I got my cell phone bill for this past month. I didn't go over my minutes thanks to my cell phone purge last week. My purge was caused by ITASA though.

From March 26th to April 2nd, which was the Monday before ITASA up until the days of the conference itself ending on Sunday, I sent or received 572 phone calls. That is correct. Five hundred and seventy-two phone calls in only seven days.

- On Friday the 31st, there were 145 phone calls.
- On Saturday the 1st, there were 109 phone calls.
- Thursday and Sunday were both at about 80-90 phone calls.

And during that whole bus to the barndance fiasco, I made 31 phone calls totalling an airtime of 53 minutes in a little over an hour from 10:20 to 11:30. Good job Verizon. Thanks for making ITASA work.

I went to Biaggi's tonight with Keelin, Tina, and Brian.


Don't we look like a close-knit and loving group?


Later in the evening I was enjoying the nice weather outside on my balcony and doing my reading for an Asian American Studies class. As I was halfway through one of the articles, the author noted that she was a 2nd generation Taiwanese American. I thought to myself, "that would be funny if I knew the person," so I looked up at the name. And lo and behold, I read "Juliana Wu, Viewpoints, U of C Maroon, 2004". Like, whoa. TAFers are everywhere. At school, on Broadway, in television, in commercials, and even in your homework.

Small, crazy, world.

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Justin posted about Augustana. Now my turn, whee. Augustana on NPR (includes live performances).

TAF Program Director Retreat this weekend in Michigan. It was good. There is one specific thing I want to share.

I don't know if I have ever blogged about a Plato quote that says, "time is the moving image of eternity," but I love that quote. My knowledge of the quote and insight into what it means is from reading a conversation between a friend and one of her friends years ago. I guess I will try to break it down for you rather quickly from what I think.

- "Time is the moving image of eternity."
- Eternity is devoid of "time", because eternity has no future and has no past, only that one moment. Time is therefore a sequence of "eternities". Think of Eternity as a slide in a movie film, and then that film put together in motion is the motion picture that we call Time.
- Because eternity is in essence just that one moment with nothing to change it (no future and no past, just this moment), it is pure and unadulterated.
- And because of that, it is perfect (they call Heaven eternal, and they call it perfect too). I find this to be reminiscent of that quote from the film Troy, if you know what I am talking about.
- So discovering and recognizing an instance as just an instance, as a moment in the moving image called Time, is to recognize Eternity, and therefore recognize perfection.

I had a moment like this in Michigan.

On Saturday the PD's, tafbrats, and howard, went to a ropes course to do some games and exercises. After we finished our five hour romp in the woods, leaving us physically tired, we all sat down in a circle and had a discussion led by the two wonderful facilitators that Christine had found.

As I sat in the circle and looked around and heard what people were saying, a sudden feeling of seeing everything clearly for a split second hit me, and everything was perfect as it was. I saw the beauty in what this moment was.

Sixteen relatively young people and our two facilitators. From all across the United States. Separated by space, yet united by shared time in the past. Sitting in a circle surrounded by nature in Michigan, bouncing thoughts and ideas about communication and teamwork. Hearing the praises of working together so well and completing our difficult tasks in impressive times.

The circumstances that led to us being there in that moment are amazing. Where did we all learn to work together so well? How did we all learn to work together so well? How did we all manage to travel to and wake up at 8am? I'm sure I could answer that in a way, but my point is not to answer, but to say that the moment was recognized.

It was a moment of perfection.

I am off to Michigan this weekend for the PD Retreat. Let us hope we get much accomplished! Actually in all seriousness, when I take a step back and realize how important this weekend could be (because every little thing counts), I am almost in awe of what could come out of it for this year's program, and the ones beyond.

With great power likes great responsibility. Like Spiderman!

So in analyzing When Harry Met Sally, I think I should limit being friends with the multitude amount of female friends that I have now. Sorry! But thats unfortunatly how it is. It would be cool to rebel against the system and be the nice friend that I have been, but this system has been in place for as long as men and women have co-existed. I'm pretty awesome, but not that awesome to challenge deep codes and rules on gender issues. Sorry ladies. No more new female friends! Less hanging out with old ones!

Okay okay maybe I'm kidding. Or maybe I'm not. TIME TO HANG OUT WITH THE BOYSSSSSSSSS.

Tina called me at 9:30 tonight. Switchfoot was about to begin their set at Foellinger. I wasnt doing anything, so I went. It was good! I only know their old stuff, but they played a good amount of it. I also regret not seeing more shows at Foellinger, because any seat is a good seat really. It's a nice and intimate venue, unless you have Econ or Soc classes I suppose.

Speaking of Switchfoot, a band that opened for them that you may have heard me speak about, is playing three shows in Chicago this summer. Yes, the band is called Augustana.

June 10 Chicago, IL - The Vic Theatre...with Snow Patrol!
July 27 Chicago, IL - House of Blues &
July 28 Chicago, IL - House of Blues...with The Fray!

So, I love Augustana. I also love Snow Patrol ("Run" is like, my fourth or fifth favorite song of All-Time). And I really like (not love) The Fray. I think I have to go to these shows. I know some people are already going to the Snow Patrol show with me (Erin, Lily, Michelle, Jamie, right?) and whoever else can come. Seeing Switchfoot is motivating me to buy tickets to these concerts within the next few days. I might just buy some extra tickets and get other people to come. Let me know if you want to be one of those people.

As for the shows with The Fray, I think I should go to. The July 27th show is also on my birthday. Hooray!

Moving on, I hit a pillar in my apartment complexs tiny ass parking garage today and tore the driver's side mirror off, as well as scratched the paint. It is going to be expensive. I am sad. It also reminds me of the last time someone's side mirror got torn off.

So good day and bad. Ups and downs. Life is funny friends. The lyrics of Dave Matthews Band - Pig, are wonderful.

I think it might be a good thing to die a little bit each day.

Not in a depressing sort of way though. Moreso a realization of our singular insignifigance in comparison to the ideal wholeness of human beings and of the amazing emotions we can give and can achieve.

Or maybe it is because if you are dying each day, that means you are also allowing yourself to be open and vulnerable to being hurt. But being open and making yourself vulnerable? I think those can be very powerful and unifying.

And people tend to remember and learn from hurtful times. I just hope humanity can do that without become bitter.

Something like that.

until april 22nd, do not call me during peak hours unless its an emergency, unless you are IN with verizon, because I only have 24 minutes left.

Feel free to text me. Okbye.

5 weeks of college left. Right.

...

Someone else's words. Pertinent and poignant:

"if i am in the situation of finding myself deeply disappointed in an individual, it's really because i'm upset that this person has seemingly ruined the delicate balance of my needing to have my expectations fulfilled and them actually being fulfilled. i have no right to expect someone else to achieve a certain level of "goodness" or "character of being" that i have arbitrarily set. no person walks unmarked, no person is omniscient, and i'd be a hypocrite to say that they should be otherwise. in essence, in such a situation, i'm the only person who is really falling from grace.

so in this case and others i've witnessed, i find myself confused. i thought that i should be angry or upset, but i feel more sadness than anything. maybe it's sadness knowing that there must be something dark within that compels a person to behave in a generally disapproved way. or maybe, it's more that i know that others will mark him (or her) as a pariah. they'll lambaste him, find ways to brew bad from his past goods, and shun his future overtures. that person becomes tainted, and the judgements begin to preceed the actions. and they'll do this all without looking within to see how incredibly selfish and incompassionate they are in expecting a person to be a god."

Taken from michellekrusiec.blogspot.com:

So, I just came back from a kickass time at ITASA at U of I and I gotta hand it to those guys - you know how to throw a Barn Dance! And that hay ride, it was spectacularly - circular. HA! Stay tuned for incriminating pictures....

I had a great time getting to know everyone. A big shout out to my Taiwanese brothas and sistas who partied with me. I can't wait to see what you guys do next...until then, zai jian and keep the fires burnin.

Remember, you are truly GREAT.

YEE-HAW,
Michelle

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ITASA was fantastic. Thank you to all of you who came out as participants, and thanks to the speakers that the participants got to listen to. You are all awesome, and thank you thank you thank you.

I know expectations can be dangerous, and I am sure I had some for how the weekend would go, but hey you know what? My expectations were met and then some. It was that good.

I'm pretty tired so I won't be able to formulate all the things I want to say or thanks I want to give, so I will do that after I get a double digit hour amount of sleep. But for now, a personal thanks to my personal friends who came and helped me and the rest of the team out, and even more thanks to the other eleven people on board.

REMiX!

disclaimner: Ms. Krusiec, if you happen to stumble upon this entry, please do not be weirded out by the previous post. Thank you!



more later. ill find some pictures too.

At this very moment, I am sitting in a room alone with Michelle Krusiec.

ITASA is good!

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edit:

I was letting her prepare for her keynote. I am a gentleman ok?