The Chronicles of Riddick

I have written a haiku summing up my thoughts on the entire movie.

Silly and random.
Why do his eyes look so wierd?
There were no sex scenes.

Day of Silence

Today is the Day of Silence.

The Communist Party Forever!

But seriously... I know I haven't written anything in a while. Uni has been keeping me busy, between classes and my job in the archives and the snapper... it really is soul-consuming. I just registered for next semester's classes this morning. The schedule will probably wear me down (an 8am class twice a week and a weekly evening class on Wed) but I'm excited, as always, to experience some new classes. Finals start May 7th, which, when you think about it, is less than a month away already o.O;
I have a job waiting for me when I get back-- the local public library where I've practically grown up is going to hire me part-time, with as many hours as possible. After a month or so I'll decide if I need to look for a second job or not to meet my summer earnings goal so I can, hopefully, study abroad somewhere in the UK next year.
Also, I'm hoping to spend some quality time writing this summer. A little inspiration would be nice too... I'm a little bogged-down in the middle of "Night" right now and trying to figure out how to move it forward without being too abrupt. I'll always have Friday and Sunday off during the summer, so maybe I'll be able to work on it then.
Other than plans for the future, I have so many little detail-esque things on my mind--deadlines, photo assignments, upcoming events-- and I'm really starting to understand the term "scatterbrained." But college is the best time of our lives...

Leave Me Alone and Let Me Eat Lunch in Peace

My Goodness...

Well, it has been a busy few weeks, hasn't it? The week before Spring Break is always filled with midterms and the stresses of last-minute assignments, and of course the week of is never quite long enough to be really relaxing (it feels like I've been away from Millersville forever, but it all seems a little hazy in-between), and now my first week back is filled with "welcome to reality" assignments approaching and homework as usual.

*sigh*

Jason!

This took me a while to make, but it's totally worth it! Isn't he cute? ...Well, of course, "menacing" and similar adjectives also come to mind ;)

Yay for Snarky Horoscopes!

Scorpio

October 24 - November 21

There's a time and a place for everything, as you'll soon discover after falling into the rhinoceros pit during mating season.

A Few Words

anthropology
atmosphere
bureaucracy
coffee
definitely
occurrence
strength
squirrel
yogurt

OMG SNOW!!!

pop culture reference

The Creation Narrative of a Cat Lover

In the beginning there was only the First Cat, and an Earth that was cold and bare. But the First Cat brought forth a hairball, and it rose into the sky, and as it rose it gathered fire, and the Earth was warmed.
And once the Earth was warmed, the First Cat licked the ground with Her rough tongue, and the land changed shape, becoming hills and valleys. With Her paws, the First Cat scratched holes in the ground, and with Her claws she pierced the sky and rain fell, filling the oceans, and plants began to grow.
Then the First Cat sniffed the ground, and She sneezed. And from the dust that arose emerged the animals of the land, and they fled from Her. And the First Cat twitched Her tail, and the dust that was flung into the air became a great flock of birds; and they also flew from Her. And when the First Cat then sharpened her claws upon the rocks, chips of stone fell into the ocean and these became the fish and the creatures of the sea; and they swiftly swam away.
And the First Cat was pleased, and She began to groom herself, and some of Her fur fell onto the ground. And the First Cat began to purr, and as she purred the fur mixed with the dirt and took form, and the forms took two shapes: cats of all sizes in the likeness of the First Cat, although because they came from different strands of fur their markings varied, and humans, who were mostly bare because there was less of the First Cat's fur in their forms. And these did not flee from Her, but looked upon Her in awe, and to the humans the First Cat said,
"You shall be my responsibility, and you shall live on the Earth that I have made, for you have not fled before me." And to the small cats the First Cat said, "You shall stay with these humans, and care for them, for they have less fur than you; and you shall hunt the mice that eat the grain and the birds that disturb their crops; and you shall remind them of your worth by showing them what you have caught." And to the large cats the First Cat said, "You shall hunt the large animals that came from the ground, and fled from me; and they shall ever flee before you; and you shall teach these humans humility and remind them that they have been made with less fur."
And it was so, and the First Cat was pleased.

My Boyfriend is Totally Cheating On Me!

...I caught him in bed with another woman! :O

Happy Valentine's Day!
<3

Mrow?

We *Are* Quite the Dirty-Minded Pair...

Gu tìr nan ciar-bheann àrda says:

I get to do a section on medieval witchcraft and sexual deviance :D :D

Gu tìr nan ciar-bheann àrda says:

...erm.. not that I care... ahem. (A)

Mirime says:

that gives a whole new meaning to burning at the stake ;)

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Mirime says:

scrabble with three people is much more fun

Mirime says:

more options for where to put things

Gu tìr nan ciar-bheann àrda says:

snigger

Photos Are Up!

My brethren, this is truly a great day... I have, indeed, finally gotten organised and uploaded all of the photos I've been sitting on for ages (and some new ones too). Hooray for photobucket, mass-uploads, and avoidance of reading stuff for Uni! Not many of them have any explanation attached, and the ones on page 1 are newer than the ones on page 5 (which seems a little backward to me if you're looking at them for the first time and not just looking for updates...) so if any particular photo is just extremely puzzling, feel free to ask for an explanation!

Link <3

The War Prayer

By Mark Twain

It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.

Sunday morning came -- next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight with martial dreams -- visions of the stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender! Then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag, or, failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation

God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest! Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!

Then came the "long" prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour of peril, bear them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory --

An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness. With all eyes following him and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher's side and stood there waiting. With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued with his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent appeal, "Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!"

The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside -- which the startled minister did -- and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:

"I come from the Throne -- bearing a message from Almighty God!" The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. "He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd, and will grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import -- that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of -- except he pause and think.

"God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two -- one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of Him Who heareth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this -- keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.

"You have heard your servant's prayer -- the uttered part of it. I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it -- that part which the pastor -- and also you in your hearts -- fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: 'Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!' That is sufficient. the *whole* of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory--*must* follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!

"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle -- be Thou near them! With them -- in spirit -- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.

(After a pause.) "Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!"

It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.

--written in 1904-1905, but not published until after Twain's death in 1923

Got My Computer Back

...yep. Now I have no excuse for not putting up photos, right? Well actually, I think I need to set up an account on some site where I can upload, organise, and nicely present huge amounts of photos, 'cause that's what I have.

Two Things

Ok, firstly I'm not sure why the images for my blog suddenly don't show up when I open the page, because when I right-click them and say "view image" and then go back to my blog page they appear just fine. *sigh*

Also, I'm taking my computer down to the Help Desk to deal with hopefully printer issues as well as a CD-reading issue, so I probably won't be online until maybe Tuesday. I'll check my email from other computers when I can until I get mine back :)

Back

Well folks, I'm back at Uni again... somehow I'm not quite as excited as I usually am to start a new semester, and I'm a little homesick, but it'll get better. I should be a *little* less busy but I definitely won't have enough free time to be mopey for long.

Coconuts xD

An explanation about why I find this so funny will be forthcoming as soon as I take some time to upload all the photos I've been taking...

Final Grades Are In!!!

*looks smug*

Undergraduate Course work Fall 2006

	Subject	Course	Section	Course Title		Final Grade
	ENGL	239H	01	Hnrs:Westrn Literary Traditn 2		A
	ENGL	402	01	Middle Eng Lang and Literature		A
	ENGL	415	01	Sem:Joyce and Woolf		A
	FREN	101	0	Elementary French 1		A
	HIST	106	02	Contours of US History		A
	MATH	155H	01	Hnrs:Applied Calculus 1		B

Back Home

Well, I'm back home and settling in pretty well, considering that my mind and body were completely exhausted by the final exams, papers, and projects that have filled the last week of the semester.

I love my nice new mattress though :D

It turns out that my dad's coming home for Christmas after all, so on Tuesday night we'll pick him up at the airport... I was actually feeling kind of down that he wasn't going to be able to make it out here, so I am surprised and glad that he will be after all :)

Not much more in the way of news; I brought a lovely digital camera back with me from the Snapper (Nikon D70, baby!) so I will try to put some photos up. I've been catching up on my reading, and am already roughly halfway through The Poisonwood Bible. Cheers!

'Cause I am Teh Awesome

This is what my desk looked like while I was writing the paper that goes with my ballad...

My Awesome Ballad

The Ballad of Mount Badon

"Dark days are falling on Britain!"
Her people cried aloud.
The Saxon scourge spread o'er the land,
A darkly growing cloud.

The Saxons marched on Badon Hill,
And threatened the fortress there.
King Arthur swore to punish them,
And warned them to beware.

He gathered his host of noble men,
Brave knights so strong and true;
They readied horses, took up swords
And cheered as pennants flew.

The knights rode out with God's blessing
Their ladies waved farewell.
They trusted in Arthur their lord
To fight the Saxon rebel.

In the shadow of Mount Badon
The British army camped.
The horses caught their riders' moods,
And impatiently they stamped.

Arthur stood and gave a speech:
"The Saxons broke my peace,
And God shall surely aid our cause.
Their power will decrease.

Victorious we will be this day,
We have a greater troop.
The Saxons will before us fall
Upon them we will swoop."

He raised Excalibur up high;
The battle cries began.
The ranks of Saxons waited there
Across the valley's span.

The pagans were a fearsome sight
All clad in gilded mail;
The spears were glinting in the sun;
They thought they could not fail.

King Arthur and his bold knights charged,
Their noble horses reared.
The Dragon banner proudly waved.
The King's great host was feared.

The two great armies shortly met,
With a violent clash of swords.
Of all the knights who fought that day,
None were ever cowards.

The Britons won at Mount Badon,
In glory they were shod.
The tale of Arthur's victory
Will echo in our blood.

And though this happened long ago,
The legend still lives on;
Of knights who fought and won the day
For glory and Mount Badon.

Now I'm Hungry.

You Are Strawberry Ice Cream

A bit shy and sensitive, you are sweet to the core. You often find yourself on the outside looking in. Insightful and pensive, you really understand how the world works. You are most compatible with chocolate chip ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Pessimism at its Best

It just feels like nothing's going right for me... I have so much pressure and stress, and I'm trying to write this essay for an application to the summer honors program--a course with a travel abroad component(!)-- and I just can't get it to work. And all the time as I'm struggling to write it I keep thinking there's no way I'm even going to get accepted into this program, anyway--only two students from Millersville will get in. But I so badly want the chance. And I need to hand the essay/application in tomorrow before work.

My Middle English professor still hasn't changed my grade, although we discussed in her office--two weeks ago--the works cited page that I had brought in so she could change my grade from a 0, which I then emailed to her, with my name on the document as well as in the text of the email. When I talked with her this past Tuesday it didn't sound like she had changed her mind about giving me a second chance on my grade, but I really can't tell with her. I think she forgot that she was going to do it, and forgot that unlike some of the other people in the class I had actually come to see her about it, etc. and that she had offered to give me specifically a re-grade (because I at least actually had a decent paper), and I can't ask her about it again because I've used up the one oblique angle I had ("did you get the email? I wasn't sure if it sent properly...") and she'd probably get annoyed if I started pestering her about it (especially if she doesn't remember saying she would). To the class in general, since a lot did badly or didn't even follow the guidelines (which I did... except for thinking that when one has footnotes, one does not need a works cited page), she'd offered to let them choose to have their second paper be the grade for both papers. That's due on the 5th for Middle English, and I'd really like at least some feedback on the first paper before I hand in the second one... and if she hasn't changed my grade by next week, I'm going to have to gamble and accept the offer to have the second paper carry the weight of two. And that'll be 200 points.

I'm almost afraid to get my Calc portfolio back... I have no idea how I did but it was really difficult and I'm not sure if I understood and did some things correctly.

Lots of other deadlines coming up as well. The last day of finals is Dec. 16th and after that, the semester is over...

Birthday

Well, despite having some projects due on Friday, I did enjoy my birthday/birthday weekend... I got a nice dinner out and time with Jason and plenty of birthday wishes from friends (:

(Ok, so the flowers in the photo were from Jason for our anniversary... I just didn't get them up in time. Still pretty, no?)

Giving up on News Posts for a While...

(perhaps a little belatedly...)

Whether hade he no helme ne hawbergh nauther,
Ne no pysan, ne no plate that pended to armes,
Ne no shafte ne no schelde, to schwue ne to smyte,
Bot in his on honed he hade a holyn bobbe.
That is grattest in grene, when greuez are bare,
And an ax in his other, a hoge and vn-mete,
A spetos sparthe to expoun in spelle quo-so my3t.

(darn. the 'ash' doesn't translate to the blog.)

Happy Halloween!

My roommate holding the pumpkin we decorated together (she drew the face and I made the hat). We named her Pomona :)

Already?

One year anniversary tomorrow... hard to believe o.O

Shelley

Art thou pale for weariness
Of climbing heaven, and gazing on the earth,
Wandering companionless
Among the stars that have a different birth,—
And ever-changing, like a joyless eye
That finds no object worth its constancy?

Here, There, and Back Again

Well, I went home for fall break and now I'm back.

In other news, I took the "ultimate purity test" again and my score has fallen slightly to 81%. Go me?

My Obituary

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

IRON MAIDEN

At last! The concert last night was awesome (once we got there). I'm too tired to write more about it... all my energy, alas, must go towards working on that paper that's due Tuesday.

Attention!

Love x 2

Two of my greatest loves combined into one!

Helter Skelter

So much to think about... so busy... what happened to the weekend? o.O

In other news, here's an itty-bitty book from the archives:

It's Almost as Good as Answering the Question of Schrodinger's Cat...

reka tsvetok: argh
reka tsvetok: the stupid school store charged me $3 for three postcards instead of 3 for $1
reka tsvetok: I don't feel like going all the way back there
cmedalis: :(
reka tsvetok: apparently two dollars is the price of laziness
cmedalis: haha well that answers that age-old question

Insanity is a State of Mind

(you get there by going crazy)

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

"With a sudden movement she bowed his head and joined her lips to his and he read the meaning of her movements in her frank uplifted eyes. It was too much for him. He closed his eyes, surrendering himself to her, body and mind, conscious of nothing in the world but the dark pressure of her softly parting lips. They pressed upon his brain as upon his lips as though they were the vehicle of a vague speech; and between them he felt an unknown and timid pressure, darker than the swoon of sin, softer than sound or odour."

So Much To Think About...

My weeks are full; my weekends in a way are fuller (after all, they're shorter) ...but at least for some of the weekend I have Jason-time.

Mrs. Dalloway

"He had not said 'I love you;' but he held her hand. Happiness is this, is this, he thought."

Basically

So basically, here's the conclusion I've reached after two weeks of Uni: My insanely busy schedule leaves very little time for messing around online, much less the time *and* brain activity needed for composing interesting blog postings. I read the headlines and my comics in the morning and maybe check in with Facebook here and there in between assignments, but that's about it...

It's going to get very boring here for a while :P

More Firefly tonight! Yay!

Eeew

On Monday, I was going over to turn the A/C down in our dorm room when I noticed some black mildew splotched on the vent of the unit. It was very unpleasant to discover-- not only is there mildew in our room, but it had been dispersed by air for who knows how long! I wonder why I've been getting sick? Naturally I turned it off, left a note for our RA, and then went down to the Snapper offices for the rest of the day.

That night the RA knocked on our door (waking me up) to take a look and explained that previously the janitors had sprayed all of the mold (before we moved in, I would assume) and killed it, but hadn't actually wiped it off the surface. We were welcome, she said, to get some disinfectant wipes and remove the residue ourselves. I was not very awake, so I didn't argue.

Now, she's a bio major, and I suspect that this was complete bullshit. For one, just because it's black doesn't mean it's dead. Our house can get pretty damp during the humid summers, and I've seen plenty of black mildew that is not at all "dead white mold." Secondly, whether or not any spores left behind are dead, it is entirely possible for them to start growing again. Basically, the University doesn't have enough staff-- or enough funding-- to check every A/C unit again and clean it, plus, they don't want to be open to lawsuits, so they're covering their asses and getting us to do the work for them. And obviously I will be doing that this weekend with my roommate, because neither of us want it near us longer than it has to be.

And for those of you who aren't familiar with Millersville, our dorm windows are bolted shut. No fresh air for our rooms...

I'd probably be more pissed about this if I weren't so incredibly busy >.<

(In other news, I got the library job I applied for at the end of last year and my first day was yesterday! It seems pretty cool so far, although with the potential to be monotonous, just like most jobs.)

Holiday?

Holiday? Hah... well, I did get to watch the first DVD of 'Firefly.' Great show, but I have to wait until next weekend to watch more :(

At Long Last...

Finally, it's Friday!

Beep

The timer for the microwave rings. I finish putting my bag of cereal away, and then... I start to open the fridge door.

*whimper*

Second Day

Just the second day, and already I have some stress...

Well, I can read ch. 2 of Contours of American History with the rest of my brief break. That at least won't be stressful.

*sigh*

One Of My Turns

Would you like to learn to fly?
Would you?
Would you like to see me try?

Back Again!

...moved in on Sunday, and already today I've had to hit the ground running-- they didn't even give us one day before classes started up >.<

I made it through my first day and met with my photo assistant to tell her about some of my plans-- I forgot to ask if she had any suggestions but there'll be enough time for that later.

Now before dinner I just have to do some of my back exercises, finish unpacking my office supplies, organize my desk and closet, and take a nap. Probably the nap will come before unpacking...

6 Days...

Yes, it has indeed been six days since I was last online, to go by the number of days I had online-comic-catch-up reading to do... otherwise I really wouldn't be able to say, lol.

Uhm, lots of working. Three more days of 1-7 shifts to go, and then, oh my, time to get busy before I leave on SUNDAY :O

Almost There...

Just a little over one more week of work left, and then I have a few days to get all ready for going back to Millersville, and then... August 27th I move back into the dorm! First day of classes is August 28th... talk about hitting the ground running o.O

It's exciting, yet stressful at the same time... I think I'll feel better when all my stuff's safely in my dorm room and I have a few important things like my bedding, computer, and books unpacked and set up. Until then... watch out! (Not that you'll be hearing too much from me until then.)

Send an email my way to get my new address and phone :)

Morning Amusement

...once again provided by toothpaste for dinner.

Awesome...

"So, Friday you're gonna be tearing it up at Ozzfest and Saturday you'll tear it up at a wedding?"
--Heather, one of my co-workers

That basically sums up these past two days. Ozzfest was amazing; I survived the whole day and thanks to staying indoors until around 2pm and my paranoid re-applications of sunblock (it helped that Jason was there to put some on my back) I didn't get sunburnt, the "concert life" was highly entertaining, the bands we were there to see rocked (especially Black Label Society, Disturbed, System of a Down, and of course Ozzy-- although we only stayed for his first song), and I definitely rocked out to Avenged Sevenfold's cover of "Walk" (Pantera). I'll come up with some more specific incidental stories later when I'm not so tired... or you can just ask to hear some ;)

The wedding of a family friend was quite enjoyable; the ceremony was short and not too preachy and the reception was very nice-- warm and friendly, not too formal, with a jazz band and dancing during the cake. Also-- oddly enough-- we ended up sitting with another piano teacher who knew the mother of the bride whose husband is the new band director at Millersville O.o ...naturally, I asked if he'd be interested in setting up an interview with us in the fall. How cool is that?

And now, time to catch up on sleep...

(but I'll miss waking up next to you)

Brief Update

Carla here, writing to inform you that I haven't died of heatstroke! (Yet)

Yes, we have another heat wave here, and I've been working (outside, during the peak hours of the day) all week. Fortunately the heat is supposed to break tonight.

Tonight when I get back from work, Jason will be picking me up, and tomorrow is Ozzfest! I'm so psyched :D

(Still have to pack an overnight bag, though...)

*mood continues to go downhill*

I can't wait to get out of here and get back to Millersville...

My blog was feeling ignored so here's a poem.

Box

Here I can sit quietly:
Four walls, brown,
And some tape still holding on
(Tightly, so it won’t fall)
Look back at me.

No one sees me, here
Except for the cat, passing by
(She always looks inside everything)
So I can hide, by myself,
In these mysterious depths.

When I close my eyes,
This space becomes my own
And I'm exploring a dark cave:
Water drips, and unseen creatures move,
(But I am not afraid.)

Then I hear a voice calling me.
I open my eyes:
There are only four close walls,
A brittle piece of tape,
And I'm just sitting in a box.

If you don't get the obvious symbolism of the tape, sit and think for a moment; it might come to you.

Just Another Perfect Day...

After two days of rain and cool evenings, the heat has finally broken (for now) and I am feeling much more like my usual self.

Once I get back from PT today and have some lunch, I have two days off from work, so I think I will sit at my computer and write when I'm not doing things around the house. That's one of my favorite kinds of days :)

Yay, Vikings!

My Viking Name is...

Kaðlín Seabear

(Well, actually, that wouldn't really be your name -- since you're female, your name would be something like "Kaðlín Björnsdottir". But this is the twenty-first century, and you want to be known for who you are, not for who your father was, right? Right.)

My Viking Personality: You're a fearsome Viking, but you aren't completely uncivilized. The other Vikings make fun of you for that. You have a thirst for battle -- unfortunately, you're not terribly good at it. You probably know which end of a sword to hold, but you're not a fearsome fighter by any stretch of the imagination.
If you ever tried to make a voyage in a Viking longboat, you would die. Either from seasickness, or from your shipmates throwing you overboard into shark-infested waters. You possess some skills which other Vikings respect.
You have a fairly pragmatic attitude towards life, and tend not to expend effort in areas where it would be wasted. You sometimes come off as a bit of a snob. Vikings are not snobbish people -- they either like you, or they kill you. Try to be more like a Viking.

Heat

No relief as nation swelters in heat wave 'not fit for human beings'

I'm roughly 45 minutes away from Philadelphia, PA, by the way, so yes, the temperature given for that region is about the same for where I am.

For my international friends: Temperature conversion

Also, see: Weather Map of the US

(everthing in red is a link)

Physiotherapy

1/4 heat therapy
1/4 torture
1/2 workout

More Ineffability

Well, yesterday was my second physiotherapy appointment for my back. I did some exercises and I got a massage-- although I was a little disappointed that the only muscles the therapist worked on are the two that connect the back to the pelvis and can only be reached by going through the stomach. Incidentally, that really hurt most of the time, and they're now kind of complaining to me. It was also incredibly deep-in-my-tissues invasive. Ow.

Maybe I'll just go get a professional back massage at a spa sometime when my 4-6 weeks of therapy is over.

In other news, for some reason yesterday I felt oddly sad pretty much the whole day, whenever I had a few moments to myself. I kind of feel like that today, but I'm not sure why.

I start work at 3 instead of 2, so I'm going to go for a nice swim before getting back home to pack my dinner (and lots of water). Maybe that will help.

Past Things

What he says about old photographs is so true... for me, the same goes with letters (a notebook) and remembered conversations (smiles and sorrow) and sitting in a car in the sun in perfect pure ineffable happiness... (but they are not dead)

Peace. Perhaps I should dedicate this poem, one last time: to myself.

To a Shade
William Butler Yeats

Go, unquiet wanderer,
And gather the Glasnevin coverlet
About your head till the dust stops your ear,
The time for you to taste of that Salt breath
And listen at the corners has not come;
You had enough of sorrow before death --
Away, away! You are safer in the tomb.

Reality

"Reality is an illusion, albeit a persistent one."
--Albert Einstein

Well, after a busy and tiring week and closing shift on Saturday (which went 40 minutes late, I might add), I had yesterday to relax a little and enjoyed a nice day out with Jason. Now, however, it's back to work... closing shift every day this week (including Sat. again) except for Wednesday, which is my day off. Stupid one day weekend :/

However, it's good that I'm getting plenty of hours to work and, who knows, maybe the better I get at closing the faster it will go. I think it does depend in part on who I'm working with... and the weather (if it's nice, people are in the store right up until 6)... and the day, because on Saturday the huge amount of tomatoes and fresh basil have to be packed up and taken with us, while during the week they're just left out. So we'll see.

I Like Both

(And therefore I can appreciate the humor of this comic from indietits.)

Weekend

It's funny, but to me, weekends aren't really weekends because I'm usually working on Saturdays. After work yesterday, though, Jason came and got to see where I worked before taking me home. We had dinner together, and then he headed home. It was nice to see him and of course make sure for myself that he's doing well.

Today is a good friend's graduation party, so I am finishing up two scrapbook pages that I made to add to the scrapbook his sister is making for him, and then I will wrap the book we are giving him and then I must figure out what I want to write in his card. I want it to be something original, at least. The few phrases that had occured to me earlier are, of course, long gone, so I will just have to go with what comes to mind when I sit down. Sometimes that's best anyway.

Awwww...

You gotta love the smile.

*giggle*

Yay!

I got my driver's license!!! It's all very exciting.

In other news, my ticket on Elfwood went through, so those interested may find two more chapters for Night here.

My friend Russell's older sister, who I work with, is making a scrapbook for his graduation party, and she gave me two pages to fill, and some colored cardstock. I've spent some time looking through pictures that we have here, although I'm not done yet, and then I have to get some nice glue and color copies of the photos before I can really get started. I also printed some coloring-book-pages of dinosaurs and colored them in last night, for decorations (we loved dinosaurs when we were little.) I may have to ask Em for some more pictures, but I think it'll look nice by the time I'm done (preferably before Sunday, because that's when she's giving it to him... haha).

What Now?

So, I finally got a bathing suit yesterday (and fell prey to several clumsy mishaps) but of course, the rain persists... intermittent heavy showers are no longer fun, especially if one happens to work outdoors in a tent where rain can blow inside and the humidity makes cookies stale and chalkboard signs wet...

Lots of Rain

I woke up this morning to steady, heavy rain, but fortunately there was no wind blowing it in my windows, so I left them open and slept for two more hours.

That has pretty much set the tone for the day, and I think that I will read when I have the chance, eat lunch, and then practice parallel parking and go shopping for a new bathing suit with my mom, if we actually manage to get out of the house, that is.

Swinging the Dead

Ok, now I'm starting to get pissed off...

An article in the local paper, June 12th:

North Wales Library may lose lease
By: Mark D. Marrotta, Staff Writer

On June 22, the North Penn School Board will decide what to do about the lease under which the library occupies space at North Wales Elementary School.D. Michael Frist, the North Penn School District's director of business administration, said the board will vote on a motion on whether to give the library notice that its lease will terminate as of February 2007, with month-to-month extensions through the following December.Speaking Thursday, John Strobel, the school district's manager of support services, said the library would have to vacate its space for renovations planned for the school. The work at North Wales is part of renovations planned at various schools over the next five years, he added.Strobel explained that the work at North Wales will include a general updating of the building, mechanical upgrades and removal of modular classrooms.Strobel said the library occupies about 3,500 square feet. It would be possible to fit three classrooms there, he added."We're not anxious to move out," library co-director Jayne Blackledge said.The library has been in the school building since 1927, and has had a lease with the district since 1964, she added.Blackledge said the library has a 10-year lease, at $1 per year. She added that she believed eight years remain on the current lease term."We do have a couple of ideas" as far as alternative locations for the library, said its board president, Cathy Knee.But, she added, any options will require a considerable amount of money."We can't do much without it," Knee said.She added that the Friends of the Library organization will try to do some fundraising.

An email from Mrs. Blackledge, the co-director, June 19th:

Hi Readers,

There will be a meeting at the ESC on Hancock andChurch Rds. in Lansdale on Thursday, June 22 beginningat 7:30 p.m. Please consider showing your support of the N. WalesLibrary by attending!
We appreciate your caring.

The Library Board of Directors

Another article in the local paper, today:

NP board votes to not renew library’s lease
By: Mark D. Marrotta, Staff Writer

By a 6-2 vote Thursday‚ the school board voted to notify the library that its lease will terminate at the end of its current term‚ on Feb. 28‚ 2007. The motion‚ made by board member Frank O’Donnell and seconded by John Schilling‚ also provided that the district will be willing to continue the lease on a month-by-month basis through Dec. 31‚ 2007. The dissenting votes were cast by Vice President Timothy Kerr and board member Rick Miniscalco. The library has occupied space at the school since 1927. Administrators said the library would need to move for planned renovations that would include removing modular classrooms. The 3‚500 square feet occupied by the library could provide space for about three classrooms. During the public comment period before the motion was made‚ Cathy Knee‚ president of the library board‚ asked for the vote to be postponed. She said the library’s future had not been addressed. Kerr asked whether the support services committee‚ which had previously discussed the lease termination‚ had discussed the issue with members of the public. “It’s been an ongoing discussion‚” replied board member John Schilling‚ who chairs the committee. He added that the district will need to give the library ample notice of the lease termination. “We want to be fair‚” Schilling said. “I don’t think it’s important to pass this tonight‚” Miniscalco said. But Schilling responded that the district will still be in a situation in which the library will have to vacate the school. According to him‚ there is no option but for the library to find another location. Director of Business Administration D. Michael Frist said John Strobel‚ manager of support services‚ had talked to North Wales‘ borough manager about the possibility of having the library use space in borough hall. Board member Joseph Walsh asked what the notice requirements were under the lease. Solicitor Jack Dooley responded that the lease‚ originally entered in 1964‚ was for a 20-year term. At the expiration of that period‚ it was renewed for 10 years‚ and has been extended on a year-to-year basis since then. Dooley said the lease requires 60 days‘ notice of termination. He added that the notice will not have to be given until the end this year. However‚ Linda McAdoo‚ a former library board president‚ said an Oct. 23‚ 2003‚ letter from D. Michael Frist said the board had approved the lease would continue through 2014. O’Dooley responded that that was not the way the lease was written. A motion by Miniscalco to table the vote failed by a 4-4 vote.

The school board has done some crappy things in the past, but this is the worse. Ongoing, my ass! They slipped this vote by, specifically before the meeting in which people might actually voice dissent. Furthermore, I would like to add that they are all slimy corrupt conservative pricks, although maybe I'll settle with just "conservative pricks" concerning the two who at least had some balls and voted against the lease termination.

Other than that my day at work was just fine, although hot as hell. The sky was threatening, so of course I didn't go swimming with my last vestife of energy, and now soon it will be dinner time and then I will just collapse somewhere. Oh well... my old suit is slowly starting to disintegrate anyway, and I need to go shopping for a new one soon.

Dazed and Confused

"Let me 'splain. No. There is not enough time. Let me sum-up..."

Finish the quote, and I might just reward you with something sweet ;)

So, to sum-up...

Work: Three early shifts and one closing shift this week (not done yet)... tiring.
Writing: Spent a day immersed in self, producing two new chapters, html-ing new writings, and submitting to Elfwood... tiring.
Walking: To the library and to the pool... tiring.
Weather: Hot, humid, and oppressive... tiring.

Rush

I have been so caught up in things lately... immersing myself in work, finishing with cleaning my room and even sorting books, and then a trip to NY with Jason and my mom on Sunday... it's been mostly enjoyable, but tiring as well. I had a day off from work today, so I spent most of my day ensconced in the third floor with my computer, working on my Night story. I have two new chapters to html, and then I'll put a ticket through Elfwood and we'll see how long that takes.

As If On Wings

I wish I could be there... but in the meantime, may time fly quickly until Sunday.

Busy Busy Busy...

Well, I have been keeping busy, between reading, doing things around the house and my room, and work. I get a little bit of a break today though, because Jason is visiting :D

Work is strangely enjoyable. My first 6-hour shift was yesterday, and although I was pretty tired when I got home, due to being on my feet and occupied the whole time, it felt good. I always had something to do, which meant that I was on my feet the whole time, but that's to be expected. I did mostly bagging, which I got quite good at, and some restocking and setting up more samples. People-watching also kept me amused and occupied. In addition, I got to eat most of a cranberry walnut scone that had broken and therefore wasn't saleable, as well as a broken peanut butter cookie, which supplemented my packed lunch nicely. I have a fairly light schedule next week, though-- tuesday, friday, and saturday only, and all of those shifts roughly around 6 hours. I was kind of hoping for more of a steady work schedule... maybe next week, after I've really proven myself? *sigh*

*Spooky Hands*

Nah, I'm just kidding... nothing interesting happened today; in fact, it was a slow, quiet day. I cooked, did chores, and in a leisurely fashion, cleaned and organized the last two drawers of my desk. I have at least five diaries, most of which have not been written in, except for one that's my WoT things of interest journal and the one that had a few filled pages, which I removed and put somewhere else. Oh, and the one that's still in a box that my english teacher gave me my senior year, which I brought to college with me and really made an effort with... although it did die like all the other diaries I've attempted to write. I don't know... somehow trying to sit down and organize my thoughts on paper just doesn't work. I have to either scribble phrases on things on scraps of paper as they occur to me, or just sit in front of a computer and let everything flow. It's not the screen... well it is kind of nice to see my thoughts unfold so neatly, because reading is of course one of my strengths... but mostly I think it's that I can type really quickly and get everything out more easily. That, and putting (some) of it online makes me see it in a different light, sometimes.

These past few days, working mostly in my room, reading, not going out much, and concentrating on just these things has been kind of a holiday for me. (It ends tomorrow, with my morning dentist appointment and one-day, last minute dog-sitting for nearby family friends.) There are times when I just feel like drawing into myself, taking stock and, in a sense, going into a waking-meditative state. It felt right to do so mostly while in my room, which is, after all, my sanctuary... but alas, soon I must return to life.

Number of the Beast

"Woe to you, Oh Earth and Sea, for the Devil sends the beast with wrath, because he knows the time is short... Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number: its number is six hundred and sixty six."

Sister Awake

Carla? Productive? Oh yes, it is indeed possible! I made an experimental breakfast, which was something like a large latke and turned out to be great, and then I finished the weeding, swept the porch, cut some grass for the cats, and worked on my room (eating lunch as I went) for a good two or three hours, filling the first trashbag and starting on a second. It's really starting to look up, although I am kind of dreading having to deal with the huge mass of stuff on my desk... which is why it's pretty much last on the list ;)

Happy 6.6.06 tomorrow, to my fellow metalheads and people who just think it's kind of a cool alignment that only happens once a millenium of numbers that, coincidentally, is the bane of the Christian church... I'm planning on spending the day working some more on my room, listening to "Number of the Beast" and then either some more Iron Maiden or some Metallica... or whatever strikes my fancy, really. If I had "Sympathy for the Devil," I'd listen to that too.

Oh, and for the thrash-metal inclined... happy National Day of Slayer.

\m/

Everything I've Got

Well, my afternoon was spent working on cleaning some more of my room, which meant filling a big black trashbag with small empty boxes and dustry trinkets and then sorting the bottom drawer of my desk, which consists of mostly cards. I tossed all the empty envelopes, found $5 in one card, and sorted out the postcards, postcards from foreign countries, and things from Turkey that my dad brought back. I found several very cute cards and letters from Russ, professing his love.

Strangely enough I didn't get terribly nostalgic skimming all the cards, except when I found a few from my uncle Mark, who died when I was young, and one old birthday card with a p.s.-- "congratulations on your sibling-to-be!"

Anyway. Later I am going to finish weeding the back lot, and then I'll either stop for the day or get another trash bag and work some more on clearing the white shelf. Keeping myself busy will be good preparation for when I start work on Thursday (after my dentist appointment on Wednesday... ech.) Either way, it will have been a productive day.

And In Other News...

(Just a few side notes for those who aren't that interested in my life... think of them as a ticker or something.)

- Permit acquired
- Driving practiced, skills dusted off
- The Mists of Avalon and The Devil Wears Prada finished
- Ennui and loneliness barely staved off

I'm just so tired... and blogger takes a while to load on this computer... otherwise I might actually write things.

The Unquiet Grave

(A traditional English ballad that I felt like sharing.)

Cold blows the wind to my true love,
And gently drops the rain.
I've never had but one true love,
And in green-wood he lies slain.

I'll do as much for my true love,
As any young girl may,
I'll sit and mourn all on his grave,
For twelve months and a day.

And when twelve months and a day was passed,
The ghost did rise and speak,
"Why sittest thou all on my grave
And will not let me sleep?"

"Go fetch me water from the desert,
And blood from out the stone,
Go fetch me milk from a fair maid's breast
That young man never has known."

"My breast is cold as clay,
My breath is earthly strong,
And if you kiss my cold clay lips,
Your days they won't be long."

"How oft on yonder grave, sweetheart,
Where we were wont to walk,
The fairest flower that e'er I saw
Has withered to a stalk."

"When will we meet again, sweetheart,
When will we meet again?"
"When the autumn leaves that fall from the trees
Are green and spring up again."

Volcano

Ironically, of course, it has cooled down a little bit today. The results at the endocrinologist were good, and after a Starbucks run and a quick errand with my mom, I sat at home reading until the library opened, and then I walked up and got two books to read when I finish re-reading The Mists of Avalon. Tomorrow morning I meet with one of the guys who manages the farmstand to see about a job, and on Friday, in theory, I will be getting my driving permit.

But for now, I am content.

No Rain

Finished the book I started yesterday, gettting substantially more read today, of course... more or less non-stop from breakfast onward. It was rather melancholy, and thus, I was for a while too. Picking up Good Omens to re-read has begun to improve my mood.

After seeing Jason off yesterday I had some lunch, worked a bit more on the puzzle, and then decided that I was feeling a little worse, so I crashed and ended up taking a two-hour nap, woken up only by family friends calling to invite my mom and I to a little Memorial Day get-together in an hour or so. By the time she got back from the store I was feeling up to it, so we went, and dinner tonight will be the holiday dinner we planned...

Also, I got a lead on a job working at this little organic farmstand thing about 20 minutes away, because the daughter of our family friends helps out there and she talked with one of the guys who runs it and gave me his number. I left a message, so I'm kind of waiting for a call tonight or maybe not until tomorrow, and then I'll ask about hours, pay, and if the particular job I wanted is still open (bagging, because unlike stocking I wouldn't have to lift up to 40lbs). It's better than nothing, anyway.

And...

No time for writing, but a pretty good start to my weekend nonetheless, despite a scratchy throat. Jason tomorrow (:

Now, I think I shall head downstairs and check on the pizza dough...

Mysteria

Yes, I know, I just have to get over him and stop dwelling... but it is harder than one might think.

I've taken up this short story that I started sometime last year in the meantime, hoping that writing will distract me. I shall put it up on here soon, and when I get my computer up and running, I shall work on my Night story some more and, if I'm feeling really enterprising, I might even dust off Silent Earth. I've been thinking about some plotline things recently and would like to see if I can resurrect it. Long stories are just harder for me... what can I say? Science fiction isn't even my original genre... but I do feel good about working on it :)

In other news, no word on the job front. Reading my life away continues nicely. Movie and dinner with Jason and family on Sunday, and then I get to bring him back with me!

Strip the Soul

Well, today was a quiet day, which was mostly spent reading and basking in yesterday. I finished the book and while the storyline was cute, I wasn't terribly impressed and I didn't really like the style of the ending. Ah well. That happens, although not as often as one might think. As it is, I'm not going to pick up another book for a while for fear than ennui will set in. Heh. And I swear, I will look into that waitressing job near my house, as well as the pharmacy thing and maybe even Wawa (ech, but hey...)

Welcome to the Jungle

I still feel bitterness and anger, but how can I hold onto it when I have him?

I Think I'm On The Metaphorical Upswing

"You know what fear stands for? Fuck Everything And Run."

To learn one of my deep dark secrets higlight the rest of this post.

"Haha, you fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The first... is never get involved in a land war in Asia. But only slightly less well known is never go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line!!!"

Hum

O, the usual busy first-summer/spring days home...! The settling in...! An unusual amout of packing and cleaning of my room to do (someone get me a shovel!) and the rejoining old friends...! Losing the new? Never...

Pretty Picture

I don't feel like talking about my day, so go look at this instead.

A Quote

"And I don't understand why I sleep all day
And I start to complain that there's no rain
And all I can do is read a book to stay awake
And it rips my life away, but it's a great escape..."

Torn?

Or maybe, just pulled in five million different directions at once. Probably both.

In other news, I forgot what I was going to write yesterday. What a tradgedy. Something from my fine mind, lost forever in the fog of distraction. Well. You can't say I didn't warn you.

Glad to be back with the cats; not so glad about the resumed maternal bickering.

Uh. Bookclub tonight if I can get up there. North Wales day on Saturday. Birthday observance on Sunday, and probably some more bickering in the midst of the time that remains until then.

Hmm.

Weird/Bad dream last night... getting notification about a worm/spybot on my computer this morning and not being able to get rid of it... (W32.Spybot.Worm; if anyone knows about a patch...) But today I'm going home *shrugs*

Ah...

Summer vacation is in sight! So is not seeing Jason every day, but I can cope. I'll have my books. My precious books. And a job, hopefully...

Today will be spent packing, possibly even tidying up my room, and of course time with friends and Jason. Isn't that something? I love being absolutely done with Uni for the year!

I hope my grades are ok, though.

!!!!!!

I finished my paper!! It's 18 pages long!!! I'm editing it now!!! I think I've finally cracked!!!!!

*Cackle*

"I wonder if they all come out of that wall-paper as I did?"

I'm still going reasonably strongly on my paper, but also slowly going crazy...

Things I like about home, part 1:

- Cats
- Family
- My own bedroom
- My own bathroom (relatively speaking)
- Windows that open
- My yard
- Hot-water kettle for tea and other kitchen appliances

History Isn't That Dry

(Pun intended.)

The following is a quote from the book entitled The Quest for El Cid, one of the books I am using as a source for my 15 page paper (due Thursday before 9am... let the countdown begin!)

Irrigation in medieval Spain was of two sorts. The simpler was gravitational: the downward flow of water from its source in river or cistern was also controlled by means of a network of canals and sluices. The more complext was powered: water was raised artificially from its source by means of a wheel fitted with scoops or buckets, and then distributed as required. This was the mode of irrigation celebrated by, among others, the poet Ibn Waddah of Murcia (d. 1136) in his poem 'Waterwheel':

Oh the one weeping while the garden laughs
Whenever it spills o'er it is flowing tears:
What startles one who looks at it is this:
The lion's roar and the writhing of serpents!
It fashions silver ingots from the water of the pond,
And makes them grow in the gardens in the shape of dirhems!

Rarely if ever has market-gardening been so eloquently celebrated.

Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi

O Fortuna
velut luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem,
egestatem,
potestatem
dissolvit ut glaciem.

Sors immanis
et inanis,
rota tu volubilis,
status malus,
vana salus
semper dissolubilis,
obumbrata
et velata
michi quoque niteris;
nunc per ludum
dorsum nudum
fero tui sceleris.

Sors salutis
et virtutis
michi nunc contraria,
est affectus
et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora
sine mora
corde pulsum tangite;
quod per sortem
sternit fortem
mecum omnes plangite!

The End is Near

The end of the year is sad :(

Fiona Apple

Yay :) I like her.

Today is the awards convocation. Go me!

So Busy..... Arrrrgh

Don't even get me started about yesterday. Today I have the library interview at 9 xD ...but then, instead of relaxing, I meet with my spanish partner at 11 to finish our dialogue, go to lunch, meet my debate partner at 1-- and who knows how long that will take-- and then back here to write my lab report, get that out of the way, and then start on some more note-taking for that 15-page paper...

Summertime is Here Again...

Happy Beltane/May Day! Everyone should have a flower today :)

On a darker note, I spent some time trying on all of my pairs of shorts from last summer. Two out of five still fit...