#5 Open Topic (freewrite, 10 minutes)

This week I would like to talk about my newest venture into photography. I have started taking pictures again with all of the snow, and every time that I get into tangents like this I really start to see my true liking of taking pictures. Recently I have discovered this site named Swoopo, which is somewhat like Ebay. You do get to big on items, but you have to pay $.60 for each bid that you do place, plus you have to pay for the price of the item at the end of the bidding. Although this doesn't seem to great having to pay for bids, if you're lucky enough you can really get a good steal. Since each person that bids is literally giving 60 cents to Swoopo, just a couple hundred bids will pay for most of the items that they sell, meaning that they make a huge profit. Lately I have been watching the bidding on Digital SLR cameras, and last night I decided to buy a few bids in order to go for one of the cameras that I want. They have been going for as low as $1.22 for a camera that is worth over $700, so in reality this would be a wonderful steal for anyone that is able to be the highest bidder at the end. I ended up using almost all of my bids on this camera, and the bidding just went on forever (each time someone bids a certain amount of time gets added to the clock). Although I didn't win this camera, I really got excited with just the opportunity, and maybe I will try to do it again in the near future.


Onto different things, we have finally sent out our Save The Date cards to everyone, and I've heard back from a lot of people that they have received them. We have also picked the time and date for the wedding shower, which is coming up way too fast. We had to have it done over spring break in order for us both to attend. My professors this semester just wont let up with the busy work, and I have various things do every single week all the way up until finals. This was basically the only time that I would be able to do it, because I really hate missing class because I feel like I miss so much and the teachers are sticklers for late work and act like they don't understand that people really do have other, better things to be doing.


As I said in my last freewrite, we booked our trip to Peru on June the 28th, and I am really already getting ready for it. Like I said above, I have really stepped up my search for photography equipment that i will need (want) for my trip to Peru. I really can't wait to relax for a little and enjoy the scenery while I shoot some magnificent scenes. With all the school work recently I haven't really been able to look into the things that we will be able to do there, but Machu Picchu is definitely at the top of the list.

#6 Open Topic (freewrite, 10 minutes)

Since the snow is here, it would seem pretty logical for me to talk about it for a little bit. I love the snow and all, but George Mason has some serious issues with the way in which they deal with closing the school. The other day (Tuesday) when it snowed, school closed at 7 pm, which isn't too bad, except that I had class from 5:55 until 7:10. This meant that I would have to stay there, grunt through the snow and get out of class just 10 minutes early. Well since I live almost 15 miles away and it was snowing well before 5 pm, I decided I would just go to my professor and hand my homework in. I asked him if he was planning on holding class even though it was snowing and campus was closing, he reponded with a simple "yes". He then went on to note that he lived close to campus, and the snow really wasn't a problem for him. This really rubbed me the wrong way, especially since GMU is such a commuter school. The next class time I figured out that he really had held class during the snowfall, and that I had missed almost 2 full sections (this is a Calculus III class). I just wanted to rant about this a little because it seems so inconsiderate that professors would even do such a thing. Just because you will have no problem with the snow doesn't mean that you need to endanger the other 2/3 of your class that will probably have to drive in it. Furthermore, I have almost had it with mason and their system of closing school when snow is imminent. I haven't had to deal with it this semester, but my roommate has, and it's completely rediculous to try and squeeze in as many classes as you can right before the snow comes. For those that do commute, waiting until the last moment could cause them to wreck or even be stuck at the school. It almost seems like mason doesn't even want to deal with closing the school just so they can take in the money that they make from meal and bookstore sales from the commutes that wouldn't have to be there if they would close schools.

Another topic of interest would be my wedding coming up on June 25, 2010. Time seems to be flying now, and I'm finding it even harder to concentrate and help my fiancée with it when I have so much work to do with school. Just last night we made the final decision for our honeymoon destination and we actually booked it. We will be going to Peru on June 28, and we will be staying there for almost 11 days. I can wait for this trip and all of the new things that I will be able to see in this country. Before going I would really like to save up enough money to buy a DSLR professional-grade camera so that I can get some great photography shots. I have been wanting one for a while now, and this only gives me a reason to purchase one. We haven't really figured out the itenerary for the trip yet, but I really want to make a trip to Machu Picchu one of my top priorities.