"poorly executed prank, or sublime dadaist installation piece? you be the judge"

WE HAV CRISMUS HOSTAJ. GIV US A MILEON DOLARS AND U CAN HAV IT BAK. IF U DONT -

Wait wait wait. I missed it? Can I still take it hostage if it won't come for another 360-something days? Yes? Well. I'm sure the President and his cabinet will take such a badly spelled ransom note seriously.

Well. Look at that. I'm back in Alabama. And sick. Pretty much I'd like to sleep for the next week until I feel better. But I have the interwebs again... and my own bed and couch, upon which to lounge and be invalid. Mom and I are watching the new Pride & Prejudice right now, and we previously watched some Poirot mysteries. And soon I'm going to make some tea and go to sleep. And if all goes well I will sleep for a good eight or ten hours, if not the whole week.

So. I hope everyone's Christmas has gone well. Mine was good. I still haven't had a chance to settle down and be home, though. My room is still piled with boxes and suitcases. How much should I bother unpacking before I leave again for Italy in mid-February? I'm not sure. I'll think about it later. When my head is not about to explode. (I am currently of a phlegmatic disposition. ell-oh-ell. Medieval humours, anyone? = D)

pulchritudinous

beautiful; comely

http://www.wondermark.com/d/257.html

http://www.wondermark.com/d/230.html

19th century social commentary

is not precisely my cup of tea.

Funny quiz:

Your Famous Last Words Will Be:

"Tell them I said something."

What Will Your Famous Last Words Be?

Also, I'm hangin' out in Indiana at the family Christmases (no, that's not me randomly pluralizing words. We actually just have many Christmases). So. Merry Christmas.

harry potter and the half-baked book

I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. And I am profoundly dissatisfied.
A) It was so very long.
B) There was so very much irrelevant relationship stuff in it.
C) (And here come the spoilers) killing Dumbledore is totally a horrible ending. It should have come earlier in the book, and then he should have maybe found one of the horcruxes to prove his resolution and character change.
D) Harry Potter's education is totally unsatisfactory. Dumbledore should have taken more care to teach him the right Occlumency this time around, and done more than just show him old memories. The old memories were important, I'm not denying that, but seriously now. Harry Potter is so very ill-equipped to do what needs to be done. Oh, and
E) Dumbledore freezing Harry Potter? Totally a deus ex machina. Or at least improbable. She just felt like she needed to kill Dumbledore off somehow, and making him make such an egregious error was one way of doing that.
F) Have I mentioned how very ill-prepared Harry Potter is? As a younger student, he was so very ahead of his year in all the practical things. As an older student, he seems witless.
G) Have I mentioned how very irritating her lack of focus is? So what if Ginny and Harry start dating for three weeks (in a totally uncharacteristic way?)? And then have a totally out-of-character wrong-attitude-for-their-age breakup?
Also, H) We're totally lacking a motive for Snape to kill Dumbledore. I mean, sure, he took the unbreakable vow, whatever, yadda yadda yadda. But why take the vow? And why the heck did Dumbledore believe Snape for so long? 'Cause let's see, none of those things were explained in a believable way. I think she just changed her mind partway through the series about what side Snape was really on. And you know,
I) it makes me really sick that Harry Potter is always right. So ill-prepared, but always right. Everyone he hates turns out to be evil. Which is so childish.
J) the title of the book? The book isn't really about that. This relates to my irritation over her lack of focus. Too many things all at once, and still the book was too long. She needed to eliminate something.... or just break this book into two. I'm sure her publishers wouldn't have minded. Although, to be honest, probably I'd be down on her too if she extended the series. I'd think she was only trying to make more money or something. So, while I totally don't like the lack of focus, I guess I sort of respect the fact that she tried to fit everything in.
K) Also, and here's just my opinion, I just don't think she's built the characters to handle the kind of plot she wants from them. I feel like she's really trying to develop them, especially with this book, but dude, she's tried having them date people and killing off other characters in order to try and develop Harry, Ron, and Hermoine's characters further. And you know, she's tried this two books in a row. And I believe in them even less now. I feel like that's gotta say something.

Ok. Long post. Long rant. And pretty much I've never written a book, so I shouldn't complain, probably. I think Andrew liked the book? Maybe? So that could be a point in its favor? I think I'm just uber picky, and also minorly cranky. Today, though, was Christmas for us and it was a very good Christmas, so I shouldn't be cranky. I napped and read and ate basically all day. And tomorrow we're leaving for Indiana.... Oh wait, I remember why I'm cranky. I still have to pack.

it's just what happens when you let the time span catch you napping

Hey guess what! They gave me my grades back! Wooh! And actually, they are not too bad of grades. I mean, it would be best if I got all A's and had a 4.0. but barring that, I'm not on scholarship-probation, and that's what (I tell myself) is most important right now. Not perfection, just keeping the scholarship as long as I can. It's kind of weird... usually I get A- or A's in my English/academic classes, and B's/B+'s in my art classes... this semester my one B+ was in Med-Ren Lit. Yeah, that's right, in an English class. Weird. And then I got good-er grades in my art classes (even in Photo II of doom). Maybe I shouldn't give up on art grad school yet?

Also, my cat stabbed me. He was in some kind of fight and got his ear tore up, and when I brought him in to get it swabbed with antibiotic cream, he stabbed me in the side with his claws. Rarr. And then I bled.

And I had a great time over the weekend with everyone who came out to visit... It was like the best kind of family reunion, where nobody is fighting and we all play games together. And sleep. And eat. And take walks. I like how Sharon summed up my house: "it's cute and makes weird noises at night." Yeah, yeah, it pretty much does. I think I'm going to miss it (and of course the people living therein). And getting to read Liz's book was great, and hear about abroad (even though hearing about Oxford made me glad I prioritized going to Italy over going to Oxford), and frankly just hearing everyone's voices all at once made me all happy inside.

"salvation - made possible by the contributions of jesus"

Hi loves!

I don't know why I'm posting, since you'll all be here in a matter of hours, but I guess I just haven't typed in so long I felt the urge. That's right. No typing! No papers! Not even any time in the darkroom! (Although I do sort of miss that)

And now? Working on packing the last few boxes... and baking a few things, and wonderfulness like that. Dude, I hope my crap all fits in the car (this has become a mantra for me - which I think means that I need less stuff or I need a bigger vehicle).

I have such a feeling of well-being when I wake up lately, knowing that I don't HAVE to get up, I just decide to get up because hey, there are things to get done to get ready for fun things, and Jenn is here to hang out with, and there are movies to be watched and food to make and books to read and write.... It's just so PEACEFUL!

and then i found five dollars!

woooh! so close to done with my finals! just one more critique to go and then i'm home free (sort of). i started making some menus today for when y'all come, and that was kind of exciting.

I took a nap this morning at 5 a.m. didn't sleep for long, unfortunately, hence it was a nap and did not actually constitute going to bed. Then I got up again like two hours later to finish my paper and my photo II project. I hope no one is insulted if I take naps this weekend.

Does anyone have plans yet as to when they're heading home? I'm trying to let my aunt and uncle know when I will get to their house, but I have no idea when the leaving-type-things will happen. (This is not in any way supposed to mean that I'm anxious for you to leave, duh! 'cause you're not even here yet. But if you know, if you have plans, then let me know.)

Loves,
Teh Kenzie

where more is meant than meets the ear

I just heard the bizarrest story. Some kid showed up at a professor's office after missing his exam, holding a bag of puke. Apparently he'd been up all night sick... but why the heck bring a bag of puke to show your professor?! I mean, seriously.

And then I found five dollars.

Well. Finals week is here. No more procrastinating, denying, or wigging out will prevent it. It's one last long dive and then - cement? water? a kiddie pool?

I'm feeling pretty good about my writing skills at present. I got my research paper back for Med. Ren. Lit. It was only a 90, but still. You know? If I'd had a clearer, stronger thesis and a stronger conclusion I could have had a real A, but I think that's kind of the story of my life. I have a strong indtroduction, then realize I don't know where to go. But once I get there, my life is cake. Or something. Anyway, I know my idiosyncrasies as a writer: crazy long, convoluted, involved syntax, awful conclusions, bad intros, and laughable source-integration. And for this paper, I integrated my sources well, I wrote a good intro apart from the lack of thesis, and my conclusion wasn't awful - just "adequate." So... improvement? Maybe?

I'm getting super excited for when everyone comes down to visit. I'd say "visit me" except it's not just me, they're just staying at my house. But anyway, it will be good. Also, Jenn is coming out at party time too! Wooh! Party to the nth degree! = D

"fate baked you a tasty cake"

Or... you know. Something.

Basically, I just LOVED that quote and needed to share it.

Not. Obsessive. At All.

Also, have a TOTAL professor crush on Brent Good now. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the term, a professor crush is not like a normal crush. It is the kind of crush that makes you rearrange your course schedule occasionally so you can learn from a particular professor.

the land of spices; something understood

Hellooooo from the land of Granthm, PA! Remember how last time we talked it was really warm here? Well now it's freezing. Frigid, freezing, cold. I don't know anymore synonyms for "freezing," which is prolly sad 'cause I'm an English major. But we'll say it's the cold that's froze my synapses into a mere semblence of the intelligence they normally produce... all the time.

So. I turned in my Med-Ren Lit essay today. I'm really nervous. Also, later today I conference with Helen Walker to discuss my final essay. Considering how badly the last essay went... I'm totally nervous. But I'm getting a sort-of normal amount of sleep (taking into account who I live with) so maybe I won't cry all over the place. Also? Final prints for Photography are coming up due. AAAHHHH!

But you know, I'm totally excited to see all y'all college people again in 12 days. Or somewhere thereabouts. Wish me luck with everything I have to do in the meantime, yeah? And I hope you all break like ten legs.

the pulley

Today, in Grantham Pennsylvania, it is 67 degrees outside. Yes, folks, this winter is officially the bizarrest in college-student memory. It's also very, very windy, which is fun, except when you want to look nice to meet with your professors. Or if you're carrying a stack of papers. That would probably not be fun either. But if I had a kite, it would be perfect kite weather. Unless it stormed and I got struck by lightning, in which case I could be a genius and invent electricity, except that I'm several hundred years too late.

I found this poem by George Herbert in my Med-Ren reading last night, and since it's about rest (or "repose" as my Norton anthology helpfully tells me in the margins), what we all crave but what we're not, under any circumstances, going to get until we die, I thought I would share it with all of you. It's called "The Pulley."

When God at first made man,
Having a glass of blessings standing by,
"Let us," said he, "pour on him all we can:
Let the world's riches, which dispersed lie,
contract into a span."

So strength first made a way;
then beauty flowed, then wisdom, honor, pleasure.
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that, alone of all his treasure,
Rest in the bottom lay.

"For if I should," said He,
"Bestow this jewel also on my creature,
He would adore my gifts instead of me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature;
So both should losers be.

"Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlessness:
Let him be rich and weary, that at least,
If goodness lead him not, yet weariness
May toss him to my breast."