In Which Chelsea Has Far Too Much Fun Making an Announcement and Gets Really Confused by Talking in Third Person (On a Side Note, Is This Title Too Long?)

We interrupt your normal blog posts to bring you a post that could actually be considered narcissistic.  

 As of the 25th of July 2012, Chelsea L. Conner, of Parkersburg, WV, has decided that she will not be returning to Southern Utah University, located in Cedar City, UT, for the fall semester, or, frankly, any semester after that.  Instead she has decided to put her educational goals on hold for the time being.  She plans on returning home to West Virginia at the end of August and job hunting in the hopes of raising enough funds for her to attend The Ohio State University in the Fall of 2013. When asked about this major life decision, Chelsea had this to say:

It was honestly a very tough, scary decision.  I felt prompted to switch schools early on in the summer, but by that time I had already missed deadlines and I unquestionably did not have the funds to pay tuition.  It never even crossed my mind to take the year off, so I planned on staying here and going to school and working.  I realized, however, that this plan was counterproductive for multiple reasons.

She proceeded to talk about how Cedar City had helped her to grow and that she was going to be sad to leave the city.  "I've met so many friends here," she said. "It's going to be sad to leave without seeing people. I said 'see ya in a few months' to a lot of people.  It never even crossed my mind to say goodbye."
Yet even though it will be sad to leave the 'temporary home' she made for herself in Cedar, Chelsea is 'beyond excited' to be returning home.  "If going away for college taught me anything, its that my heart belongs in West Virginia.  There's a reason West Virginia's state songs, whether they be officially labeled as such or just Country Roads, always talk about coming home.  Its where I grew up, where my family and friends are (except for those who have moved away), and its always going to be my home among the hills.  I'm so excited to be going back"
The exact date for departure has yet to be set in stone, but it will be sometime after the 22nd of August.

But... Reading IS Fun

I ran into a girl who was in my English 1010 class today on campus.  I had stopped by Outtakes to get something to drink and then I was  going to sit outside with my book and enjoy the weather and riveting words.  We exchanged pleasantries.  The typical small talk about why we were still in Cedar and that life was good.  We exited the store and she asked me if I was going to work.  (I still had on my housekeeping shirt).  I explained that I had actually just come from work and that I was planning on relaxing for a little while by reading a book outside.  I should be used to what came next.  With complete and utter sincerity she asked me, and I quote, "Wouldn't you rather do something fun?"
I stared back at her.  Didn't she know I owned close to a hundred books?  Didn't she know that I had read the fifth (and longest) Harry Potter book in the space of two days while I was still in elementary school?  Didn't she know that I can't go into a book store without finding at least a couple books I want to buy?  Didn't she know that I am so enamored with the written word that I've decided its what I want to do with my life; to write the books that will touch peoples lives as my life has been touched by books written by others?  I could have given an epic speech, but instead I simply replied, "But, reading is fun."
Honestly, I get asked this question much more often than is acceptable, but this time it struck a chord.  This is due to the book that I am currently reading: Fahrenheit 451.  For those of you who don't know, Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian piece in which books are banned.  If they find books in your home, not only will they burn your books, they'll burn your house and cart you off to jail.  But its not just the books.  Anything and everything that requires some thought is gone.  Philosophy, science, religion, art, theater, music, etc are gone.  And the saddest part?  It didn't start off as a government mandate.  The people didn't want to think anymore.  They just wanted to have mindless fun.
When I started reading it, I didn't think it could ever happen.  It was outlandish.  Then the above conversation happened and I was reminded that science fiction has a way of predicting the future.  When Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 there wasn't much mass to the media.People didn't spend hours and hours watching TV.  There was no internet or cell phones or iPods.  And yet he predicted how disconnected our society could become.
One closing thought before I leave.  I decided to read Fahrenheit 451 so I could participate in video bloggers John and Hank Green's summer book club.  They chose the book because the "novel" Fifty Shades of Grey has sold more copies than Ray Bradbury's books combined sold in his lifetime.  One of America's great writers has sold less books than someone who wrote complete smut.  If that isn't cruel irony, I don't know what is.      

Wanderlust

Up until my sophomore year in high school, I was content where I was.  My traveling had been limited: Orlando, Florida when I was 4, Moorhead City, NC when I was 12, Kirtland, OH and Williamsburg, VA at 13, and Nauvoo, IL at 14.  Nice places to visit, but none of them moved me.  None of them ignited a desire in me.  Then came the choir trip to New York City when I was 16.
This was my first time in a big city (I don't really count Orlando since I was only 4). I remember seeing that famous skyline in person for the first time.  I couldn't stop glancing or blatantly staring at it, which I had plenty of opportunity to do since we sat in traffic for an hour before we reached the tunnel that would actually take us into the city.

First Skyline Picture

I remember stepping off the bus, and I'm sure we all looked ridiculous.  We were all staring up at these buildings that were impossibly tall.  Also take into consideration that our first stop that night was in the middle of Time Square!  Suddenly we were in a place that we've seen every New Year's Eve and in movies and TV, but never actually thought we would see in person.  Even more amazing than looking up at skyscrapers though, is looking down on them.  Is there a better introduction to the city that doesn't sleep than being up on the Empire State Building at night?  I think not.

Photo from the next year's trip since I had a better camera.

But my point was not to rehash the events of days gone by, or to talk solely of NYC.  (Even though if I had the opportunity to live anywhere in this country and money wasn't an issue, it would be New York City.)  No, my point is that this trip opened up my eyes to places, people, and things so unlike anything I knew.  I didn't know it then, but this trip would ignite a desire in me to see just what this world has to offer.
I didn't really see the point in traveling before this trip.  Other places looked cool, but I felt like I had everything I needed in my not-too-big-not-too-small hometown.  When you live in the same place, with the same people your whole life, you begin to think that thing's that are popular there are also popular everywhere else.  (I blame this phenomenon on mass media... and my own ignorance.)  Just a small example of this is back home in West Virginia people love Taco Bell (myself included), but here in Utah they kind of hate it.  There are franchises that have different names.  (Hardee's = Carl Jr's; Kroger's = Smith's).  Words are pronounced differently and have different meanings.  I think these differences between places even in the same country are just fascinating and cool.

I have a long list of places that I would love to visit in the US and all over the world.  I want to see the tourist traps.  I want pictures of the guards at Buckingham Palace.  I want to see Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower.  I want to buy a "I ♥ NYC" shirt, because even though I've been to the city twice, I don't own one.  I want to see what makes a place tick.  I want to find places the locals love.  I want to find the places tourists look past, but are as cool as the landmarks.  I want to learn the history that coats cities.  I want to see palaces, and churches, and monuments to people I have never heard of. I want to get out of my bubble.  I want to explore.  I want to be inspired.
I found a quote by Henry Miller that perfectly sums up how I feel about traveling.  He said "One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."  I want to experience things I would never get to in my day-to-day life.  The little traveling I have done has made me see things differently.  As my title would suggest, I lust after the next time I get to travel.  That may be awhile from now, but honestly, it can't come soon enough.
Adeus por agora!
(Goodbye for now!)

Occasionally, I Write Poems

I took an Intro to Creative Writing class this past spring.  During the poetry section, we spent a day or two looking at spoken word  poetry.  I became fascinated.  I had never written anything even resembling spoken word and I wanted to badly.  After a few discarded attempts, I have finally finished one.  Constructive criticism is always appreciated. (And yes, I realize its called 'spoken word' for a reason.  Take up the complaint with my webcam that refuses to cooperate with youtube.)
And now, without further ado...

For the Man Who Means More Than A Poem

Chelsea L. Conner

I’ve been trying to write about you,

but it all just comes out clichéd, and overdone, and

sounding like every damn love poem I’ve ever written combined into one,

which will not do,

because if that love was so special, why am I writing to you,

and not to the boy who first made me want to emulate Shakespeare?

Now maybe I’m a natural born cynic,

or maybe the world made me that way,

but thus far in my life romance has been but a shooting star;

beautiful, rare, and it doesn’t last nearly long enough.

And I don’t want that for us.

There I go again, but it’s true.

You mean more to me than fleeting promises

we won’t mean tomorrow.

I want us to mean more than clichéd sentiments

penned by my younger self.

I don’t want us to be ephemeral;

I want us to be eternal.

I want us to write our own love story.

Something that will be better than fiction

because it won’t be perfect.

It will be perfectly real.

I want to steal your last name.

I want people at our wedding to say

they always knew we would make it.

I want to make babies with you by the dozen!

(Well, maybe not that many,

but we can sure try!)

I want to embarrass our kids when they’re older,

because we’re still madly in love

and we don’t care who knows it.

I want us to call each other pet names

like darling and dear

well into our sixties.

And to continue to hold hands in public

even if we get arthritis.

I want young couples to see us

and make them strive to have a love

that could even attempt to rival ours.

Maybe we won’t last nearly that long.

But darling, I truly believe

we can be much more spectacular than a shooting star.

We can be a super nova.