Saturday, August 9, 2008

AHHH!

There is no other way to put it - I'm very, very confused.


This may be due to the date. In twelve days (crud, only twelve??) I move out of my house and into a dorm.

I'm excited.

And I'm flipping out.

Is it any wonder I'm confused? I don't know what to think. I have a million things to get done, one of which includes renewing my driver's license, which I do not care for because it involves paperwork (I hate paperwork like Voldemort) and the creepiest DPS office known to mankind. Ack. But then there are a lot of things I can't do until the last minute - grocery shopping, figuring out how to configure furniture (new dorm - I've never seen a finished room in it, but that's another story) and packing. Okay, so I can pack some stuff now, but the things I'll be using every day (iPod speaker, toothbrush, running clothes, retainers) - that's all last-minute stuff. I plan, a couple days before, to throw a bunch of stuff in an oversized suitcase and pray it's all there.

I'm not that disorganized with everything else. There is a plan, kind of. I'll get everything there, because there are certain items I will not (or can not) live without. My iPod. My computer. (Noo! I'm going to have to deconstruct my whole stinking desktop!) The bare necessities of life, as it were.

So. I am sending up flares. This is my cry for prayers. I'm praying a lot. My family's praying a lot (I'm the first kid off to school). I appreciate any prayers you might give.

Now, for my randomness. What would this blog be without that? I've been pondering the subjunctive mood lately. Here's the Wikipedia definition: In grammar, the subjunctive mood (sometimes referred to as the conjunctive mood) is a verb mood that exists in many languages. It is typically used in dependent clauses to express wishes, commands, emotion, possibility, judgment, necessity, or statements that are contrary to fact at present.

I struggled to understand this - until I took Spanish 2. And it clicked. In the Spanish language (Q can back me up on this), there are certain occasions when you change the verbs. So if I wanted to say 'I hope you sleep well', I'd say espero que duermas bien. If I just said 'You sleep well', it would be Duermes bien. The verb form changes under these circumstances.

That's when I realized that subjunctive in English is dying. People used to say 'I wish it were raining'. Most of the time, people say 'I wish it was raining' or 'I wish she was here' instead of 'I wish she were here'. Things like that.

Anyway, enough rambling. Espero que tengan un buen dia, y que me escriban rapidamente! (For those Spanish speakers, lo siento que las palabras no tienen accentos.)

14 comments:

Erin said...

I'm praying for you!

Oh, and I just read your 'Gabe' short - fabulous. I loved it. You should write more about him....I could definitely see a ton of possibilities for an entire novel. ;)

Emily said...

Mismatchedsockgirl is praying too!!!

Q said...

Prayer for you!

And the subjunctive tense = evil. Seriously. Ten years speaking Spanish and I still don't quite get it--I'm never sure how to conjugate it. Ugh. Just please let me use present, imperfect,

And I never realized that English has subjunctive too, but I really LOVE using that--I was never sure if I was using it right; or even if it was correct grammar! Thanks for setting me straight. Let's bring it back to common use. Let's make English education much more rigorous so people know how to speak and spell!

Q said...

Oops, I kept switching between paragraphs and forgot to finish that list.

Just please let me use present, imperfect, and future tenses. They make sense. *whimper*

Judi said...

Glad you liked the short story on my blog. I beat my head against the screen until I came up with an idea.

I'll be praying for you. Good luck.
-Judi
PS: I don't know Spanish.

Edge said...

To all: Thank you so much! I'm just not sure what to think about much of anything right now.

Erin: I'm so glad you liked it! I'm toying around with a kind-of-similar idea, except it involves a girl whose dad is a film star, but her parents are divorced. Then her mom dies, and she ends up living with her dad.

MMSG: Thanks!

Q: Yes!! Those make sense! The past subjunctive is the evilest (purposeful bad grammar :-). I think you have to use it after the conditional (which on its own is not so bad.) I knew English had a subjunctive - I just didn't realize what it did until I took Spanish. Not to say I completely understand it *laughs at self*

Judi: You beat your head against the screen?? You clearly have destructive tendencies towards computers ;-) I liked it. I appreciate that someone else out there can write dark stuff without it being super-weird or super-gory. (although the schizo one was bordering super-weird :-)

Anonymous said...

Praying for you!

Ugh, I hate the subjunctive in Spanish. It's the only thing about Spanish I don't understand. I've been trying to learn it for over three years now, but I haven't. *heavy sigh*

Leigha

P.S. I really like the short stories you've posted on here. :)

Holly said...

I read a book recently where the narrator kept saying "was" instead of "were" and it drove me CRAZY. I love the subjunctive. I will fight for its honor and survival until my own death. (Which will probably occur at the hands of an grammar-hating mob.)

Wow, dorm moving-in time! You SHOULD be excited; dorm life can be freaking incredible. I do remember how hectic it was getting ready to leave. (So long ago...a whole year. Haha.) I hope your preparations go well! You have my prayers. What school are you going to, if you don't mind saying on the internets?

Andrew Clarke said...

Hi, I found your blog looking for Christians who enjoy reading. I'm a Christian too - my blog is http://threeswans.blogspot.com if you want to check it out. I wonder if I can suggest a book to try, if you feel like some Christian fantasy? "Outcasts Of Skagaray" is an action adventure story that you might like if you enjoyed "Prince Caspian" or that genre. For a free preview, there are sample chapters on www.threeswans.com.au If you like strong female protagonists, the second chapter introduces them. I would be delighted if you read and enjoyed the novel. I wish you well whatever happens. Blessings. It is inspiring to meet other Christians.

Edge said...

Leigha: Thanks! I'm so glad you enjoy them. I'll have to keep posting now. And for the record (I've stated this once): It is Q's fault. And while I'm sure the subjunctive serves a purpose, it's so annoying sometimes.

Cuileann:
I don't necessarily love the subjunctive. As I read Shakespeare for a class this fall (fate conspired against me), I noticed the subjunctive all over the place. A Shakespeare post is forthcoming.

Andrew: Thanks! I'll check it out.

Paris said...

I'm terrible at Spanish! But for some reason I can't wait until I can learn French. I think it's just my name (I'm SO American, NOT French. My roots are from England and Ireland, I think).

Traci said...

I'm praying for you too!!

Q said...

Hey! I just put you onto the idea of writing short stories--YOU caved into peer pressure and kept writing them. So there.

Somnite said...

Yay! for dorms! (I must admit tho, you lost me around the word I became slightly spasmodic at the word "mood" and lost all rational thought at the word "clause". This is not a good thing since one of my first college classes is writing and composition)