Draaaaaaagging

Got to class late today as I had to drive back from a weekend at the coast (yes, yes, I know, what tough luck) where I spent almost all of my time meaning to do things and getting none of them done. I spent the first half of the class feeling very grouchy, especially when the Alpha Female in the class started getting all hoity-toity again. *rolls eyes* Really, she makes me look non-aggressive. Anyway, the class was mercifully saved in the second half by an Israeli student from SOU bringing in a video about a group of Palestinian, Arab, Israeli, and Jewish people getting together and sharing their experiences as a way to bridge their perceived differences (many of them shared similar stories despite their religious and ethnic differences). It gave me hope. So often, as a history/human studies student I can get very, very depressed by the fact that NO ONE seems able to get along and so feel they have to resort to senseless violence to get their way. I can't tell you how nice it was to see people just trying to understand each other rather than allowing their prejudices to continue poisoning their lives.

On to a more superficial topic: Smug Marrieds. Some of you will know the term, some of you will not and I'm not going to tell you where it's from, but I think the name itself is pretty self-descriptive. Just a quick comment to certain ones who feel the need to place stereotypes on myself and my fellow Singletons such as "you guys are just bitter and unhappy." No, actually, we're not. When I rant about how people treat me because I'm single, it's not because I'm unhappy single (well, no more than any other single person, and might I just add that Marrieds have days where they are unhappy, too) but usually because I get sick of people telling me that I'm unhappy single!! (This does not apply to beautifully supportive Marrieds, such as Pheath and many others I can think of, so please don't be offended if you're them.) And if people think I'm j......rats, I totally lost my train of rant after chatting with a fellow Spanish major. Oh well, have a nice day everyone, I'm going to go have Mexican food with some friends.

Mad as a wet cat

In the name of feline cleanliness and future happiness, Matt and I today attempted to washing of the Spawn. I have to say it was more or less successful, but she is one veeeeeeeerrrrry unhappy kitty. *pause* eh-heh-heh-heh *pause* giggle giggle snifff *pause* Mwa ha ha ha ha!!!!! Ahhh yes, this pays her back for the frequent four a.m. attempted lovefests. Wretched beast. She isn't as funny-looking as our previous cat who turned into a stick figure with a big, furry head with anime eyes when we bathed him, but it's still worth it.

The weather today is rainy and wonderful. It's that softish spring rain that you can listen to with the window open but are happy to be inside for. Although I must admit that I do like to take a pot of tea out with a book or my good old-fashioned paper journal (I am a traditionalist at heart) out to the patio (God blessed my parents with brilliant landscaping skills) and sitting and listening. It's like being in a movie somehow, in one of those scenes where they use a fuzzy lens.

Oh, Nan, I've tried to post on your site twice now and it hasn't worked. Will attempt resolution at later point. And Pheather, thanks for the support! *grins* I still dislike the stupid things though, even though I'm sure it will turn out to be useful. Other people's certainly are. Your daughter is beautiful by the way!!!

Doom

The world is going to end!! Which we all knew anyway but I still felt the need to articulate, especially after my sociology class. I'm avoiding work again, this time an annotated bibliography which is just as bad as it sounds.

Happily enough, I have been inspired to chase the elusive butterfly of chamber music yet again by the fabulous performance of the Calder String Quartet (http://www.calderquartet.com/), a wonderfully talented group of young men my age playing professional music. As a Youth Symphony member I got to go to a special presentation and see chamber music as it was originally intended to be performed: close up and personal. It's always a blast to watch performers and I am highly susceptible (as are most people I've talked to about this) to falling in love with them for the duration of their performance (this also applies to some actors, especially theatre actors). So, I and two of my fellow string players here at the U are going to try and get together and work on some music. We've been trying to get a string quartet together but unfortunately cellos are in rather short supply in this area. Ah well, I'd better go and address the drudgery waiting to be done! (Weather report: clear for a day, front blows in, it pours, it clears, rinse and repeat.)

I'm Alive! ...a little singed, perhaps, but alive

You'll all be thrilled to know that she didn't even lecture us. We did, however, have to endure quiet disappointment for the first part of class, which is almost as bad. I think only us 'good kids' really suffered. What's that they say about 'no rest for the wicked?' Ha! You have to have a conscience to feel bad, doncha?

Voy a escribir una frase en español para que si un amigo de México quiera leer mi blog van a saber que sí están en el lugar correcto. Y también porque debo practicar con mi segunda lengua como voy a estar escribiendo muchísimo en ella. A pués, más que una frase ¿pero a quién le importa?

Ah yes, the weather was pretty much ideal in Ashland today, although I'm sure it was just hot in the rest of the valley. Here it was pretty warm but there was a stiff breeze that made it fabulous. And I was wearing my new blue linen shirt today. *swaggers a bit* If the weather holds, tomorrow it may be fuschia polyester/rayon. I think I may be going through a change, folks. Although I do like the way I've been dressing for years now, I suddenly feel the need to wear bright colors and *gasp* patterns. I've always (believe it or not) been afraid of drawing attention to myself but I've kinda decided that the world is going to have to notice me and deal with it at some point or another and it might as well be now. Though I can't quite bring myself to wear to incredibly cute skirts to school. Haven't gotten over the 'robust' and white nature of my own limbs yet.

TJN: Yeah, I read that some of them weren't real priests, but March was. Procession and all that.

Oh yes, I found a wonderful article by one of my favorite articles that says that romance novels should not be looked down upon as a genre just because a lot of the books are junk. Let's take a masculine genre, westerns for example. Men don't look down and shuffle their feet when they admit that they read westerns, even though there are plenty of appallingly bad westerns. She maintains that romance novels are a feminist phenomenon where women are allowed to re-write fairy tales that are often misogynistic or at best blatantly chauvinistic. Here's a quick quote from Jennifer Crusie:

"I had Sleeping Beauty, who got everything she'd ever wanted because she looked really good unconscious. Or there was Snow White, who got everything she'd ever wanted because she looked really good unconscious. Or there was Cinderella, who should be given some credit for staying awake through her whole story, but who got everything she'd ever wanted because she had really small feet. The fairy tales I read as a child told me that boys' stories were about doing and winning but that girls' stories were about waiting and being won. Far from setting out on their own quests, women were the prizes in their own stories, and the less active they were--do NOT be a pushy, knife-wielding stepsister--the better their chances were of getting the castle and the crown."

Oops! I just realized this was beginning to slide into a rant. Sorry! But I just can't help myself!!! We were talking today in Sociology about how a woman's body image, no matter where she is in the world, as long as she has TV, is now being dictated by those sadistic freaks in Hollywood and the fashion industry who keep saying we all need to be Paris Hilton clones!!!!! *shudder of absolute horror* Okay, okay, I'm done. Chris, really, if you feel the need to make snide comments every once in a while, it's okay. I just don't want it on a postly basis, please. *sighs* I need a muzzle somedays, don't I?

Ohhhhh, we are in so much TROUBLE!!!

'We' being my Capstone class who walked out today when the teacher hadn't shown up after twenty minutes. But I, being the goody goody that I am and cannot help being, went with another student to see if she was in her office, and all I can say is "we are in soooooooo much TROUBLE!!!!" She'd forgotten to reset her office clock, but no matter much we all try to rationalize what we did, we know we shouldn't have done it, although we all think that we'll probably be more productive just having this free time. And she is maaaaad at us. *sighs* I can't help it, I feel guilty and will probably have even more trouble sleeping tonight than usual.................

..........but it was strangely satisfying, too, living out one of the deeply treasured fantasies of students everywhere. Come on, you have to admit it, all of us have dreamed of the teacher not showing up and everyone just leaving.......... too bad this time she was in her office and secretly we all knew it, I think. Guilty pleasure! Guilty pleasure!!!!

Ah well, another extra hour trying to get to sleep will be my reward. I have large problems looming on the edge of my consciousness and it's wreaking havoc on my sleep patterns. Contrary to what some people like to delude themselves into thinking, I am sensitive to the feelings of others and I have one situation where the person is deluding himself quite well into thinking that I'm just being insensitive to his (or is it her? You'll never know!!) plight and really I just....whoops, that's one of those rants I should probably avoid, isn't it? I blame the brownie before class. I should just erase the thing but.....I'm not going to. Just so people know that my life isn't all happiness and weather changes. Wow, this is heading towards bitter, I'd better go practice. See what repressed guilt can do to a person??

Touch not...

In an attempt to create controversy and mayhem (not really, but it sounds nice, and I thought some of you might enjoy this particular story) a certain relative of mine (an uncle) has aided me in coming up with a brilliant response to all of those who feel the need to comment on my single status (according to a ridiculous article in Time (?) I'm a "quirky single" by my deciding that I don't need to be attached. Ummm, and exactly why does that make me quirky?? Perhaps because I've chosen to throw off (for now) the bonds of conformity that contemporary media and society have decided to dictate?). So, let's say I make a brooaaad, sweeping generalization like, oh, "men are evil." Now, from the New Testament I can take "touch not the unclean thing" (and what can be more unclean than evil??) and the one that sounds like "separate yourselves from workers of iniquity." QED. There is no reason for me to be picked on about this anymore. *grins* And yes I can hear some of getting revved up to come after me for this. And I do know that I'll probably be branded "that kooky feminist nutcase up in Medford," even though this was written in fun. Ahhhh well. The weather is stormy, I bought new clothes, I'm in the library with the wonderful smell and feel of books around me, and for today that's all I need. I hope everyone has a great weekend and I expect some responses to this. Who knows, I might even respond back!