Today went by without much excitement, although I did win a chocolate chip cookie in AA English for having all the sentence completions right [and of course I shared it with KT, even though Mr Beagle told her she shouldn't be friends with me anymore. Le sigh. All my teachers want me to be alone forever, I suppose. In Allison's yearbook, Mr Beiswenger wrote something to the effect of: STOP HANGING OUT WITH KATE; SHE IS A LOSER. KTHXBAI. But of course, Mr Beagle thinks I'm a genius or something, and Mr Beiswenger was just insane. Good insane, not bad insane, that is.]
Tonight I'm attending a basketball game for extra credit in three [3; Mimi, am I cool?] classes: world civilizations, english, and mathematics. I'm going to see the girls' varsity team, and it's some sort of championship or whatnot.
Beki has a loffly new layout. :D
Colorado College, University of Connecticut.
Tutored after school at the junior high. Newspaper reporter and photographer were there; interviewed by young, extremely cute reporter. Probably said ridiculously stupid things while busy ogling him.
When leaving the building with KT, saw Herr Kleba [!!!], but he had to get to a 4:30 class, so we didn't have a chance to talk. He's not teaching anymore [he got accepted into some drama school and was like whatevz, I'm out of here], but he's directing the school musical, so that's why he was there.
Also got mail from Ithaca and Carleton College [in Minnesota; no, thanks].
Eva has a sexy new layout. :D
Got mail from Randolph-Macon Woman's College and Washington University in St. Louis today. Have been getting daily e-mails from colleges I've mostly never heard of since stupidly put e-mail address on PSAT thing.
Am so nervous about my future. The R-M Women's College pamphlet had a list of majors and when reading it, I realised I have no idea what I want to do with my life.
Except become president of the world, that is. And when I make my State of the World Address, I will say, "Please do not clap after every single sentence because the high school students who have to listen to this for school and just want to go to bed do not appreciate it, kthx."
Seriously, though, how did you [yes, YOU] decide where you wanted to go to college and what you wanted to major in? How did you know when you found the right one? If you're not in college already, what colleges are you looking at and why? I'm pretty sure I do not want to go to a single-sex college, and that I'd like to go to a school near a city. [I like cities.] Not sure if I'd prefer a big school or a small school.
It snowed all day today, but alas, school was still in session. Afterschool activities were cancelled, though, which I appreciated because I didn't want to go to the Key Club meeting very much.
Frauie gave us our German midterms back: 97! :D Also, my world civ. and math teachers showed us our semester grades: 97 in math and 94 in world civ. I'm pretty sure I'll have "A"s in all my classes for the semester. Today was the last day of the quarter and currently my grades stand as thus:
1) ENG II H-0120-1 95.40
2) WCIV II H-0220-2 94.39
3) ALG II H-0330-7 96.23
4) CHEM H-0410-5 94.61
5) PE 10TH-0514-16 100.00
6) GER III H-0640-8 90.76
7) LATIN I ACC-0655-3 101.01
8) ART I TAL-0710-4 96.17
9) ACAD ACC MATH H-0800-3 100.00
10) ACAD ACC ENG H-0810-3 0.00
Frauie hasn't finished grading everything, though, and I don't know what's going on with Mr Beagle [AA English]. He is so hopelessly computer illiterate. But I've done all my work and showed up every week, so I most likely have an "A".
Just listened to Bush's State of the Union Address. Is it just me, or is the applause after every. single. sentence. really annoying?
I'm glad he mentioned hydrogen-powered cars, mentoring, drug rehab, AIDS in Africa. Hope he follows through. Although did notice he didn't mention condoms.
"Yet the U.S. is now donating only 300 million condoms annually, down from about 800 million at the end of the first President Bush's term. Consider Botswana, which has the highest rate of H.I.V. infection in the world - 39 percent of adults. According to figures in a report on condoms by Population Action International, the average man in Botswana gets less than one condom per year from international donors."
Found the many references to faith tiresome. Beh at the war on Iraq. And why is it always "men and women," "boys and girls"? Why never "women and men," "girls and boys"?
Merry Elijah Wood's birthday! Our favourite hobbity ring barrel turns two-and-twenty today. May he always leave the care of his hair in the hands of capable professional hair stylists [i.e., no more buzz cuts, plz!], shave frequently [yeah, I'm not a big fan of his facial hair either however, I have no complaints about his fashion sense! ;)], and spend lots of time with Dom! In honour of his birthday, y'all should visit Always & Forever, which I'd like you all to know is at the top of KT's favourites folder. :D You rock, KT.
Today we did absolutely nothing in school [with the exception of chemistry - Mr Palmer started the next chapter with 5 minutes left in the period 9_9], which was quite nice. And I got my midterm grades back in all of my classes except German.
English - 100. When I walked into class he told me I had gotten the first hundred ever on his test. xD Squee! Although it wasn't really a perfect score, because I had gotten seven wrong on the multiple choice [out of a hundred] and four out of six on the reading comprehension. I think the multiple choice problems were each worth half a point and the reading comp. was counted as extra credit, so that's how I got a 100. Full points on both of my essays, too. :D
W. civ - 89. Already knew this because checked the grade posted on the door. 48/60 on first essay, 32/40 on second essay, 92/100 on mult. choice. Plus five extra credit points from the Jeopardy game is 177/200 or 89%. Weak, but acceptable.
Latin - 100. "Flawless! How do you do it?" I <3 Mr Kummer. Plus 14/16 on the first page of extra credit and 15/15 on the second page. Latin is so r0x0r.
Chem - 96.2. That's the official grade, anyway. Without the ten point curve it would be 125/140, or an 89. However, I had four problems marked wrong which weren't really wrong, so I should have gotten a 129/140, or a 92. But he said if he gave us the points back for the problems which were graded wrong, he'd take away the curve, so I'm content with my 96.2.
Math - 96. He only had thirty questions on his test, compared to the 100+ questions on all the other major subject tests. So a 96 means one multiple choice question wrong and two points off for an open-ended problem. Not a 100, but not bad at all. =)
I'm v. v. v. pleased with my scores. Honestly wasn't expecting to do this well. <midterms3
I've altered a MovableType template to create a new [graphically-challenged due to PSP's stubborn resolve to remain non-functioning] layout for those of you with aged eyes that can no longer read small type and those of you with a Y-chromosone that prevents you from being able to distinguish between different shades of pink.
However, for those of you with a fondness for the fuchsia, it is still available here.
I've survived my midterms, which is a good thing, but I'm not looking forward to full days of classes again.
This morning was quite an experience.
I drifted in and out of sleep for q. some time, with my subconscious flitting from one otherworldly storyline to another [at one point I was definitely describing a dream I had just had to Becky Kauffman's older brother in German]. I finally woke up around 9:45 and read a chapter or two of Lucky. I showered, ate breakfast, and left for the bus stop. [My mater was at a doctor's appointment, so she couldn't drive me to school.] On the way there, I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and saw Julia Black, who lives behind me and with whom I used to be close friends. We don't really talk anymore, but we both had not taken the afternoon bus for midterms before and we weren't sure what time it came, so our mutual plight brought us together.
We walked to Maple & Spear, which was a block away from our normal bus stop and where I was pretty sure Allison had said the bus had picked her up. For a few minutes we waited there, but then decided the bus was not coming. We walked to Adrienne's house, which was right by the bus stop, to see if we could get a ride with her mother, and Julia knocked on the door. No one answered. We started to head back to Julia's house, so I could call and see if my mum had gotten home yet. We passed our usual bus stop on the way, and a kid was waiting there. Julia yelled and asked him if he had taken the bus before. He said he had and that the bus should be here any moment.
Julia confided that she would be more inclined to trust him if he didn't miss the bus every other morning; she said she always saw him running after the bus and that it never stopped. But we waited there at the bus stop because we had no other plan of action. I hadn't had a chance to blowdry my hair, so it was still wet, and it was so cold that it literally froze. Not a fun thing. I tried to fingercomb the ice out, but that just made my fingers numb. I hadn't been able to find my gloves that morning either, which I really regretted. [When I got home, I realised my gloves were on my bedside table, where I had put them last night. So. Absent. Minded.]
The bus didn't come, but a minivan pulled up. Michelle O., my bestfriend when I was little [she's a year older than me and her sister, Sam, is a year younger they used to live with their grandmother really nearby, and we played all the time until Julia moved in, who was my age and smarter than Michelle and Sam], was sitting in the passenger seat.
"Do you want a ride?" Michelle asked. Julia and I exchanged looks. Mimi M. [who smokes and whom I remember telling on in third grade because she stole chips from the cafeteria] was in the driver's seat. Michelle reassured us that she would be driving; she was just letting Mimi try it. Julia was leaning towards "no," so Michelle said they'd go pick up people from Mimi's house and come back to see if we still were there. We nodded and they drove off.
It was v. cold, and the bus didn't appear to be coming. Julia said she hoped they did come back, and I agreed. We huddled in the cold for some time, and then the minivan returned. Michelle was driving this time, with Mimi in the passenger seat and there were five other people in the car. There was one seat free in the back, so I got in, and Julia had to sit on my lap. As we were getting in, someone asked if we minded if they smoked. I was tempted to say "Yes, I do mind, smoking is really foul, and you'll all have lung cancer by the time you're thirty," but I refrained, and Julia said she didn't mind, but knowing Julia, I bet she did mind.
For the whole ride to school, I was deathly afraid that we would be pulled over by cops for smoking or for having too many people in the car or for some reason or another. Michelle stopped at the Mobil station to try to buy some cigarettes, but from what I could tell, they wouldn't give her any. Rap music was blaring. The guy I was sitting next to had a lighter and kept flicking it on and off. He had linked hands with the girl on his opposite side, who was "truth or dare"ing people. She dared the guy, Phil, in the seat in front of us, to hook up with the girl sitting next to him, Vanessa. When he refused, she called him a pussy repeatedly. Then she asked the guy sitting next to her, I didn't catch his name, if he was giving her a ride home. Phil told her that if a guy gives a girl a ride, she's got to give him head while he's driving. Phil also called some guy at Mobil a "Chink." A v. pleasant person, that Phil.
Mimi told the girl in the backseat to dare her, that she would do anything. The girl dared her to hook up with Phil, so she did. Then Mimi asked Phil to see his dick. He made as if to unzip his pants, and I averted my eyes, but then he said something like, "I only take it out if I'm going to get a blowjob."
Eventually, to my extreme relief, we got to school. Someone had parked in Michelle's parking spot, so she parked in a handicapped space. Julia and I thanked Michelle for the ride, then hurried into the building. The bell was about to ring in a minute; I went to my locker, put my coat in, then went up the stairs to my German class. The bell rang before I got there, but thankfully Frauie is very lenient with us and didn't even notice that I came in late, anyway.
I watched Triumph of Love this evening, which I doubleplus enjoyed. Jay Rodan was yummy. [Yes. Yes, I'm a teenage girl. I think just about everyone and his brother is hot. So?]
The movie reminded me of Shakespeare and Dangerous Liaisons and Cinderella. It made me want to have sex, except I have no handsome young son of a king to make sweet love to. And besides, even though my body might want sex, my mind knows that that would not be the best decision to make.
I don't think I'm emotionally ready for sex, and of course there's pregnancies and STDs and other unsavoury stuff that goes along with it. [Masturbation, kids. You're already in a relationship with yourself, you can't get pregnant unless you have sperm and ovaries and a uterus, and you won't get any STDs unless you already have one, in which case it's too late anyway. ;)]
I'm very glad that I live now rather than sometime in the past, because I could very easily be married to a man more than twice my age and the mother of multiple children by now. Erlack.
I've also begun reading Lucky, Alice Sebold's memoir. It's so I can't think of the word so much that I can only read a little of it at a time. It's so good, though.
I don't have to go to school until 11:30 tomorrow, yay! =)
Just got back from studying German chez KT. Feel pretty confident about exam tomorrow. Only need a 71.46% to get an "A" for the semester, after all.
Last night was Patty's birthday party. Went to Buca di Beppo, had some really good ravioli, salad, and garlic bread. Drank two large glasses of Shirley Temple, which probably wasn't the wisest thing but q. delicious. Afterwards, went to P.'s house. Played Pit, Set, and of course the Mafia game. Ate angel food cake, ice cream with caramel and fudge sauce, drank ginger ale mixed with vanilla coke. Before left, watched beginning of The Wedding Planner. Matthew McConaughey so hot.
Good times, good times.
Last night's mid-midterm party was rather enjoyable. A v. interesting cast of characters showed up. Thanks for inviting me, Ru. ;)
Tonight I'm attending Patty Greenfield's sixteenth birthday celebration. Still need to purchase a present for her, hm. Will probably just get gift certificate. Don't know her outside of school.
Boy, should I be embarassed. I just spent a little time on Kate's weblog. It's:
1. A real weblog.
2. Intelligent, human, and witty.
3. Very well written.
4. Lacking in typos and spelling errors.
5. A joy to read.
Except for the first item, it's everything I wish mine was.
But I'm pretty shameless, so no embarassment. Just because I've got 40 years of experience on her doesn't make me more accomplished.
"My cousin Dan's reaction to your web site. He's a writer," says my mum, who never misses an opportunity to brag about me. But anyway, I'm q. flattered. [And I won't point out that he misspelled "embarrassed" and "embarrassment" because I spelled them the same way until a rude awakening in seventh grade.]
Remember when the ACLU club took a field trip downtown to attend a taping of Justice Talking? You can listen to the show here. =)
*listens*
GAH. They have my question! >< I'm such a loser. *hates listening to her own voice* [It's about 38 minutes into it, if you want to hear Almeda!voice, but plz don't. I sound like a dork. I mean, I am a dork. But still. ;)]
[Just realised that this is entry number 777. Wow. And I wouldn't know that if I hadn't switched to MovableType. MT rocks, dude.]
It's Friday! It's one month till my sixteenth birthday! I've got a party tonight and one tomorrow! I've only one more midterm left to take! I get to sleep in on Monday!
Anar síla ancalimavë apa arrna. =)
This morning I took my Latin midterm, which was easy to the peasy. I finished around 8:30 [exams started at 7:40; you're required to stay there until 9:15], then went back and reread my translations just to make sure I hadn't missed anything. There were two or three pages of extra credit. Wish all my exams were like that.
I was really nervous about math because Miriam had told me it was brutal, but in all honesty, it wasn't that bad. In fact, I think I did really well on it.
Ms Farrington [world civ.] posted the grades outside her door; I got an 89! Not the best, but pretty damn good, considering the shitty quality of my essays. And certainly high enough to give me an "A" for the semester, rock on.
1. I do not believe in gods, goddesses, angels, devils, other mythological creatures, souls, sins, karma, past lives, an afterlife, reincarnation, resurrection, heaven, or hell.
2. I respect that people do believe in these things and more.
3. I realise that I cannot change this.
4. I respect people's right to their beliefs.
5. I can respect the person without necessarily agreeing with their beliefs.
6. I do not believe that beliefs are above criticism.
7. I will refrain from debating religion with my friends unless I think we can have a thoughtful and objective discussion where no one will be offended.
Meh. Sometimes I hate myself. I'm in a bitter mood right now.
Mani naa ment, nín mellyn?
I missed the thirtieth anniversary of Roe v Wade yesterday. Well, I did watch this flash movie [from Allison, who probably got it from her], but I didn't realise it was a special occasion.
Save Roe, Million 4 Roe, Naral, Planned Parenthood, rt.org on abortion.
"16 states still have pre-1973 anti-abortion laws on the books even though they are clearly unconstitutional and nullified under Roe vs. Wade."
Unrelated note: This is really cool. There are some v. funny things in there. :D
Took the world civ. midterm this morning. Mult. choice was easy, prolly did poorly on the essays.
Tomorrow's Friday! :D
"With God all things are possible."
Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27
"It was impossible for God to lie."
Hebrews 6:18
"But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Genesis 2:17
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food ... she took of the fruit therof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
Genesis 3:6
"And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died."
Genesis 5:5
Oh, the Bible. Why are you filled with such craxiness?
It's only 5:20PM, and I've nothing to do. Of course, I'm definitely not complaining. Maybe I'll go read one of the many books I received for Winter Solstice but haven't got around to yet. Or I could watch the second half of the FOTR DVD cast commentary. Or surf the Web aimlessly. *strokes invisible beard thoughtfully*
I'm really digging this whole midterm thing. Tomorrow I only have to go in for a couple hours. *cheers*
Waiiiiii, I survived the first day of midterms! I took English this morning, wrote the two essays first as per Mr Lodewick's suggestion, and everything was easy-peasy from there on. When finished, went to the library to study, ate lunch, then took chemistry test. 'twasn't as hard as I was expecting. I'm pretty confident that I got at least a 70.68%, which is all I need for an A for the semester.
Called Mutti 'round 1:25 to pick self up, 'cause wasn't interested in waiting for the bus. Gave Aaron Todd, Allison rides home. Schedules during midterm = fun. Tomorrow = world civ. in the morning. Shouldn't be too difficult. Now that chem and English are over, am q. relieved.
Also, brought Cunt in to show Krysta today. Yesterday:
Krysta: . . . blahblahblahcunt.
Me: Hm?
K: Did you hear what I just said?
M: I think so. But I don't have a problem with the word cunt.
K: Why?
M: Yeah, I have this book. Called Cunt. *tries to explain, but fails miserably most books are books because they are not able to be expressed in a mere sentence: with the exception of J.R.R. Tolkien's magnum opus.*
K: . . . you have a cunt book?
M: Meh, it's not what it sounds like!
So then I brought it in and showed it to her. Other people saw it and were intrigued/disgusted. I didn't realise "cunt" was such a controversial word. Honestly, before I read Cunt, I don't think I'd ever heard anyone say it. Or if I had, I certainly hadn't heard it frequently. But I plan to use it daily now. >D *enjoys reclaiming words*
Meh, finally finished SparkNotes. I think my favourite work of literature that we read was The Crucible because it's just so powerful, although Othello is a close second because I love the language of Shakespeare so much.
Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well,
Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought,
Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinable gum. Set you down this,
And say besides that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by th' throat the circumcised dog
And smote him thus. (V.ii.352365)
I realised this evening that everything we've read so far ended tragically. Every single one. That's rather depressing.
Meh is the word of the week. [I've been using a lot of -h words lately: gah, buh, pah, meh, fweh, etc. Just take the letter "h," put "a," "e," or "u" in front of it, stick an exciting consonant like "g" or "b" at the beginning, and you've created a new and expressive interjection!]
Tomorrow I have English and chemistry midterms, so I think tonight I'll read SparkNotes to review the works [The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, Ethan Frome, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Othello, and A Streetcar Named Desire] we've read so far this year and maybe read over my chemistry notes if I have time. Otherwise, I can use the break between exams tomorrow to go to the library and study.
Today was rather easy because we reviewed in every class. In world civ. we played Jeopardy, and my team tolly 0wnz0red. Although we had a poor start, when it was time for final Jeopardy, we had 2800 points to the other teams' 1400, 1400, 0, and 0. And then we wagered 301 points, just enough to beat the other teams, even if they bet it all. So of course we won, and we get extra credit points on the midterms, squee.
CapnRyan (5:47:17 PM): Gollum: I wonder what Kate would have thought about all this hooha.
almedastar (5:47:24 PM): Oh, Gollum.
almedastar (5:47:41 PM): I am like a mythical figure.
almedastar (5:47:44 PM): What would Kate have thought?
CapnRyan (5:48:12 PM): WWKHT?
almedastar (5:48:22 PM): Exactly. :D
SkiDiva2001 (7:27:35 PM): This is user Brisco's signature:
SkiDiva2001 (7:27:41 PM): "What would Kate Cheney do? Contact feedback@cinescape.com and voice your opinion."
SkiDiva2001 (7:27:51 PM): You're like Jesus!
SkiDiva2001 (7:27:53 PM): WWKCD?
"I've been a part of Fandom/Cinescape since the beginning (ran the Godzilla board & wrote for the magazine) and I met Kate in 1999, nice girl. Take a chapter from her book ok?"
Ehehehehe. Kate*: better than Jesus**, in a you're-going-straight-to-Hell-you-sinner sort of way.
* Image courtesy of Mervy the Pervy.
** Jesus had some good ideas. But he's dead. And if he were alive, he probably wouldn't mind. Because Jesus loves me!
Almeda and KT, brave adventurers and humanitarians extraordinaire, journeyed into the deepest, darkest reaches of Philadelphia today to help their less fortunate brethren [and sistren.]
I woke up this morning at approximately 6:45, after sleeping through my alarm. Thankfully I got up when I did because when KT & mater Katieae arrived, I hadn't finished eating my oatmeal. However, they were early, so I suppose it wouldn't have mattered anyway. We arrived at the Glenside train station around 7:40 and went inside to purchase tickets.
However, the ticket guy ["Gus"] wasn't in his little booth, so we just stood there looking stupid. Then a slightly attractive young man whom KT decided reminded her of Elijah Wood [though I must say I didn't note the resemblance] came up and also wished to buy tickets. But Gus was letting us all down.
"How much do the tickets cost?" asked The Boy Who Was Not Elijah Wood. KT & I shrugged, having no idea. A helpful womyn said it was around five dollars. Then The Boy Who Was Not Elijah Wood said he was heading toward Tennessee [that's why KT liked him, I'm sure; she has a weakness for country music] and was running low on funds, which tugged at the heartstring of KT and I, both extremely sympathetic people, especially towards attractive young men. Then the helpful womyn suggested that we needed to call Gus. KT, TBWWNEW, and I exchanged looks. Were we just supposed to yell, "HEY, GUS! WE WANT SOME TICKETS!"? If so, that's not the plan of action we took. TBWWNEW knocked feebly on the counter. It didn't work.
"I think his name is Gus," said KT, which she later regretted, pointing to a sign taped up next to the ticket window. But then, a train pulled into the station, and KT and I bolted, leaving TBWWNEW to deal with the problem of buying a ticket on his own.
We boarded the train [after I cautiously asked the conductor if the train went to 30th Street Station], and off we went. The train was crowded, so I had to sit next to a complete stranger for the first half of the ride, but then just about everyone got off at Market East, so I moved next to KT, and we had practically the entire train to ourselves. We talked about TBWWNEW for a while [KT at this point being entirely enamoured of him], and then I started talking about electrons because I'm just crazy like that.
While I was explaining to KT how electrons are really similar to passengers on a train, I suddenly realised that the train had stopped, and outside the train window was a column that said 30th Street Station. I jumped up and exited the train quickly with KT in tow. We safely made it off the train, but KT was slightly shaken up.
"And that is why trains make me nervous," she said to me.
"Pish," I replied. "If we had missed this stop, we could have just gotten off at the next stop."
"And walked back here?"
"And took a train back here."
We then walked to Au Bon Pain, with me explaining to KT the link between the very building we were in and Viggo Mortensen. At this point it was only about 8:30, and I had told Laura that our train would be getting there at 8:34. [Yeah. Did I mention we got on a train that came like fifteen minutes before the train we had planned to take did?] So I purchased croissants for us [raspberry cheese croissant = god], and we sat and ate them.
After we finished [well, after I finished— KT took a little longer as her croissant was a little bigger], we got up and went out to where we were supposed to meet Jane and Laura. They weren't there, so we circled the train station a few times, feeling slightly like whores. Well, only KT. I just felt cold and a little nervous that I would get kidnapped and/or raped because we were constantly looking around for Laura's car, which might have given a passing rapist the idea that we were lost and completely out of our element. But never fear! We were not raped.
After calling their apartment to see if they had already left, we found Laura's car with her in it. Jane had gone in to look for us. We waited for a while; Laura honked her horn repeatedly. Eventually I went in and found Jane and at last we were on our way.
Finding the place where we were supposed to be was slightly difficult, but because Jane and Laura were so nice and bought us lunch and everything, I won't say anything potentially incriminating or embarrassing here. Let's just say that eventually we got there, and that's what counts. ;)
KT, Jane, and I washed plastic tables and chairs, while Laura painted, and then we all painted. It wasn't too difficult, and we were done really quickly. And of course, we got our lovely oversized t-shirts: make it a day ON, not a day off.
Then we went out for lunch to a local diner [but not so local that it was still in the actual slums], which was nice. For dessert KT and I shared a chocolate creme pie, and we had some fun with straws. Laura gave me a quarter for sucking up the chocolate creme with a straw [See how pathetic I am? I'll do anything for money. Except of course selling my body.], and Jane and Laura had a chocolate creme straw-sucking contest, which was highly entertaining.
Finally KT and I took the train back to Glenside, then trekked to her house in the face of icy, blustery winds. And now we're here, and I'm typing this, and next we're going to study mathematics for the midterms. Huzzah!
My lifelong dream of becoming an action figure has been fulfilled. :D Thx, Elly. *gives international fame and/or recognition*
I have the house to myself today; Dad's watching the football game at a friend's house.
It's quite nice being alone. I spent most of the morning [well, the afternoon really I didn't wake up till after 12] in bed reading Watch Your Mouth, which is possibly one of the weirdest books I've ever read [but so good!].
Last night Ryan, KT [happy now, sweetums?], and I went to the mall, which was all right. I've never been a big fan of das Einkaufzentrum, but we reminisced about children's books and made fun of silly books for teenagers at the bookstore, played with toys and made fun of pregnant!Midge at the toystore, and ate ice cream. Well, I ate ice cream [Ben & Jerry's cherry garcia]. KT had Chinese food, and Ryan didn't eat. Ryan did go up to a girl whose cellphone seemed permanently attached to her ear and asked her if she was really talking on it ["Yes, why?" "Just curious. Thanks. Bye."], to the great embarrassment [and amusement] of KT and self.
Afterwards we hung out on Ryan's house, which was more enjoyable for me than the mall. We talked a lot, which is something I like to do. I'm becoming better friends with Ryan & KT & all, and I really appreciate it. With my social anxiety tendencies, I am bad at calling people up and asking them to do something, but R&KT have been inviting me to do something every weekend. So thanks, guys. :D Without you, I'd be sitting home on my arse in front of this bloody machine 24/7.
Mutti, Colin, and Nora left for Connecticut this morning. They're visiting Gram Apple for the weekend. It would have been nice to go with them, but I'm volunteering for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service this Monday.
Last night I went to Ryan's. We [Marley, Marisa, KT, I, Ryan] watched MST3K and played Mad Libs. =)
I should be studying for midterms.
Mmm. Thin mints are so addictive. I am gorging myself. NO. SELF. CONTROL.
Today was goodbad, as I mentioned to Elly earlier. The especially good part was when I got my chemistry quiz back. Fifty out of fifty, baby. Fucking top! And I felt an extra swell of pride when I did better than my lab partner, who is a chemistry star and always does just a tiny bit better than me on tests.
But then in le mathematics class we got our quizzes from yesterday back. *sadface* 28/40. That made me quite unhappy until he handed back all our old tests and quizzes so we can study for the midterm. They were all: 54/50, 25/25, 100/100, 98/100, 98/100, 39/40, 97/100, 93/100. So I was like, oh, right, I'm smart. And thankfully it only brought my grade down to a 96.
Current standings:
1) ENG II H-0120-1 95.32
2) WCIV II H-0220-2 95.70
3) ALG II H-0330-7 96.23
4) CHEM H-0410-5 94.63
5) PE 10TH-0514-16 100.00
6) GER III H-0640-8 90.87
7) LATIN I ACC-0655-3 101.01
8) ART I TAL-0710-4 96.21
9) ACAD ACC MATH H-0800-3 100.00
10) ACAD ACC ENG H-0810-3 100.00
And because I'm a loser, I've worked out the lowest grades I can get on the midterms and still get an A for the semester.
English: 70.56%
World civ.: 67.35%
Math: 63.06%
Chem: 70.68%
German: 71.46%
Latin: 44.60%
That shouldn't be too hard to manage. ;)
I went to the computer lab after school today and talked with Mike about websites and HTML for a little under an hour. That was fun; he's really great.
Tonight I'm going to Ryan's to watch a movie, I think. Katie was rather vague.
Also, remember my previous posts about coincidences? I have two more for you, and strangely they both involve A.Word.A.Day [eureka! another coincidence! ;)].
Emily commented on my blog today, so I was visiting her site, which is called The Torment of Tantalus [Emily is cool: she uses MovableType, and she reads my blog, even though she has no personal stake in my life. It makes me feel happy when I know it's not just my family and friends reading my blog to spy on me, but actually real people who don't even know me. *happy*]. She explains the title of her site here: "Tantalus was a Greek king who was sentenced in Hades to stand in a pool of water which would recede every time he leaned down to take a drink. A rather morbid name for a blog, eh? Especially after switching from "Happy to be so". But have no fear, I remain forever the optimist and geek that you know. I actually took the title from an episode of Stargate SG-1 of the same name."
Then I was checking my mail, and today's word of the day is tantalize! "After Tantalus in Greek mythology. Tantalus, a king of Lydia, was condemned to stand in Hades chin deep in water and under fruits that receded whenever he tried to drink water or eat the fruit."
And on Tuesday the word was gerrymandering, and then for academic access English we had to do all these analogies, and one of the words was gerrymandering. So I was like, ooh, ooh, I know this word. :D
Oh, life. You make everything so much fun for me. =)
Nothing of interest happened today, except I did really poorly on a math quiz and not much better on a German quiz. I hate school.
I tutored after school, and that was enjoyable. The first kid I helped seemed really tired, but after he'd finished his homework, I went over and sat with Katie and two other little kids. That was fun because the little kids were really great. They laughed at my jokes. xD
Do you remember my Harry Potter message board? [Some of you will remember it because you were there. ;P] I left it in the care of my trusted friends, and today the Cinescape guy de-adminned them and put a user who had previously been banned for inappropriate behaviour in their stead. So that has everyone up in arms, and I spent a lot of this evening reconnecting with old friends. Chatting with them was nice, but the whole coup d'état was less than agreeable.
Ah, well, it's only a message board, and it's been ages and ages since I visited it daily. But my friends are upset, and I have such fond memories of it, so it's too bad to see it completely ruined. My poor baby.
Just watched Witness with Mutti. Although I swear we own it, we borrowed it from the library after realising that a certain LOTR actor is in it. Especially cool movie for three things: the Amish speak German, the murder scene takes place in 30th Street Station, and VIGGO MORTENSEN.
He plays Moses Hochleitner, a young Amish farmer who was only in four scenes [not that anyone was counting, eh?] and had even fewer lines. But who needs him to speak, anyway? I'll settle for the eye candy. Mmmmm, young!Viggo Mortensen.
I've taken to pronouncing his name "Weego" in my head, which is entirely the fault of Latin class. The "V"s = "W"s thing has been ingrained in my mind.
Also: young!Harrison Ford has a nice arse.
Attended the Gay-Straight Alliance after school today. Q. enjoyable. I filled out a little member form [I hadn't been able to go to the first meeting because of some other obligation], and we talked about the Day of Silence, Gay Pride month, and other stuff that's being organised. Yay. :D
Also, here is what is exasperating to no end: "Ew, you're so gay." I hate when people use gay as if it's an insult. And people do use it as an insult. In my honors English class people say "you're so gay" and "that's so gay." I am going to start calling people on it, but it's difficult. If you say it offends you, then people are apt to get all, "Oh, what, are you gay?" And I'm not, but what if I was? BEING GAY IS NOT BAD. STOP BEING IGNORANT, Y0, KTHX.
I got out of math seventh period today to take the National German Exam [remember last year I got a nice little medal for doing well on it?], which probably wasn't the best thing because I have a test tomorrow [and one in chemistry and one in German], but it's not as if I had any say in the matter. Well, I could have chosen to take some second-rate language like Spanish or French instead of German four years ago, but it's a little late for that now.
This is a good week for mail. ^_^ Today I received my WEE SCARVIE. It is very cute and very wee!
I have a new hostee! Heather has arrived at hush.her-own-eyes.org with a gorgey fireworks layout! :D Perhaps you might remember her from such notable blog mentions as hosting my Snape shrine, being the forty-second person to sign my guestbook, and really freaking me out. She is one of my favourite Brits [up there with Elly, who, despite her binge drinking, is a genius and got into Cambridge]. <3
Speaking of <3, I heart my guy friends, despite their deformed Y chromosones. They are all such sweeties.
Dear Kate,
I've been thinking, I really want to design a webpage, but I don't know the first thing about designing them. I don't even know which program to go under to start with. So, I was just wondering, maybe sometime after school in the computer lab could you possibly help me to accomplish this? Any day you're free, if you were to come to the computer lab with me and help me. Gosh, it's so hard trying to make this sound like I'm not asking you out or anything like that, but I'm not. So, yeah, if you're free any Fridays do you think you could help me? Any other day I'm in the workshop of stagecrew building the scenery
for the musical they're doing.
~Mike
And last, but certainly not least, in today's news bulletin is the announcement of a publish date for HARRY POTTER BOOK FIVE. IT'S ABOUT FUCKING TIME, MS ROWLING. Okay, okay, I understand that she has a husband and a child and a life, but still. No excuses.
A very merry sixteenth birthday to Maddy! You might remember her from such notable blog mentions as hosting Quiddity at glorp.zosteria.net, wearing a duct tape dress to a formal event, and cameoing in my dreams.
Whee, I do so love getting mail. Yesterday I got a postcard from Miriam from Miami Beach, which I put up on the wall behind my computer [I've hung all my Winter solstice cards and postcards up there; it's amazing and oh-so international I've got Scotland, Puerto Rico, England, the North Pole, California, Assateague, Florida, Sicily, and South Africa representin'.], and today I received an invitation to Patty's sixteenth birthday party [it's so cool: she sent a CD with the party 'fo printed on it, and it actually plays! Good songs, too. xD] and my Lunapads!
Ooh, they are so cute and so soft fleece! :D It almost makes me look forward to my next period. Almost. And of course we all know, as my dear old eighth grade math teacher Mr Suloff used to say, almost only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and atomic bombs.
And remember when I explained the benefits of Lunapads? Well, with my pads came a little flyer that answers the question "What's so great about alternative menstrual products?" Hee. I love that they call them "alternative menstrual products." Oh, yes, I listen to alternative music, live an alternative lifestyle, and use alternative menstrual products!*
Healthier: Most disposable pads and tampons are made with rayon fiber that has been treated with hazardous chemicals and bleaches, which can cause potentitally serious health problems for women.
Cleaner: Every year billions of pads, tampons and applicators wind up in landfills and on beaches. Lunapads are completely washable and last for years, helping to reduce this immense solid waste problem.
More Economical: The average women spends over $100 each year on menstrual products. Washing your own Lunapads will save you hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars.
Comfort and Convenience: Lunapads are far softer and more breathable than disposable pads. Plus they come in mini, regular maxi and long pad styles, giving you different protection for different times in your cycle.
Attitude: Much of today's marketing for feminine hygiene products treats menstruation like it's some sort of embarrassing disease. Lunapads are about respect for and celebration of women's health and natural processes.
Tomorrow is the GSA meeting, and don't worry, I convinced Stasia O. to go with me. So I won't be alone and friendless. xD
* Dramatization. Almeda regrets to say that she does not live an alternative life style, and in fact, her music is not even that alternative, although she does know enough to fake being an indie rock expert.
Today the ACLU club met. We discussed ideas for commercials for the morning announcements and h8z0red at Bush. Mr Kummer says we will be at war within eight weeks. I say BAH.
Do you know what one of the worst feelings in the world is? Well, I'm sure you have an idea of what your worst feeling is, but for me, it's helplessness. I think my boggart [talking of HP, HI-LARIOUS link courtesy Eva] would somehow be the embodiment of helplessness [that or failure, but I'll save that rant for another day]. I hate not being able to stop the war on Iraq. I hate how people die everyday from diseases that can be treated and how I can't stop that. I hate how, on a more personal scale, people around me are sad or angry or depressed and how I can't help them.
Whenever I have nightmares, I usually am unable to run. Or as much as I try, I can only run v. v. slowly, and my body is as lead. Helplessness is a beyotch.
After school I went to KT's, and we did math. I really went for her benefit, but it's def. good I did because I realized I'd forgotten everything from chapter one. So we're going to review next week as well.
Talking of math, Ryan has asked me to start tutoring him to help him catch up. And I'll get service hours for it, which is really cool. Although I'm a bit nervous. Tutoring a kid at the junior high is easy; last week I just sat and read over her shoulder [well, actually I was reading it upside down from across the table, which made for added difficulty] while she did vocabulary stuff, corrected her when she was wrong, and quizzed her by reading definitions out loud and having her guess the word. However, tutoring someone my own age will be très different.
Only not in the sexy kind of way. Tutoring is way romanticized, has anyone else noticed that? Like, ooh, spending time alone together. Although it works best if it's a language. Math is completely unsexy. Le point is le moot, anyhow, because I am not le sexually attracted to le Ryan. L'apologies, R. [Hee. I'm so insane et pretentious. I wish I spoke French.]
Midterms suck. On the bright side, I can leave early on the second day and go in late on the last day, but on the non-bright side, I have no car. Cannot wait till I can drive, baby.
Tomorrow my mater has jury duty.
Wednesday is the meeting for our school's Gay-Straight Alliance. The e-mail I received says to bring your friends, so if any of y'all can go, I would really appreciate it. Related links: Day of Silence Project, Human Rights Campaign.
Next Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.
Bad things about winter
~ the cold
~ static electricity
~ wearing sweaters all the time
~ fewer hours of daylight
~ Seasonal Affective Disorder
Good things about winter
~ snow
~ school cancellations, delays
~ sledding
~ hot cocoa, oatmeal, soup, other warm foods
~ feeling cozy
~ temperatures not being uncomfortably, irritatingly high
<Colin3x8
Last night I went to Katie's house, and we [Hannah, Marisa, Katie, and I] watched The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, which wasn't about priests molesting little boys, despite what the title might suggest.
For the majority of the movie we were MiSTing it gleefully [although in truth it wasn't that bad xP], but then at the end [spoiler alert] the cougar ripped that poor boy's throat out, and we were just like . . . meep. It was craxy stuff. Also, MIMI! In practically every room of the school there was your favourite picture of Jesus! It made me giggle. >D
And then Pretty Woman was on TV, so we watched some of that. Hee. Cute movie. I need to watch the whole thing again sometime.
Today I mucked about with Movable Type and watched To Have and Have Not ["You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? Just put your lips together and blow."] with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. It wasn't bad, but the sound quality was really poor. Lauren Bacall's voice was all weird and vibrating, especially when she sang.
Well, at long last I've pried myself away from Blogger to Movable Type, a much snazzier "personal publishing system."
Of course, you probably won't be able to tell the difference because the switch was so seamless [<3 x 8 to philringnalda.com for help moving comments], but trust me, it's much prettier on this side. Oh, and yes, it says Januar. MT has this cool feature where you can have the date in other languages. Since German is basically English, only weert, Januar = January.
Thx to Movable Type for being God, Girlie for being on the support forum in my time of need, Dru for offering to install it herself for me, and Colin for his all-around superness.
Death Stalks a Continent
AIDS in Africa
Those were the two sites we visited yesterday in world civ. It's really v. sad. I fear for the future of the world. =(
Hee. Our school computers were being dumb, and the second link wasn't loading properly, so our teacher told us to type it into google and click on it from there. That worked for me, but the girl sitting next to me [who will remain nameless to protect the innocent] was still having problems. I told her to type the URL into google and went back to minding my own business. A few minutes later I look over at her computer screen and see that she's at google and had typed in "euro" in the search box. I realise [after a few seconds] that she misheard me and say clearly "type in the YOU-ARE-ELL." She writes in "uro," and I realise she is completely computer-illiterate, even though in seventh grade we definitely took a computer class and learned that URL = uniform resource locator. Finally I point to the URL on the paper and say "type this in to the box." She does and makes it to the site at last.
Btw, the point of this story is not OHOHOHO, I'M SO MUCH SMARTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE, LAUGH AT THE SILLY PERSON WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHAT URL IS. It is more OHOHOHO, KATE IS SUCH AN IDIOT, SHE ASSUMES EVERYONE SPENDS ALL THEIR FREE TIME WASTING AWAY IN FRONT OF A MACHINE LIKE SHE DOES.
This morning I went to Krysta's house, and we videotaped our project for German. I was Paulinchen, the little German girl who sets herself on fire while her parents are out. My group [Krysta, Becky, Megan] made me wear Krysta's little sister's "Southern Belle" Halloween costume, which was too short, didn't close properly in the back [I had to wear a shawl over it], and didn't acommodate my boobs v. well; painted red circles on my cheeks and put blue face paint above my eyes; and put my hair in pigtails. They said I looked "cute," but really it was horribly embarrassing, and we're going to have to watch it in German on Monday, and I'm going to cry.
But don't worry, Becky had to wear a Tigger suit and Megan was wearing a Charmander costume with a bunny hat. :D It really was v. amusing. And even if I will be embarrassed, it's not a big deal because I don't care about the opinion of anyone in my German class except my teacher, and she will <3 it; KT, and she is too nice to make fun of me; and my group, who has already seen it.
Oh, and la belle dame Beki has a n00 layout, which is blue and loffly.
I watched Zeffirelli's La Boheme this afternoon. The music was beautiful, of course, but I had a hard time believing the stout opera singers were my favourite starving Bohemians. This exhausted me so much that I had to take a three-hour nap. And now I'm going to my aunt's birthday celebration. Toodlepip!
Towards the end of second period this morning I started to get bad cramps in a major way [they haven't been this bad since then]. I snuck off to the bathroom to take some ibuprofen that I'd smuggled in, but it did no good. The cramps got worse instead of better, so in the middle of third period I asked to go to the nurse. It was academic access English and we were talking about colleges, which I didn't want to miss, but I was so uncomfortable that I couldn't really concentrate on what Mr Beagle was saying anyway.
So I barely made it to the health suite [I felt really dizzy, and I kept worrying I would faint in the middle of the hallway and be trampled on when the bell rang], and the nurse had me lie down. Lying down didn't help much, but it was an improvement over sitting in class. I guess I must have dozed off, and when I woke up again, my cramps were gone. The nurse came in and said my mum was coming to pick me up. I didn't really think I was so sick that I needed to be sent home, but hey, I wasn't going to argue with the trained professional. Plus, I think I scared her because I overheard her talking to my dad on the phone, and she was like, "Katherine doesn't feel well at all; she came in feeling light-headed and was as white as a sheet." And she went to my locker for me and made sure Mutti parked as close as possible to the school.
And now my cramps are gone, and I'm loafing about on the Internet. :D A happy ending for all.
Remember how I always say the world would be so much better if I were in charge?
Well, now I have my own nationstate!
The Queendom of Almeda
"Semel insanivimus omnes."
UN Category: Left-Leaning College State
Civil Rights: Superb Economy: Good Political Freedoms: Excellent
Location: Turpitudia
The Queendom of Almeda is a tiny, socially progressive nation, remarkable for its absence of drug laws. Its compassionate, intelligent population of 6 million enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.
The large, liberal government juggles the competing demands of Social Welfare, Education, and Healthcare. The average income tax rate is 24%. A substantial private sector is dominated by the Book Publishing industry.
The latest Harry Potter book is a bestseller. Crime is relatively low. Almeda's national animal is the cow and its currency is the Boe.
You know, I think 2003 promises to be a good year. Keep up with the praise, y'all, it makes my heart happy. :D
"your daughter is amazing! My god! She is so wise! Quick, tell me some stories about how infantile she acts around the house before I shrivel in shame." [sent to my mother in response to the forwarding of my advice on protecting yr children from inappropriate material on l'Internet]
"My dear, how did you get so wise? You are marvelous." [sent to me in response to blah blah blah advice blah inappropriate blah blah Internet]
For those of you old school Almedablog fans, remember last spring when I took a drawing class at Tyler? Well, my art teacher gave me another half scholarship [full tuition is $220, so $110 plus $40 registration fee] this year, so if I can trix0r one [or more] of my aunts into providing the beans, bucks, cabbage, capital, cash, coinage, dineros, dough, ducats, finances, funds, green stuff, legal tender, loot, moolah, pesos, and/or wampum, then I shall most likely attend, despite the fact that I distinctly recall whinging every week last year about having to get up early on a Saturday. Only this year I'll take it at Moore and maybe I'll take afternoon classes.
Had my mater sign the permission slip so next fall I'll have my own real, live GERMAN EXCHANGE STUDENT for three weeks. And then the following summer, before senior year, I guess, I'll get to go to Germany. =)
Also: guys, shirtlessness is the way to go.
If you bought a CD, cassette, or vinyl at a retail store between 1995 and 2000, you have the opportunity to receive from $5 to $20. File a claim, y0.
Also, war is peace.
"Have I discussed with you my new vegetarian status? I have decided to stop eating dead animals. I've always toyed with the idea of going vegetarian, but I was too lazy to actually make the sacrifice. But now I am serious about it. In fact, we stopped at McDonald's the other day and all I got was a salad [though it had meat [?!] in it, so I gave it to Colin...] and fries. And my mother served jambalaya a few nights ago and I only ate the rice for the chicken is a noble and intelligent bird, and I did not wish to consume its flesh. I AM A VEGETARIAN OF POWER. I CRUSADE FOR THE LIVES OF OUR FELLOW ANIMALS. MUAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA."
~ Almeda, 01-08-02
Yes, 'twas one year ago to the day that I announced my vegetarianism. =) I'm awfully proud of myself for having made it this far, and I think I've progressed as well, actually. I mean, come on, a salad that I didn't even eat and McDonald's fries soaked in beef flavouring? Lame.
"I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals."
~ Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
International Vegetarian Union: all kinds of good stuff here. Jeg elsker dyr, så jeg spiser dem ikke.
"Nothing more strongly arouses our disgust than cannibalism, yet we make the same impression on Buddhists and vegetarians, for we feed on babies, though not our own."
~ Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
"There are only animal, but no vegetarian sources of Vitamin B12, this is why herbivores such as rabbits meet their Vitamin B12 requirements by eating plants that are infested with insects, or by eating their own feces, while in ruminants (sheep, cows), the microbes fermenting and digesting plant material in the rumen (the first stomach), incorporate cobalt into Vit B12, which is subsequently absorbed and utilized," warns Nutritional pros and cons of Meat-based and Vegetarian Diets. Don't worry, though. I eat vitamins. In our cupboard there's a bottle of B vitamins which provide you with 833% daily value of B12 per tablet. The craziest one, though, is Thiamin: 3333% daily value, followed by Riboflavin at 2841%.
"I do not regard flesh-food as necessary for us at any stage and under any clime in which it is possible for human beings ordinarily to live. I hold flesh-food to be unsuited to our species. We err in copying the lower animal world - if we are superior to it."
~ Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948)
Famous vegetarians include: Alice Walker, Buddha, Chelsea Clinton, Dan Castellaneta, Elvis Costello, Fiona Apple [vegan], Guy Pearce, H.G. Wells, India.Arie, John Astin, Kim Basinger, Louisa May Alcott, Mary Tyler Moore, Natalie Merchant, Plutarch, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sir Isaac Newton, Tobey Maguire, Upton Sinclair, Vincent Van Gogh, and Weird Al Yankovic [vegan]. My personal favourite is Ian McKellen. :D
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."
~ Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
In a Vegetarian Kitchen: recipes galore. :D
"Animals are my friends... and I don't eat my friends."
~ George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
The Veg Blog: "commentary on cookbooks, restauarant recommendations, recipes, links, and news items mixed in with a dash of sarcasm."
"Now I can look at you in peace; I don't eat you any more."
~ Franz Kafka (1883-1924)
Disclaimer: This is not meant to be preachy; this is a celebration of a personal choice. Vegetarianism feels right for me, but it may not for you. That's okay I can dig that.
AHHHHHH!!!!!!1111111one Lifesize cardboard cutout hobbitses!!!!11111111one
My birthday's just around the corner, hinthint, nudgenudge, winkwink. There's also an alleged Aragorn one, with "picture coming soon." Squee!
Today in Latin, before class began I was looking at a book belonging to Whit [William Lance Edward Whitney, the young man who sits in front of me] entitled How to Insult, Abuse & Insinuate in Classical Latin. Mr Kummer passed by my desk, spotted me browsing it and asked if I wanted a copy. I naturally said I would, so he rummaged through his cabinets, found a copy of the book, and gave it to me, shaking my hand and saying it was my prize for being such a super student. V. v. kind of him.
It's one crazy book. Some of the quotes are misogynistic [*], and some are just plain weird[**], but all of them are delightful[***].
*Bona uxor suave ductust, si sit usquam gentium ubi ea possit inveniri: To take a good woman as your wife is a marvellous thing or at least it would be if there was anywhere on earth you could find one. Plautus, Miles Gloriosus.
** De cathedra quotiens surgis iam saepe notavi pedicant miserae, Lesbia, te tunicae quas cum conata es dextra, conata sinistra vellere, cum lacrimis eximis et gemitu: sic constringuntur gemina symplegade culi, ut nimias intrant cyaneasque natis: Whenever you get up from your chair I've spotted this several times already your unfortunate robe sodomises you, Lesbia. You try your hand at yanking it out, first with the right, then with the left, but withdrawal can only be won with tears and screams. The twin peaks of your posterior exert this vice-like grip on whatever enters the superabundance of your granite buttocks. Martial, Epigrams X1.99
*** Gratuito potius malus atque crudelis erat: He was gratuitously nasty, mean and cruel, whenever possible. Sallust, Bellum Catilinae.
My body began to reboot its Ovarian Operating System today, so to honour it I ordered some Lunapads, even though I won't get them for two weeks.
"What are Lunapads?" you cry, O curious reader thirsting for knowledge. Well, Lunapads are special pads made of cotton that can be washed and reused! Advantages of this include: better for the environment [creates less waste than using disposable pads], better for my wallet [well, my parents' wallet, actually, but the point is that it's cheaper], and the money I do spend goes to support Real Women. :D
"One month I had pretty bad pains and took some ibuprofen. The following month, the pain was even worse. Then I did an experiment. Some months I took pain relievers and some months, I didn't. Every time, the month after I took the pain relievers, I'd have, as Holiday Golightly would say, the Mean Reds.
"Though the medication brought immediate relief, the following period was excruciating. Taking menstrual-pain drugs became a vicious cycle. I never realized it before, and it was so obvious once I saw it, but I needed more and more ibuprofen to keep the pain at bay each month." ~Inga Muscio, Cunt
I've noticed this happening with me. Each month I need more ibuprofen to get through the day. I really would like to be able to break the cycle and not take any pain relievers ever again, but I haven't yet figured out how one would go about doing this. My cramps are excruciatingly painful. When I'm cramping, I cannot focus on anything else. This is especially problematic during school, when one needs to concentrate on what one is learning. So if I don't take ibuprofen, how do I make the pain go away?
Tell ten people.
And tell them to tell ten people.
We'll change the world.
"We believe that as people living
in the United States it is our
responsibility to resist the injustices
done by our government,
in our names
"Not in our name
will you wage endless war
there can be no more deaths
no more transfusions
of blood for oil
"Not in our name
will you invade countries
bomb civilians, kill more children
letting history take its course
over the graves of the nameless
"Not in our name
will you erode the very freedoms
you have claimed to fight for . . ."
~ Not In Our Name
Common Dreams: "Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community"
"An attack on Iraq will have nothing to do with stopping terrorism. It will have nothing to do with the liberation of the Iraqi people. And it will be only marginally concerned with weapons of mass destruction. Instead, this will be a war to extend and deepen U.S. control over the energy-rich Middle East, the single most important source of strategic power in an industrial world that runs on oil."
~ Attack Iraq? No!
End The War - "The National Network to End the War Against Iraq is a nation-wide coalition of over 140 peace and justice, student and faith-based organizations united to work for a common cause: ending the illegal, unjust, and inhumane war being waged against the people of Iraq by member states of the United Nations, led by the United States."
"War with Iraq won't make us safer. A unilateral attack by the United States will inflame anti-U.S. sentiment and may stimulate more attacks by extremists." ~10 Reasons to Oppose the War with Iraq
"At the end of our march, the protest leader told us to keep making a difference. He told us to write letters and heighten awareness. He told us to educate our peers and friends. He told us to tell ten people. And tell them to tell ten people. We'll change the world." ~Mario
Tell ten people.
Here's something that I enjoy: praise.
In art today we began adding colour to our self-portraits with oil pastel. I was doing it very liberally and was a bit nervous about it, but Ms C held mine up and was like, "This is what you should be doing," so I was like squee! :D *self-esteem balloon inflates*
And not only do I 0wnz0r oil pastels, I am also le goddess of MS Paint: Elly and Dom action figures. :D Prolly only amusing if you're me or Elly, but the proles may admire my artistic skillz. ;P
One year ago today I saw FoTR for the second time.
Forty-nine days until my sixteenth birthday.
Also, merry day of Epiphany, if you celebrate that sort of thing. I bet Mimi does, devout Catholic that she is. Talking of Mimi, NEW LAYOUT.
ABBEY IS COOL.
It snowed, it snowed, it snowed! O lovely, precious snow, how I adore thee.
Neil has some really pretty pictures up. *jealous of the sexiness that is Neil's digital camera*
I downloaded & listened to a debate about the legalization of prostitution this evening. It was v. interesting. I'm not sure where I stand on this issue, though I think I tend to lean towards legalization.
Tell me, is this man not absolutely loffly? Le sigh. Dominic Monaghan on my desktop and la vie est bonne.
Colin has a pretty new layout. <3 So does Neil.
And she tolly can read my mind, I swear.
This is cool [thx to Beki for the link], except I hate the word vagina. It comes from the Latin word for scabbard or sheath. As the cuntlovin' Inga Muscio said, "Ain't got no vagina."
I didn't blog, or even go on the computer, yesterday, though it's not as if I had anything better to do.
Woke up around eleven, ate breakfast, read a bit of Lost, watched the beginning of Laurence Olivier's King Lear with mother, grew bored, went back to reading Lost, ate dinner, watched Dangerous Liaisons, finished reading Lost, went to bed.
I really enjoyed Dangerous Liaisons: much better than Cruel Intentions. John Malkovich was hot. And I decided when I'm rich, I'm going to wear 18th century dresses all the time. Except that would be rather pretentious and eccentric, so maybe just on special occasions. And yeah, they're no doubt extremely uncomfortable, but they're so cool!
Lost was excellent as well. I really love Gregory Maguire, although I think he's gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Winnie assumed the concept was beyond her, and maybe, really, the expectation of personal happiness was one of the especial sadnesses that democracy had ushered in.
We got freezing rain this morning, but school was not cancelled. However, I don't mind because I'm happyhappyhappy!
My academic access English class got our PSAT scores back third period, at long last. I did v. well, if I do say so myself, which is a great relief because I was so very nervous. First I read that book about how boys outdo girls on standardized tests in high school and then everyone was talking about how we did really poorly as a class this year, how we got the worst scores "in twenty years."
Verbal: 73
Math: 70
Writing Skills: 80
I scored higher than 99% of sophomores in verbal and writing skills and 98% of sophomores in math. I also had 99 percentile in comparison to "college-bound juniors." My selection index was 223, and the guidance counselor said you had to have higher than 200 to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship competition thingy. Of course, only juniors are eligible for that, so I'll have to wait till next year.
:DDDDDDDDDD
Mr Beagle was like, "Who do y'all think had the highest score?" and everyone pointed to me, and he asked me what my score was, so I said "14," 'cause my brain had temporarily shut down. And he said "Fourteen hundred?" And I said "Thirty."
'cause if you add a zero to the verbal and math scores and put them together, you get your score on the SAT scale. So 1430. And that was, indeed, the highest score in the class, and Mr. Beagle was q. impressed, and I'm so very HAPPY. xD
Well, the weather gods screwed me over again. Thanks for nothing, guys! But tonight we're supposed to get "a bit of snow, sleet and rain in the evening followed by a mix of snow, sleet and rain late." Tomorrow will be "cool; snow and sleet in the morning followed by afternoon rain." So I've still got hope.
Today actually wasn't that bad. The initial getting out of bed part was intensely excruciatingly difficult, but once I made it past that, the rest of the day went by quite smoothly. And tomorrow's Friday!!!!!!!111111111one
Life is so lovely.
I finished reading Failing At Fairness today. It was very interesting, which is such a bland thing to say, but it's tolly true. Maybe fascinating is a better word. Anyway, I'm definitely digging the non-fiction trend. I really should read more non-fiction. Knowledge/information = amazing stuff, which is so very Ravenclaw, but again tolly true. So yes, y'all should go out and read Cunt, Reviving Ophelia, and this. It makes me simultaneously sad and really angry, in a feminazi sort of way. I almost want my teachers to be sexist now, so I can call them on it. Also, we're getting our PSAT scores back on Friday, and apparently as a class we did really poorly. Internalize success and externalize failure is my new motto, though. If I do well, it's because I'm a genius. If I do poorly, it's because the test is geared towards boys and my school is cheating me. Doesn't that work out nicely?
This is really cool. I'm tempted to start doodling swastikas everywhere. I know she does. It's funny how a symbol can have so much meaning and how its meanings can be so very different. For example, the swastika is 100% connected with Hitler and Nazis in my mind, but "in ancient days, the swastika was viewed as four penises penetrating a vagina, the vagina of the goddess who constantly gives birth to the universe--thus making the swastika a symbol for tremendous creativity. Shiva's penis also expresses this creative, divine energy at the source of life." Crazy-go-nuts.
Talking of everyone's favourite fascist German dictator of the mid-twentieth century, his art is not half bad. The ones of buildings are especially nice.
Happy new year! :D Welcome to 2003.
Last night was q. enjoyable. When I arrived, The Simpsons was on, so we [Katie, Marisa, Marley, I] watched that and ate pizza. Then we played Hilarium, Cranium, watched the ball drop on teevee, drank sparkling cider, and ate cookies and brownies and chocolate. And, of course, we watched the FoTR DVD.
Today we went to Barnes and Noble with Ryan, and that was also fun. I like my friends, which is a Good Thing.
Erlack, I do not want to attend school tomorrow. Maybe it'll snow. *crosses fingers hopefully*