June 2003 archive

(119 entries)

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June 30, 2003

Ik wil naar België gaan...

Is there anything stopping me from dropping everything and running away to Belgium?

Other than grad school, boyfriend, lack of money, lack of Belgian employment, and lack of Belgian work visa, of course.

But other than that, it's a great idea!

[thank you, Dictionary.com - Babelfish doesn't have Dutch!]

Only a family as dorky as my own could get as excited about the Restored Director's Cut DVD (with reinserted scenes banned by Richard Nixon!!!) of 1776 as other people get about the Star Wars Special Editions.

Watching 1776 on video is our Fourth of July tradition, but we bought the DVD this weekend and couldn't wait until Friday. I'm sure we'll watch it again then, and that we'll sing along and recite the entire script, just as we did last night.

It may be physically harmful to be as nerdy as we are.

Come, potential victims

I don't know how skilled I will be at picking out "make-out music", but I'm joining The Neurotic Fishbowl's Burn It! CD Swap. If you, too, would like the chance to receive a CD that could possibly include some Neil Diamond, go sign up!

Language Week begins

Quiero comenzar, pero he perdido mi diccionario español-inglés, lo que es un problema, porque no tengo mucho vocabulario y olvido siempre donde van los acentes.

¿Que voy a hacer? Je ne sais pas.

Voy a 'cheat' con Babelfish. No me gusta Babelfish. Mi colega me dijo que es un website que traduce muy bien y que debo tratarlo para ayudarme con mis traducciones. HA!

Bueno. Hoy, no voy a estar cerca de un ordenador, porque voy a trabajar con mis manos, porque soy muy FUERTE! ARRRR! No, no es la verdad. Voy a trabajar con mis manos porque voy a ayudar los que mueven los muebles de la biblioteca. Porque no tengo otra cosa para hacer.

June 29, 2003

Potterholism as a cause for insomnia

I am awake and online at 3am because I remembered reading online that the prophecy in Book 5 was a lot less disappointing if you read very carefully everything that the Death Eaters say in the prophecy/fight scenes. The person who wrote this suggested rereading that section (or the whole book), and said that we should get it then. I did so, and I still didn't get it, and now I can't find the original post for more clues.

I don't know if it was a blog-post or a comment somewhere, and neither Google nor Daypop has been helpful, and following the links I would expect isn't turning anything up either. I just keep coming up with fan fiction and discussions by fanfic writers about how this is going to ruin all of their stories.

How am I going to sleep? I'm an addict, and I need my fix. I need to know that that scene didn't suck for naught.

June 27, 2003

The birth of Language Week

There may already be a Language Week on the calendar somewhere; I don't know. All I know is that my Spanish needs practice. So I'm going to declare next week (June 29 - July 5)... Language Week. This is a departure from my original idea of una semana española, because - surprise of surprises - not everyone speaks Spanish. And I think it would be fun if everyone could participate.

So.

Here are the rules of participation:

Blog in a language that you don't usually blog in. You don't have to blog a lot if you don't want to - a few sentences will do, as long as you continue, once a day, through the week (or at least Monday to Friday). What the hell. If you only want to blog in Swedish on Tuesday, go for it.
It would be nice, but not necessary, to include some kind of translation into your usual language. I always do mine in <span title="translation"><i>other language</i></span> tags. You might choose to write it all out and translate at the end. Whatever. Be free! Be wild!
You can link back to this post if you want. Or not. If you don't want. I have created a really crappy image in Paint that you may use. Or not. If you don't want. The code is <a href="http://www.srah.net/weblog/2003_06.html#005173"><img src="http://www.srah.net/weblog/lweek.gif" border=0></a>.

I believe that is all. Have fun. Be multi-lingual.

La polola española

I called Alex in Mexico the other day, and he answered the phone.

"¿Puedo hablar con Alex, por favor?"
"Está."
"¡Hola!"
"Ehhh... hola. ¿Quien es?"
"¡Soy La Sarah!"

He didn't recognize me speaking Spanish. I'm assuming that's a good thing, like I've made progress or something. He didn't say so, but-- HEY! I'll assume what I want, buster!

I have decided to declare next week (Monday to Friday, anyway) La semana española. I am going to make an effort to blog a few sentences of Spanish each day next week, just to keep in practice. Would you like to join in and make it into a meme, instead of me just being a loser by myself? You could do it for any language you like...

Soaping up the weiner

Last night, I got a frantic call from Robin. She was at the car wash, and I had to come join her. What did I see when I got there?

The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile. At the car wash. This is one of the times when I realize I need a digital camera.

The balloon that ate Ann Arbor

Katie has requested that I recount for her The Story of the Balloon. It is a frightening story, so I suggest that you hold onto your socks and tighten your diapers. Not really. It's mostly just a really stupid story about Why I Hate Balloons.

When I went to France in 1996 with my high school group, my mom bought me a balloon when I came back. It's a strange tradition in our family to buy balloons for people returning from Abroad.

The balloon was shaped like a moon and had a face on it. It lived in my room and I ignored it until it started getting creepy. I would go to bed at night, and in the morning, I would discover the creepy creepy balloon hovering over my head. This happened twice - the balloon would be sent to some corner of the room, only to loom over my head in the morning. It was losing helium, too, so it was hovering closer and closer to my head. It may have had plans to eat me, if I hadn't woken up first.

Finally, I decided the balloon was too creepy and put it in my bathroom for the night. The next morning when I woke up... it had ESCAPED from my bathroom and was once again hovering low over my head.

I have been traumatized for life. My mom doesn't buy me balloons when I come home anymore.

Harry Potter Meme

This post is going into hiding to prevent spoilers for those who haven't read Book 5. Read on, MacDuff.

read extended entry... »

1. Describe in five words or less how you feel about Order of the Phoenix. (your initial reaction)
Depressing, frustrating, long, hope-inspiring. Hey, it's like adolescence!

2. What are your feelings on Harry's personality? Do you think he is overly cynical, depressed, etc. . . .?
I think he's overly self-centered (said she who blogs about herself all day long) and emotionally delicate, but that's probably par for the course at 15. I think he's worse than most 15-year-olds, though, because he's been through so much and he's used to so much attention and adoration from the wizarding public.

3. Do you think Order of the Phoenix is appropriate for children 13 and younger? Why or why not?
No. Rowling says that the appropriate age group is Harry's age for each book, so that 11-year-olds are the target audience for Book 1, 12 for Book 2, etc. That said, some people mature faster than others and can read at a higher level than others. I think the language level is higher with this book, which should hopefully discourage people who aren't ready for the subject matter. Parents should know where their kids are, intellectually, and judge whether they're ready or not.

4. List your five most hated characters (either in Book 5 or the whole series, non-humans can be included).
Dobby aka Jar-Jar Binks
Umbridge
Draco Malfoy
Cho Chang
Cornelius Fudge

5. Percy turned away from his family. Will he come crawling back to them now or . . .?
Percy has a lot of pride, but I think he also has such a loving family that some of it must have rubbed off on him. I hope he'll be back... there are sides forming, and I don't think he'd be on Voldemort's. Now that Fudge seems to have been convinced, I guess Percy will be too, although he'll never have the same place in the Weasley fold that he had before.

6. What did you think of the new DADA's punishment? Why didn't Harry nor Lee complain?
It was rather horrific, although for a moment I thought Harry was into S&M or something because Umbridge was cutting into him and he was getting peculiar feelings in his midriff. Turns out it was just Lord Voldemort being happy. Harry didn't complain because he's too proud. Lee surprised me - I would have thought he would have said something.

7. What do you think of James and Lily now?
Meh. James is kind of a jerk, or was at 15 at least. You have to assume he got better, though, because Lily seems to smart to have gone for someone that jerky.

8. Has your opinion (which is probably not too good) of Petunia Dursley changed? If yes, how so?
Aunt P has given me a spark of hope that life at the Dursleys' won't be as miserable this summer as in summers past. Maybe she can finally open up to Harry about his mother.

9. What's the meaning of Snape's nickname in your opinion?
Snivellus? They called him that because he was snivelling. What else?

10. What do you think of the character death? Do you think s/he will return?
Return? Hadn't even thought of that. I hope not.

11. Do you think fanfiction will be hurt by Book 5? Do you see any new pairings arising? Do you see any huge ships falling apart?
Oh, for heaven's sake, fanfiction. I don't really care. Worst thing that happens is someone's entire fanfiction universe is ruined by Book 5. Then they can go out and write their own stories. I don't get the obsession.

12. What was your favourite chapter in Order of the Phoenix? Why?
My favorite is chapter 37, where I got goosebumps thinking about my firm belief that Neville is going to save the world in Book 7.

13. Talk about Fred and George's "flight."
It was good, but I felt like it could have been better. Fred and George had to go out in style. This was stylish, but I felt like they could have accomplished something while they were at it.

14. Give some thoughts on Ron.
Ron is my sweet bazoo. I'm glad he finally got the chance to escape Harry's shadow a bit in this book... but I'm upset that people kept trying to shove him back under it. As if Ron couldn't be a prefect because he would be a good prefect! Everyone's reaction was "Why isn't Harry a prefect?" Because Ron is. Deal.

15. What did you think of Dumbledore's explanation?
Kind of a let-down. He didn't tell us much we didn't know, and it seems like there would have been a way to explain things to Harry... at least to explain to him that they couldn't have contact while Voldemort was possessing Harry, or to explain why the Occlumency lessons were so important.

16. Do you feel satisfied by this book?
No. I feel like JK Rowling was too influenced by her readers and by the series' fame. Things like Cho and Harry getting together, then breaking up definitively, felt like a reaction to shippers who wanted them to get together. I feel kind of like this is the Phantom Menace of the Potter series.

7. How anxious are you now for Book 6?
Anxious, but not as anxious as I was for Book 5. Book 4 was so good that I figured it could only get better. Now I'm afraid that I'll like Book 6 less than Book 5 and it's all downhill from here.

[via [Note to Self]]

« ... hide extended entry

I can't seem to make piracy pay

Song of Perfect Propriety
by Dorothy Parker

Oh, I should like to ride the seas,
A roaring buccaneer;
A cutlass banging at my knees,
A dirk behind my ear.
And when my captives' chains would clank
I'd howl with glee and drink,
And then fling out the quivering plank
And watch the beggars sink.

I'd like to straddle gory decks,
And dig in laden sands,
And know the feel of throbbing necks
Between my knotted hands.
Oh, I should like to strut and curse
Among my blackguard crew...
But I am writing little verse,
As little ladies do.

Oh, I should like to dance and laugh
And pose and preen and sway,
And rip the hearts of men in half,
And toss the bits away.
I'd like to view the reeling years
Through unastonished eyes,
And dip my finger-tips in tears,
And give my smiles for sighs.

I'd stroll beyond the ancient bounds,
And tap at fastened gates,
And hear the prettiest of sound--
The clink of shattered fates.
My slaves I'd like to bind with thongs
That cut and burn and chill...
But I am writing little songs,
As little ladies will.

I spent this morning grabbing members of my family and telling them they'd have to walk the plank if they didn't tell me which of the March sisters they would be if they had to be one. No one takes my pirate ways seriously; answers included "March 7th", "Pedro", and "Not the one that dies".

The Friday Five

1. How are you planning to spend the summer [winter]?
Working to make money for grad school. Drinking wine and going to Meijers. Thinking about writing - but not actually writing - a romance novel.

2. What was your first summer job?
During high school, I worked at the public library during vacations, but I also worked there during the school year, so it wasn't really a "summer job". My first one of those was at the evil evil Hallmark shop at the mall. I asked for 35 hours a week and often got anywhere from 0 to 5. In order to actually have money and something to do, I had to take a second job. Here. And I've been here ever since.

3. If you could go anywhere this summer [winter], where would you go?
México, DF, para visitar a mi pololo querido.

4. What was your worst vacation ever?
I don't think vacations are ever bad. We tended to get sick of each other and Myrtle Beach when we would be stuck in the car together driving down there and back up every spring, but I wouldn't say it was bad. We even learned history, even if I didn't appreciate, at the time, stopping at every historical landmark between Michigan and South Carolina.

5. What was your best vacation ever?
I love vacations. Each one has merits and drawbacks. We'll say Summer 2001 in France and England, just because I haven't met John Hannah on any of my other vay-kays.

June 26, 2003

Si j'avais une baguette magique, j'aurais une baguette de pain

Yeah. Si + imparfait... conditionnel. I like the "si" rules. They make sense to me.

Why can't you get a decent baguette in the United States? Is there something in the baguette-making process that is not up to American hygiene standards? Are the ingredients different? Are there ingredients in a baguette that are too expensive over here to make it economically feasible? Do they think it's not worth the bother to make bread that won't last more than one day?

American baguettes, sometimes also known as "French bread", are not baguettes. They are a loaf of Wonder bread that somehow got stretched out. They're not bad when making garlic bread, but are useless for anything else. I can't get a real baguette here (even in the hippie/yuppie/soccermom paradise that is Ann Arbor), and I demand to know why.

June 25, 2003

srah's Real World report #3 or whatever number we're up to

I hate The Real World. Every week, I get to the end of the episode and realized that I have wasted a half-hour of my life and that it has made me stupider. NOTHING EVER HAPPENS on that show. They bicker, they get drunk, they make out with each other... but they never do anything. Supposedly, they're working on a travel guide, but they never travel anywhere. I hate them all, but I will, of course, be back next week.

I did learn something this week, and I don't know if it's a good thing. Robin and Cheryl told me that a Real World season lasts about six months. This cheers me up, because I thought the show was going to end at the end of the summer, and nothing would have happened. Six months gives us time for things to happen. The downside, of course, is that I have to watch and suffer this for six months.

June 24, 2003

Yeah, sure, great to meet you too

I've decided to refer to the place on central campus that I'm being loaned out to as The Place That I'm Being Loaned Out To. Because I am a creative genius like that.

I think the brief exposure to sunlight between My Workplace and TPTIBLOT exhausts me, because I want to fall asleep as soon as I arrive. I keep being introduced to people who are overly happy to see me. I'm hot, I'm tired, I have a headache, and I can't understand why they're so excited to meet me, so I'm afraid I'm giving out rude vibes. Sure, it's nice to meet you, but I'm not going to grin from ear to ear about it.

To my fellow Ann Arbor bloggers

If you see someone slinking guiltily around central campus, feeling like they don't belong there (especially during working hours), and wincing in this strange new thing called sunlight, come on up and say hi! Chances are, it's either me or a psycho killer who lives in a basement and emerges only to find new victims. And hey, with odds like that, why not give it a try?

Is individualized attention possible?

I don't know how I feel about the U-M admissions policy change. I've never gone to a public university, I've been out of the country, and I don't understand all of the arguments. What I do know is that the U-M is already having financial problems and now will have to hire new admissions staff to read their 25,000 yearly applications and make individual judgments and decisions.

And more annoying to me than any question of race or socio-economic background is the fact that scholarship athletes got 20 points on the old scale. If the point system gave a chance to disadvantaged kids who want to go to college and succeed, I'm all for it. If the point system gave the football or basketball team the chance to have some dumbass high school athlete they're recruiting actually be accepted at U-M, then I'm against it.

There are way too many kids just using the university to get noticed by pro teams, not because they have any academic interest. I think that's a shame. The argument is that U-M makes a lot of money from the football team so shut up little girl or your tuition will go up, but how much of that football (or basketball, or hockey) money actually makes it out of the athletic department? Maybe funds from the football team are doing something like keeping women's volleyball afloat, but I have a simple solution: let's just abolish college sports altogether.

June 23, 2003

Tiptoe 'cross the Diag

I have a new project where I have to go to Central Campus every afternoon for the rest of the summer. Maybe you can't sense, in reading this, the great levels of joy this brings me. I understand completely, as it can sometimes be hard to pick up on negative joy.

As I crossed the Diag, I suddenly had flashbacks to every time I had jumped up and down on the block M. If you are not aware, there is a superstition that a U-M student who steps on the block M in the pavement on the Diag will fail his/her first exam. For six or seven years now, I've been stomping on the M when I pass it, triumphantly proclaiming my immunity because I was not a U-M student. For years before that, there was just the stomping, without the triumphant proclamations.

Now I am suddenly concerned... are those stomps cumulative?

Take my job... please!

I say that I want to continue in school so that I will have lots of skills and therefore the freedom to drastically change careers whenever I want. And yet, I've suddenly realized, once I get a job, I don't think I will even leave it. Maybe I subconsciously realized this and that's why I haven't seriously looked for a Real Job yet - I'm afraid of picking the thing that I'll do for The Rest Of My Life. I am too nice or too weak to ever let my employer down by leaving, or too lazy to ever look for a new job in the first place. Me voici, stuck here. Me voila, stuck in a future job. I have so much to look forward to.

So, you think you're a geek?

Where do you stand, next to my 31.36095% (Total Geek) score?

The Monday Mission

1.What is the difference between spirituality and religion?
I'm sure people have differing definitions, but I think that to be a religion, a belief has to involve a god or gods and often deals with the issue of faith in the unknown. I think one can be spiritual by believing deeply in a philosophy, with or without believing in a god.

2. What is the difference between someone listening to what you say and hearing what you say?
Listening involves a conscious effort to understand.

3. What's the difference between a Father, and a Daddy?
Daddy belongs to me, and fathers belong to other people.

4. What's the difference between being married and living together?
I think being married is a bigger commitment, because you're more responsible for one another, being linked under the law.

5. What's the difference between growing up and growing old?
I am doing the latter and trying to resist the former. Growing old is aging, growing up is maturing. The two aren't as linked as people would like to think. Growing old can bring you experience that makes you more mature, but doesn't necessarily. And you don't necessarily have to be old to be mature.

6. What's the difference between getting what you want and getting what you need?
Getting what you need is subsisting. Getting what you want is anything beyond that. Maybe I don't understand the question.

7. What's the difference between punishment and discipline?
Discipline doesn't have to involve punishment, but does involve a strong will. I don't know!

8. What's the difference between the Monday Mission and any other meme?
The Monday Mission is usually way longer.

No, I will not shut up about this

But look, I'm so nice that I put questions 9-21 in the MORE... section, so you don't have to read them if you don't want to. That is how much I love you, dear readers.

Beware minor Book 5 spoilers...

1. Favorite HP Book (1-4) and Why?
Prisoner of Azkaban because it's more exciting and hopeful than Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets. Goblet of Fire is good but long. It has parts that are better than PoA, but taken as a whole, PoA comes out on top.

2. Favorite Character(s) (try to stick with 3 or less)
Ron Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Neville Longbottom.

3. My fave HP (relation)Ship is...
Ron and Hermione. I like Ron and Harry's relationship, but not as a romantic one!

4. If I could be in any Hogwarts house I would want to be in:
Ravenclaw. They're the smart ones.

5. BUT I would PROBABLY get sorted into:
I'm not particularly brave or cunning, and not extremely nice either. I suppose I would be sorted into Ravenclaw.

6. If I could have one magical ability I would want:
Hermione's Time-Turner.

7. I would excel at Hogwarts in (class wise):
Do they have any classes in Magic Languages? I could learn Troll quite easily, I think.

8. My favorite Hogwarts teacher would be/is:
I like Snape because... well, he's Alan Rickman. And because I sense that there is good in him, to quote Luke "But I wanted to go to the taaaashi station and pick up some powwwwwer converters" Skywalker. Quirrell, because he's Ian Hart. McGonagall because she wears a tartan bathrobe and, although she has a soft spot for Gryffindor, tries to be mostly fair in point-giving-and-taking. But I think Remus Lupin comes out on top, overall. I wish he had been named Harry's guardian, rather than Sirius Black. He seems more level-headed. He was a good teacher, and seems like a good individual.

read extended entry... »

9. Slytherin or Gryffindor?
Gneargh. Must I choose? Gryffindor, I suppose, because that's where the Weasleys are. I don't quite get the fascination with Slytherin... they're a nasty bunch.

10. Padfoot, Prongs, Moony or Wormtail?
Well Moony, I guess. I might have said Prongs, pre-Order of the Phoenix, but I certainly won't now.

11. I became a HP fan when (during)...
I'd never heard of Harry Potter when I was at school, but in the summer of 2000, before Goblet of Fire came out, I heard a show on NPR about the series. I kept hearing more and more about it as the release date neared, so I started reading them. I've never been shy about reading children's books, having worked in the Youth Department of my local library for 3 years and often taken my work home with me. I read them all summer and, although I wanted to wait for Book 4 to come out in paperback, I didn't want to leave for Grenoble without having read it. So my mom bought me a hardcover copy a little while before I left, and I stayed up until 4am because I couldn't put it down. I cried and cried, partially because of shock at the events in the book, and partially because I knew that there was no more published Harry Potter left to read.

12. If JKR put a gun to your head and made you choose 1 Weasley to bite the dust, who would you choose?
If you'd asked me on Friday, I might have said Bill or Charlie, because I'm not emotionally attached to them. Now she can kill off that stinking Percy.

13. The one character I hope survives to the end is...
If I can only save one, Neville. I know it's strange, because he's my #3, but I think Neville has the potential to be very important.

14. Favorite minor character (Fleur, Parvati, Colin, etc.)
Does Neville or Arthur Weasley count?

15. Name one of your favorite HP Lines? (I say one because we all have so many)
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
- George/Fred, Prisoner of Azkaban

16. Your magic pet of choice would be:
Given the choice between a toad, a cat, or an owl... I think I would say a cat, although owls are more useful.

17. Draco Malfoy: Future Redemptionist or Future Death Eater?
Pre-Order of the Phoenix, I would have said he was a future redemptionist. Now, I'm not so sure. I think he had his chance in Book 5 and if he hasn't given in yet, he may be lost.

18. If you could pick one character (ANY) to have their very own spin off series of books, who would you choose?
I'm tempted to say Ron, but I think Hermione's might be pretty good. George and Fred's would be amusing.

19. The Goblet of Fire incident, who did you sympathize with more: Harry or Ron?
Both of them. The poor confused darlings. They're fourteen and conflicted and think that no one understands them. Whereas in Book 5, Harry is mostly just an ass.

20. Do you think Harry will survive the series?
I do, but I think JKR will keep teasing us up until the end. Either that or Harry will be killed by Voldemort, who will in turn be killed by Neville.

21. Friday night at midnight I will be...
I was approaching Waldenbooks with Alfie. We tried to get there after midnight to avoid the stampede, but got too excited and were there at about 12:02. I was disappointed to find everyone forming a neat, orderly line rather than a mob.

[via Note to Self]

« ... hide extended entry

June 22, 2003

Latest foray into insane random poetry

Annoying and French translation, Okay, so far? but that J.K. keeps it turns in American culture BAD. not a sort of a varied meal but translating is not hairy pottery , then remembered back to say Si. I promise be a Dunkin Donuts They cancelled it I mean, that good French about a pronoun that it interesting that the example for incompetence.

Because I can't talk about anything else this weekend...

It's a shame when people won't even give Harry Potter a chance. His celebrity has gotten the best of him, and now half the people I read online seem to be refusing to read the books. If you think Harry Potter is kid stuff or just hype, I would ask you to read the first 30 pages or so of The Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone. If it doesn't get you hooked, fine. But I like to think it will. Don't knock it till you've tried it!

June 21, 2003

It is time for me to tell you...

Well, I'm done. And it was a really good book. Like Goblet of Fire, it dragged a bit at some parts in the middle, but finished with a bang. I laughed a lot (though less than in previous books), I cried a bit, and chapter 37 gave me goosebumps. I can't wait for Book 6 and am rather frightened that J.K. Rowling doesn't have a deadline for the last two books.

I don't, however, think that Order of the Phoenix was a great book. I enjoyed it as an established Harry Potter fan. I liked to see the continuing adventures and character growth, but it seemed to be missing some of the Harry Potter (pardon the phrase) magic. I'm not saying that it had any less wizardry and spell-casting and potions than the others, but that it seemed to lack some of the je-ne-sais-quoi that make the books so addictive. If you read this one first, I'm sure that reading Book 5 would inspire you to read the others in the series, but I'm not sure that it would make you a Harry Potter fan.

Now, if you've finished the book, feel free to continue reading this post.

read extended entry... »

The spirit was willing, but...

Around 5am, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, so I went to sleep, about halfway through the book. Latest favorite bit:

"Have a biscuit" (p. 248)

I'm trying not to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but if you have, you should get it.

I am in the late 400s now, and things are looking Extremely Bad. Romantic entanglements are annoying and disgusting me. No one is dead yet, but I'm hoping it will be a surprise death when it comes, because if it's the person they seem to be suggesting, it is shaping up to be A Very Bad Death Indeed. Srah best get out the chocolate.

This is a good book, so far, but not the best of the series.

Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure

My favorite line so far?

"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?" (p. 163)

Loving it. Loving Ron, loving Weasleys, loving Tonk. Putting up with that rat Potter. I resent that everyone seems to think that good things happen to Ron because of Harry's deficiencies and not because of Ron's own qualities. Jerks.

Annoying loud girl jumping up and down at Waldenbooks? That would be me

Stood in line for an hour behind the likes of Mr and Mrs JDay, but now we haves it and it's our precioussssssssssszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Pardon me, nodding off already. Not sure I'll make it to the end, although Becky and I made a Meijers-run to stock up on supplies to get us through the night. I will be munching almonds and cottage cheese and honeydew (although not all together) and chocolate to get me through the tragic death of Whoever It May Be. Ah, the suspense.

June 20, 2003

Save all Weasleys! Take Cho Chang!

What if it's Ginny? WHAT IF IT'S GINNY?

Two hours to go. I'm going crazy...

Damn, woman, get some MadLibs

I've always hated being in a situation where I know more than my teacher. It makes me feel uncomfortable, confused, and frustrated. More than that, it scares me a little. If I know the teacher's wrong, that doesn't mean that the rest of the class does. Do I correct the teacher for their sake, or do I let it slide and save the teacher from embarrassment and myself from a potential argument? Using the word "stealthy" to reply to my dad's daughter-swapping comments brought back a memory of one of these situations.

She was one of my stupider teachers, and that's saying a lot. I'm not sure if she had any pedagogical training, but if she did, she must have figured they were just suggestions. Not only was she not a good teacher of English, she was not a good student of English. At thirteen years old, we recognized that we knew more about English than she did. It scares me.

The moment that sticks out in my mind (and unfortunately pops up every time I hear any word based on the root "stealth"), was when we went to the U-M ROTC's ropes course as a class. I remember nothing of the outing, but I do remember coming back to class and having to write a summary of what happened.

Jamie M. wrote in his paper something to the effect of, "The ROTC members snuck up on us stealthily." When he asked, she corrected him, saying that the word should be stealthy. I can see my eighth-grade self there, hearing this, a confused and disgusted look on my face.

"No it's not," I told Jamie, "it's stealthily. Stealthy is an adjective."

"That's what I thought," Jamie replied, writing stealthily back in. Then this horror-teacher took the example and actually wrote "The ROTC members snuck up on us stealthy" on the board. I raised my hand and corrected her, and she tried to claim that stealthy was the correct word in this situation. She argued and I argued and finally I had to give in because she was the teacher and I was the student.

She's no longer teaching at my middle school. Surprisingly, I think she left to be a stay-at-home mom, rather than being fired for incompetence. Every once in a while I see a flyer around town where she's offering English tutoring, and I never know whether to deface it or tear it down.

The Friday Five

1. Is your hair naturally curly, wavy, or straight? Long or short?
It's naturally straight, with weird kinks in it. I think rather than being natural, the kinks come from me tucking wet hair behind my ear and the hair drying into that shape. Either that or London. I suppose it's naturally long, but I cut it so it won't be.

2. How has your hair changed over your lifetime?
When I was young, my hair was a sort of pixie/bowl cut. Like Susie Derkins from Calvin & Hobbes, although I'm not sure why she's the first person who comes to mind.

Then I convinced my mom to let me grow it out, so for a while I still had the short bangs, but a long back. Sort of a hideous girl-mullet. Let us not think about 4th grade anymore.

Then I lost the bangs and went through a period where my very fine hair was too long, so it was too stringy. In order to combat this, I would braid my wet hair at night and wake up in the morning with a sort of home body-perm, so my hair would be wavy. Unfortunately, I was an idiot and would then brush it, so I just had this pile of frightening frizz.

When I went to France the first time, I got my hair cut and the bangs came back in a sort of face-framing short do. I thought I looked like Scully from the X-Files, but I didn't. I would curl it under every day, probably excessively

I pretty much kept that style for years, although I got lazy about the curling and the length went up and down. Now I have a sort of do with some razoring or something where it's pretty short, but shorter on top than on the bottom. And with kinks.

I really ought to share pictures, but I haven't any scanned. Perhaps later.

3. How do your normally wear your hair?
Air-dried with kinks. Sometimes in pigtails, although it's a bit short for that at the moment.

4. If you could change your hair this minute, what would it look like?
It would have body and lovely curls and be darker but more reddish as well. My curls would be described as "tousled" by my many admirers. Actually, that's what I look like in my head. It's always a shock when I look in the mirror and see that mousey straight-haired specimen.

5. Ever had a hair disaster? What happened?
Um... see question 2 for a long list of them. Actually, when I was in Jewelry & Design class in high school, the strikers on the blowtorches didn't work very well, so I once (I like to say "once" for storytelling's sake, but really I think it was twice) built up a huge cloud of gas, finally managed to ignite it, and singed my bangs and eyebrows. I didn't even realize anything had happened until I pushed my bangs off my forehead and they actually came off.

June 19, 2003

Conversation with Gollum srah

I have just been struck with an idea for a complete re-design and re-structuring of JohnHannah.net. I want to get started on it right away.

But I have so many other things to do.

Poor, neglected JH.net. I haven't been giving you the attention you deserve for... oh, about a year. I will save you soon.

But I have to clean my room first. Mommy said so. I need to have priorities, and JohnHannah.net isn't as high a priority as real life. Besides, we haven't even finished the blog archives, so we shouldn't go starting something new...

Real life? Who cares about real life? We wants to fix the website. It's our precious...

No! We loves the Mommy and we will clean our room.

Mommy? She's just jealous. She wants to take The Precious away. Precioussssssssssssss...

Not waitress - owner! EAT COOKIE!

I had Chicken Fried Rice and Hot & Sour Soup for lunch today. My fortune cookie told me:

Your present plans are going to succeed.

That would be great... if I had present plans. I ought to have plans to buy Robin a birthday present, I guess.

In other news... <-- hey, look over there! I am winking at you! I think I'm kind of scary again. It's gotten mighty boring around here since Katie left. Sigh...

katie-be-gone

Well, y'all, it's been real. But my site's finally back up, so it's time to go home. If you ~~loved me~~ didn't hate me here, then come see me over at SoJoyful!. I promise I'll be gentle.

For those who are already readers, posts during the blackout start here.

And before you say anything, YES I know my comments don't remember personal info. I'm working on that. And I don't have my categories listed yet cuz they're not quite ready. Deal.

Merci mucho to srah!

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

freedom fries

Needless to say, the current president of the United States has a lot to learn. However, I think the French could also take some things from our example. Hence, the following answer to my latest assignment:

If France could learn/adopt one thing from the US, what would you want it to be? The US from France?

The thing that most struck me while living and learning in France is their complete and total lack of individuality. Students in the French system copy their professors' words verbatim, with flawless handwriting and using rulers and colors to make as-good-as-printed notes. When homework is due, a class of 15 turns in 15 identical reports. Never are students asked to "be creative" or "use their imaginations".

Here in the states, creativity and individual expression are encouraged. For example, for the average high school history presentation: one student might bring a musical compilation of songs that express their topic, one student might paint a painting, one student might write a theatrical skit, etc. Whatever is, for that student, the best way to express their ideas. There is a wide range of personal expression.

This is the one thing I think France should learn from the United States.

As for the other way around, the US needs to get culture. BAD. I'm not saying every person needs to memorize their Emily Post, but a little knowledge of etiquette would be nice. The French (if a bit snobbish - we won't go there) have a definate sophistication bred into them. It's not something that they think about from day to day, because it's just there. I can't explain it. They are a teeny bit more formal (I wanted to say polite, but I know I can't). They have certain marques de politesse that make life a joy. No matter how you look at it, we Americans are rude, blunt, and ignorant. We need to knock it off.

The fact that I care about this while living in a country that doesn't frequently makes me appear stuck up. I hate that. I'm not stuck up. I just think we're a country full of grumbly children. Sigh.

Anyway, there you go. That's my 2 cents.

Lost in translation

Okay, so one of the main reasons I took this job again this summer was that I would actually get to use some of my skills by doing some English-French translating. And now I've got a document to translate. And now I'm scared.

I never realized it, and it may not seem like it, but translating is stressful work. You're putting words in someone else's mouth. You may make them say something they didn't mean, or you may make them sound like a five-year-old, or you may make them completely incomprehensible. I fear that I am being trusted where I shouldn't be.

June 18, 2003

Hans and Frans have strong suits?

I want to go home I want to go home I want to go home.

After my visit to SI, I took the bus back to work. I'd thought I'd be gone longer, so I took the afternoon off, then found myself back at work with three hours to go. I didn't want to work when I'd already decided to myself that I had the afternoon off, so I just sat at my mom's computer and played with my archives. Unfortunately playing with my blog archives doesn't count as archives work. If I'd done actual work, I could have taken time off on... say... Friday afternoon.

But no. Time management is, perhaps, not my strong suit.

I like to read my archives

One year ago today I was in Copiap�, loudly speaking English.
One month ago today I was drunk in Virginia.
One week ago today I welcomed a visitor.
One day ago today I was wild about Harry.

And yourself?

Ess-are-ay-aitch goes to ess-eye

Went on my visit to SI. I think I am the only person on Earth who prounounces it "sigh" instead of "ess-eye". I am some kind of mutant. Among the various other things I learned/reheard, I found out that the School of Information has their own career services person. I was told that she can "videotape a mock interview" and heard instead that she can "videotape and mock interviews", and I think my eyes bugged out in fear. After my visit, I came back to work and my mom pointed out that my sweater was mis-buttoned. Way to make an impression.

I never walk around the campus during the day, but then I try to avoid walking around the campus at all. It's weird to see all the activity and millions and millions of people studying and working there, even during the summer. What have I gotten myself into? What is this huge, monstrous machine? I am frightened.

Of all the things to be Queen of...

I think my menu choices in American restaurants are solely based on which menu item will taste the best re-heated. I never ever finish anything in restaurants. I am the Doggy Bag Queen. They give you way too much food, and we are trained to clean our plates and think of all the starving children in Ohio or wherever the hell children are starving today. No wonder Americans are so fat.

The thing I hate is that you can order a salad and it's this enormous monstrosity. There are no small portions of anything. I don't want just a salad. I want a small salad, a small soup, a small sandwich, and a French fry or two. I want a varied meal, but I don't like that ordering a varied meal will keep me in leftovers for the rest of the week.

We'll collect the moments one by one/ I guess that's how the future's done - Feist, 'Mushaboom'

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June 2003 archive

June 30, 2003

June 29, 2003

June 27, 2003

June 26, 2003

June 25, 2003

June 24, 2003

June 23, 2003

June 22, 2003

June 21, 2003

June 20, 2003

June 19, 2003

June 18, 2003

We'll collect the moments one by one/ I guess that's how the future's done
- Feist, 'Mushaboom'