Hey There Radioactive Dragons

I felt a tickling sensation running through my back. Spiders I presume, crawling up and all over my sensitive body. I panic, jolting myself out of bed, eventually falling down an endless cavern into the dark, ominous abyss....

Aaand then I wake up and realize that said tickling sensation was my cell phone alarm going off. I started my day off with my anxiousness, as I was going to meet Mark to open up our AP scores together. I walked to Furnald with my AP scorecard in one hand and my phone in the other, realizing that these two objects represent my destiny. Honestly, the results were definitely not at all what I had planned or hoped for, but after enduring the initial stages of depression and denial, I finally realized that it was okay, it is just an exam and that it's not the end of the world. 

In class today, we discussed the topic of freedom of speech and its boundaries. We first thought about what "speech" really even was. Some would argue that dance is speech, or protests, or even pornography. But how do we limit this speech, and when does it reach the point where it actually crosses the "line"? We discussed three different cases today: Shneck v. United States, Abrams v. United States, and Masses Publishing Co. v. Pattten. They all basically had to do with the same issue of what speech is considered unlawful speech that may hinder the success of our country in times of war. In Abrams v. United States, Abrams and other proclaimed revolutionists attempted to have factories stop making weapons for war, and this was found to be convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917. We also watched this rather hilarious film discussing the lawsuit between Fox News and Al Franken for using Bill Reilly's photo on the cover of his book.

After class, I hung out with my wonderful cohort members Mark and Deborah and headed to Guitar Center in Times Square. We had a bit of a jam session in the Acoustic Room with all the guitars, and even recorded a few covers. Subsequently, we returned back to campus and ate ice cream on the ledge of the former Columbia library. There was one moment that I stepped back from everything and just admired the campus for all its elegance and simplicity. In my opinion, the campus looks so much more beautiful at night during the day. The way the lamps along the road emphasize the green grass or how the shadows in the architecture of the building make the windows pop out. Everything about this campus is incredibly beautiful.I end my night with this beautiful view just a head-turn away, from the comfort of my very own dorm room. Every day, I cannot even begin to say how thankful I am to have been given this wonderful opportunity to learn and see the world in a different, yet more beautiful way.