're early, sometimes they're late, sometimes they don't come at all, but most of the time, they're on time. this does suck, however, when you find yourself waiting for the last bus of the night when the two previous buses didn't come. imagine standing at a stop for nearly an hour with full knowledge that not one but

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-58799953007340267472007-07-30T02:45:00.000-07:002007-07-30T05:21:22.002-07:00

okay. when my family sat down and worked out the fine print of me coming to australia, you know, eletricity, health insurance et cetera, we decided that the best way for me to have access to money was travelers checks, acquired in the states and transferred to australian dollars at an obvious moneychanging facility. that way, one could avoid credit card financing charges (which your card may or

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-41058317960422695342007-07-28T20:20:00.000-07:002007-07-28T21:07:01.780-07:00

hallo! it's a beautiful early sunday afternoon in the suburbs. our group got back from spiro camp on friday afternoon. basic schedule ran as thus: sing. eat. sing. listen to talk. eat. sing. free time. sing. eat. listen to talk... something like that. we learned the joys of morning and afternoon tea, which are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MEALS from lunch, breakfast or dinner. it was slightly ridiculous,

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-67218366217108242752007-07-25T07:53:00.000-07:002007-07-25T08:06:04.580-07:00

like i mention in the video, i'll be gone at "spiro," or spiritual emphasis camp, tomorrow until friday night. my knee is still bum, which will make running around in merroo, by the mountains, real fun. but it will be good. have a good couple of days, everyone.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-26595374248469110742007-07-23T04:12:00.000-07:002007-07-24T05:53:34.023-07:00

first off, let it be said that it is a huge encouragement to know people are reading. it's even cooler to have people actually interacting with each other via the comments--oh WOW. yes. let's have more of that. first day of class today. well, it's school. it's odd to be going back in july. photography is going to be challenging but good--the entire class seems to be on a similar skill level and

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-46879026533105867992007-07-22T03:20:00.000-07:002007-07-22T04:30:37.259-07:00

two required programs:monday: 8:45 am-12 pm: the view from australia/ indigenous history and culture3-5:50 pm: photography IItuesday:6-8 pm: video productionwednesday: 1 pm; the gathering (chapel)4-5:50 pm: arts and culturethursday:9-11 (am): multimedia II3-4:30 pm: bellydancing*friday:all day**: the view from australia/ indigenous history and culture*a friend of mine convinced me to take this

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-13025622568636941242007-07-21T03:51:00.000-07:002007-07-21T05:29:25.370-07:00

this morning we finished orientation around the school, and in the afternoon took off for a scavenger hunt. we ran around the city taking photos of various imoportant buildings for two hours. then, we went on a tourboat around the harbor and took this video. i have not played it back, and i know the quality isn't very good (i don't even know if you can hear me or anything on it, for goodness

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-12605415526835347552007-07-20T07:56:00.000-07:002007-07-20T08:46:03.246-07:00

(all times very approximate.)12 pm CST: i leave my house for the airport330 pm CST: plane leaves from XNA630 pm CST/ 430 pm PST: plan arrives in LA800 pm CST/ 600 pm PST: meet brian for dinner at panera930 pm CST/ 730 pm PST: meet most of fellow ASC'ers at air new zealand check-in desk(recieve tickets, go through security, arrive at gate, grab light sustenance wait)1230 pm CST/ 1030 pm PST: plane

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-26587261525531416072007-07-16T12:48:00.000-07:002007-07-17T02:11:22.624-07:00

first off, i look back over the pictures i just posted and miss chicago a little bit. if anyone from saatchi is reading this, would you just comment a "hey!" or something and let me know? it would make me quite glad. secondly, my plane from arkansas to LAX takes off in a little under 24 hours. a good friend of mine commented on saturday that a week from then, i'll have everything figured out.

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-80952537051371233382007-07-15T15:46:00.000-07:002007-07-16T02:28:52.021-07:00

i'l try to keep this as light as possible. one north state: it's odd-- this address lays just off madison street. madison is the street that goes most directly from the train station to millenium park, the street i would most commonly walk making trips into the city during the school year. i've passed by it almost every time i've been in chicago. i always wondered what was actually inside it, and

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-11180320765977387052007-07-13T22:11:00.000-07:002007-07-21T05:33:38.598-07:00

mailing a letter: (my name)Wesley Institute--ASCPO Box 534Drummoyne NSW 1470AUSTRALIAmailing a package: (my name)Wesley Institute-ASC5 Mary StreetDrummoyne NSW 2047AUSTRALIA"Australia ’s remoteness created an environment unlike any other on Earth. Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service helps protect it. Food, plant material and animal products from overseas could introduce some of the world

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-3711583649936187472007-07-11T20:30:00.000-07:002007-07-11T23:06:10.897-07:00

one. it helps that i've almost done this before. it must get easier every time, perhaps? they tell us to expect temperatures as cold as thirty and as hot as one hundred (fahrenheit). at this i raised my eyebrows a bit--four months in northeastern illinois (known for four complete seasons) hardly sees that kind of range. about forty-five seconds worth of research concluded that averages range

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-37819842120691182822007-07-08T19:26:00.000-07:002007-07-08T23:24:00.764-07:00

"come to australia expecting the unexpected come opend to new ideas and attitudes (including those you do not agree with or even like). come expecting to be uncomfortable. come expecting to hear criticisms of your country's government (including the current president), and be willing to learn from these instead of being offended. come with an open heart and mind. the many challenges you will

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-17508167611502488632007-07-07T08:56:00.000-07:002007-07-15T19:19:19.000-07:00

i received the last package from asc yesterday. in it was a book, some bag tags and other travel paraphernalia, and an itinerary. 7/17: depart US7/19: arrive australia*7/19-21: orientation7/26-27: spiritual emphasis camp8/17-19: canberra trip9/7-10: bush trip9/28-10/1: labour day/public holiday10/5-9: study vacations**11/12-13 exam week11/14-20: new zealand trip11/20: depart for home*because of

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-44978039268358036302007-07-05T15:43:00.000-07:002007-07-15T19:22:07.373-07:00

i'm home and the countdown begins. twelve days. i've been considering the things i could say about australia, and i've decided to begin exposition with a little timeline. hold on to your hats (it's not that exciting).end-of-summer 2006: i toy with the idea of a semester abroad. my mom will say that it was always in the plans, but i honestly can't remember. i find myself on the lookout for

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616251549375842242.post-45659889289878922472007-07-03T12:17:00.000-07:002007-07-03T12:38:58.779-07:00

alright, everyone, let's get down to brass tacks. i love taking pictures. i do. what i suck royally at is actually doing something with them, like posting them to facebook, printing them, emailing them, anything useful. as a result, my enthusiasm for taking the pictures, coupled with my increased frustration with a piece of machinery we call a "digital camera" and its tendency to be less than

merey kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964310319149472782noreply@blogger.com3