Where the Wild Things Are

Friday, July 30

After more than eight and a half hours spent around airports today there is quite nothing more to say. Luckily, I'm not sick in the least anymore, but the return home was like a smack in the face.

A great deal has happened recently--AP test scores, personal inhibitions, and the like--that has significantly lowered my self esteem. I have put a great effort into several incredibly mindless activities and inversely, did rather poorly of subjects which ultimately were of greater value. There is nothing of course, that can be done now, so all I can accomplish is to try a great deal harder. In addition, my personal failures have made me a tad jealous of my peers' achievements and thus, morose.

I just really miss everyone. There was no break for myself this summer, so school appears vaguely whimsical in nature.
Still, moods constantly shift in an attempt to maintain a steady emotional equilibrium...and tomorrow is just a good night's sleep away.

They say that if someone sleeps for less than eight hours a night, over half of one's memory of the previous day is erased.

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Monday, July 26

I apologize in advance for the unorganization of the following post. Blame the fever.

So I'm sitting at the business office's computer in the Residence Inn Montreal, running a high fever. Our apartment which we booked in advance turned out to be in the Montreal ghetto--definitely saw some illegal activities RIGHT next to the car I was resting in--so we hurridly checked into the closest downtown hotel we could find. Meanwhile, I have caught a mysterious Canadian virus which enables me to eat very little sustenance while running a high fever and feeling extremely faint. Of course, the rest of the family wanted to enjoy hiking trials earlier today, so I was stuck in the backseat of a car asleep for most of the day. I might have to fly home early if I don't get better. Le sigh.

In other news, very warm birthday regards are extended to both Warren and my dad, who turn 18 and 50 today, respectively. I spent twenty minutes hasseling AT&T today in attempts to speak with Warren but I have so far been unsuccessful. Ah well. Hopefully I will get better soon--although the family is doing okay with their slowly developing French abilites.

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Friday, July 23

Ah! Je suis in Quèbec, ou c'est très difficile. Prèmier, je ne sais pas comment ècier en la computer, parce que tout à la characters en la Français. Tout ici en Français, et je comprends un peur. J'oublier la plupart, et le grammer c'est horrible.

Le sigh.
Oh well.

Basically everything is in French here. I am taking lots of pictures and miss people. There is a great deal of culture shock here and I am slowly trying to get used to it all. Most of all, I am exhausted because I am not only having to translate everything, but must translate for the rest of my family as well. I thought there was supposed to be somewhat an amount of things in English...not so. It feels even weird typing because my brain is having to switch gears between languages so quickly. The words I write here are automatically being translated in my head as I type. Also, there is a great abundance of well dressed men here....maybe it's something in the water.

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Wednesday, July 21

Well, it's that time of year, folks, and the family has given the green light to a vacation. I'll be residing in Vermont (the land of Howard Dean), Montréal, and Québec City for the next few days. However, I will have Internet access throughout my trip. Therefore:
--Keep checking the blog; you never know what you might find.
--Feel free to Email Me! I will definitely be checking throughout my travels.
--Leave a comment concerning the latest trend to shake the blogosphere (below). I don't care if you left one on the livejournal, do it again!

1. Who are you?
2. Are we friends?
3. When and how did we meet?
4. Do you have a crush on me?
5. Would you kiss me?
6. Describe me in one word.
7. What was your first impression?
8. Do you still think that way about me now?
9. What reminds you of me?
10. If you could give me anything what would it be?
11. How well do you know me?
12. When's the last time you saw me?
13. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
14. Are you going to put this on your blog and see what I say about you?

Thanks folks. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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For years, individuals have been remarking about the decline of civilization from reality television programs. As a country united, America has already seen ugly people become beautiful, beautiful people become married, and married people travel around the world with both ugly and beautiful people. That being said, it seemed as though reality TV couldn't possibly get any worse...until UPN decided to get involved.

Everyone's tired of the reality tv blitz--including congressmen and affiliate stations, who begged UPN producers to preview their new show, and possibly yankit from the season's lineup. UPN refused, and instead decided to air the first broadcast next Wednesday at 8 pm ET/PT. The show? Amish in the City, which follows a group of five hot Amish folk aged 18-24--as well as five "normal" kids--as they are immersed in metropolitan, Hollywood society.

I mean, I could see getting attention seeking dimwits and hot celebrities involved in this phenomenon, but the AMISH? Poor, poor, souls. Read a description of the participants here.

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Tuesday, July 20

I'm rather critical of the Star Spangles, a New-York based indie band that gives significant nods to the classic garage band rock scene. This band has catchy melodies, a rather large bit of raw talent, and an honest-to-goodness enthusiasm for their music. The only problem with this band is that they sound like everything else out there right now--you could put the Vines and the Strokes together and never know the difference between them and the Star Spangles. Also, in the song "Party" the bass line sounds eerily like that of an Angus Diego song. And the lead guitarist is named Tommy Volume? Come on.

Yet the Star Spangles have something that sets them apart from so many other bands out there--they have EMOTION. They don't look bored playing their instruments. They say what they feel. And after all, it's always good to be open to new music. Listen to my favorite song by the band, I Don't Wanna be Crazy Anymore, here.

"We're bums," Tommy Volume tells Rolling Stone, "I was on welfare until we signed. We're still poor, but now we have something to do during the day."

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You know, when you do a Google images search for the word "vote", this comes up:

I really hope that everyone went and voted today; the polls are still open until 7:30 for any last minute voters. Anyway, I woke up at 6:30 and headed on over to the polling places, working with Janet Cowell herself to try and capture the swing vote of many various senior citizens. It's been quite a long day, but full of good times and valuable information regarding the political process.

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Monday, July 19

Naked electrical wires? Hmmm. Apparently, an Indian holy man zaps himself daily with electricity in order to get a "kick".

"It's reported he brushed against a live wire sometime ago and found the sensation to be so good he can no longer do without his daily dose.
...
"Dr Amit Chaturvedi of the Lalitpur Civil Hospital said: 'The human body can absorb currents up to 12 volts. In this case however, repeated exposure to electricity seems to have built up his body's tolerance levels to as much as 16 volts.'"

Kids, don't try this at home--or in a physics classroom. You know who you are....

.....Warren.

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Saturday, July 17

She climbed upstairs, disoriented in the steps of her own household. The banister had become well worn by this time with the grease of many hands, but she payed no mind. She felt the hardwood floors but did not recognize them as hers. She reached the landing and treaded to the adjacent bathroom, her footprints barely leaving marks on the freshly vacuumed carpet. Downstairs, a poignant scene appeared on the television, all that she heard were the curious and frightened breaths of the actors. Someone else had won a football championship, or died while winning the lottery, or seen her lover standing behind a clothesline. Above the scene, she stood bathed in orange nightlights of the bathroom, staring straight ahead. She reached and flipped on the lightswitch like a lucid dream after a restless night's sleep.

She looked at herself in the mirror, suddenly noticing the crevices and curves of her face for the first time. Her lips were pale, scarcely a shade lighter than the color of her skin. Her eyebrows seemed cartoonish, drawn into two distinct shapes upon her browbone. Her eyes, almond-shaped and narrow, suddenly seemed much rounder and childish. The television below her uttered a high pitched scream. A monster was attacking.

Daydreaming, she thought back to the party hours before, when she had let down her guard. No one was supposed to know, and she had told him. He had given her hope concerning improbable circumstances, though his words did little to steady her conscience now. She contemplated all of the others, and almost threw up. There had been so many, a swimming pool of names and faces that accounted for past moments. And one she still could not forget. She understood it like a banquet, the tricks of fate displaying the tempting silver platters of bountiful gourmet. And suddenly, she was very hungry. It was all too easy. The hero upon the floor below kissed his heroine, and the music began to build rapidly. She looked at herself again, as if attempting to memorize each wet eyelash surrounding her lids.

The ending credits began, a series of swift crescendos that left little room for the musicians to breathe. She stumbled blindly into another room and turned on the computer, the blue light steadily calming her like an escapist opiate. The words of others washed over her like a summer tide. She forced herself to forget.

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Finally finished Environmental Science!
Watch as I smite the hydrosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere of the earth while becoming a first-rate environmental steward that understand the delicate balance of biodiversity throughout our planet!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggg!

Tremble in the presence of the conqueror, the one who just finished of 6 weeks of massive assignments, labs, tests, and several eloquently written essays. Over 50 homework assignments complete in the last month alone!

Now, I will go die from exhaustion or something of that sort.

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Friday, July 16

Ah, but isn't everyone?

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Thursday, July 15

It's an okay picture.

Got my driver's license!
Yeah yeah yeah!

We went to Capital Boulevard yesterday and waited for half an hour (I had forgotten to bring any reading material, so it was quite boring), but then Dear Mum had an appointment so we left. So today, we tried the Garner DMV. I waited for approximately forty minutes, and practiced my French in the waiting room. Finally, a large bald police officer who looked like he was better suited to be a bouncer at a upscale nightclub walked me outside to the car. We drove around a bit. He didn't even write anything down on his little clipboard! Twas a good sign indeed.

After completeing a stellar parking job, the police officer looked over at me critically through opaque sunglasses.

"Well, you passed," he said, "but you drove too slow. Also, you don't have to stop behind the stop sign and inch up; just stop once where you can see."

"Okay, but I went to another DMV and failed because I didn't stop behind the stop sign."

He chuckled, a large bouncer-esque chuckle that reminded me of a Norweigan Darth Vader. "Ohhh...I know who failed youuuu."

I <3 Garner DMV.
Upon receiving my license, the first task I performed was to drive to Radioshack and the library with my brother. You know, after failing three times and visiting the DMV on six occasions (not including today) to obtain such a small laminated rectangle, I feel no excitement. Just appreciation. Still, I'm probably a lot more appreciative of my license than many other individuals.

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Wednesday, July 14

The NY Daily News has an interesting article about the change in viewpoints that music has made since the War in Iraq began. Among other things, the article states, "...Sean Ross of Edison Media Research says that over the last 15 months, songs addressing the Iraqi war on the radio have shifted dramatically from endorsing it to questioning it." Apparently, even country music has switched over on the issues--"When I started taping war songs 15 months ago," he says, "at least three-quarters were pro-war or pro-soldier, though the latter weren't always the former. Now, it's at least 75% against the war - and even the country songs, which tend to support it, seem more reflective."

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Tuesday, July 13

Well, I'm back. And I was going to post pictures of my rainbow-colored bruised-up gross-looking knees, but decided for the safety and stomachs of these readers that they were not suitable content for this site. Ewww.

Ah yes, Pennsylvania was quite an experience, especially my Granny's down-home cooking. These tasty dishes included cranberry-apricot-banana-scrambled eggs bread, baked "stir-fry" chicken in an "Asian" sauce (potatoes, tomatos, peas, green beans, gravy, and carrots), walnut banana bread with white raisins, and a rice-raisin dessert. Needless to say, it is good to be home. Madeline and I would sneak off and buy donuts at the corner store to avoid Granny's cooking.

Pictures coming later, I swear. My mommy took very few so I may have to borrow Madeline's.

Finally, we watched hours of coverage yesterday evening discussing tomorrow's voting on the Marriage Amendment in Congress. And I have been praying that this amendment soon becomes stopped in its tracks. Wonder what that says about my religion.

Why are people supporting an Amendment to deprive individuals of their rights? I watched the 700 Club, network news, and anti-gay press conferences for hours, and I just cannot fathom these radicals' thought processes! Why are people concerned about events that do not affect them? How are people spreading God's Love by attempting to eliminate the love of others? Moreover, why can't we all just get along and be happy?

Such is the trouble of humanity.

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Sunday, July 11

So far, the lovely highways and woodlands of Pennsylvania have been quite eventful. Madeline and I will attempt to recount some of our trip experiences thus far for your reading pleasure:

Hersheypark—We rode all eight (8!) of the roller coasters offered at the park, including the newest attraction, STORM RUNNER. Powered by a complicated system of hydraulics, this bright red speed demon would shoot from 0 to 72 miles an hour in just 2 short seconds. After standing in line for almost an hour, we quite enjoyed the 47-second ride. Our favorite roller coaster, however, was the Great Bear, because the 87-second ride, compounded with the sensation of your naked feet blowing in the wind upside down, was quite an experience. Other attractions included three wooden roller coasters (which where altogether very rickety), the SuperDuperLooper (where gravitational forces pushed my upper body down to my knees, much to the amusement of Madeline), and Sidewinder, a backwards roller coaster where we sustained ear damage.

Other highlights of Hersheypark were buying the overpriced food, and taking a trip through Chocolate World, a quite cheesy simulated tour of a chocolate factory. It made me crave Willy Wonka. Madeline and I startled our tour passengers by hysterically laughing at certain portions of the tour—especially the “mooing” cows. We took our pictures with a giant chocolate bar (pictures to come soon!), viewed our hilarious faces in the photo shops after riding all of the aforementioned roller coasters, and finally, rode the carousel with lots of young children and a quite fruity Irishman.

Gettysburg—This historic town is currently the site of Bike Week, where literally thousands of cocky motorcycle riders parade about the town. It is definitely a noisy experience, having to shout to be heard when walking about the town. We also drove around the battlefield, and climbed a monument. Legally.

The town stuck in the 80’s—Hanover, PA. Quite a town, to say the least. We walked two blocks yesterday evening to Magic Elm Skateland, a giant roller-skating rink (without inline skates, mind you!). Many women there had very greasy crusty-banged, mulletesque hairdos, and everyone appeared to be related. It was a little creepy. We both fell once; while Madeline fell on the carpet exiting the skate rink and left virtually unscathed, I was not so lucky and now have technicolored bruises on my knees—you can actually see my veins (pictures to come later…or not)!

Earlier, we ate at the Hanover Diner, open 24 hours. There, I ordered what my Granny entitled the “Man Dinner”, consisting of a salad, dinner roll, applesauce, mashed potatoes, five giant chicken strips, and a fried carrot. I ate everything except some of the chicken strips, which are now resting in the refrigerator, and the fried carrot, which was abandoned on my plate.

Did we mention the average SAT score in this county is 818? We’re not kidding.

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Thursday, July 8

For the next week, I shall be in Pennsylvania with Madeline, mommy, and my nine year old brother. We are visiting the land of chocolate. Don't worry, I'm still completing homework every day--thus still posting. Perhaps a park escapade or two will eventually be seen here in the near or distant future.

Flock to this site like Mr.Slugworth to an everlasting gobstopper.

Maybe in Pennsylvania I will meet Willy Wonka.

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Wednesday, July 7

Nate has presented a lovely account of the office life--although he failed to mention that the other "co-worker" had an obsession with calling his friends, going on the Internet, and attempting to download sound files about erm, sexual subjects onto Bekka's mother's computer. Not exactly proper etiquette, eh?

Today was definitely the best day at the office, though. Nate and I decided tune into a salsa radio station on the computer while we entered chart information like the awesome employees we are. Lunch was good, and it was stellar to absorb some peer interaction after being confined to the back of the office all week, entering charts for hours on end, silently alone. That is, of course, between answering faxes. Because, I am, of course, the fax master.

Yes, I am also the chart master. Quiver in doom. Has anyone tuned into a lovely PAX game show entitled "Supermarket Sweep" late at night? That's what pulling charts has become--a frenzied race, timing oneself in order to frantically locate the most charts in the shortest amount of time. It keeps life interesting.

Likewise, Nate is the sanity master. He is good for moments when you're about to hyperventaliate. Keep this in mind, folks.

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Tuesday, July 6

I may be a neophyte when it comes to learning fun vocabulary, but a Livejournal Community called "badassvocab" constantly posts new and pulchridious words for your viewing (and learning) pleasure! This site could make your words abstruse, or people may revel in your voluble synergies of esquipedalian phrases. You could even take on some pedantic tendencies! It may be a pleonasm, but I think many of you would quite enjoy this website. Try it.

Be sure to slip some words in during your family dinnertime conversations. Or just mumble some under your breath.

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Saturday, July 3

Happy Fourth of July!

The new car-about-town, just in time for the summer holidays.

The interior is hot, too!

You have to push a button to start it...there is no key, only a small rectangular box that you insert. It's reminiscent of the Sci-Fi channel.

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Friday, July 2

1924-2004
Marlon Brando once owned a dachshund.
During this time in his life, he was bright, chipper, and very handsome.

Later in his life, Marlon became quite large, but was still considered one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century.

Unfortunately his dachshund and the Marlon Brando we know and love have since both died. The Kansas City Star puts it best:
"By the time Marlon Brando had ballooned past the point where he could sit on a motorcycle, he had transmogrified from method actor into myth."

Shortly before he died, Brando had been working on script changes for his new movie, "Brando and Brando", reports the Associated Press for the Miami Herald.
"The $5.5 million movie, with its message of the weak verses the strong, would have suited the rebel Brando who spent his life supporting underdog causes.

'Brando and Brando' tells the story of a young Tunisian who journeys to the United States in pursuit of the American dream - embodied by Brando. But the dream quickly fades into disillusionment to expose what the script portrays as the unfair balance between the powerful West and the rest of the world.

The movie was to be filmed in July and August in Los Angeles and Tunisia, with Brando filming during a 10-day period in Los Angeles, said Behi."

Filming will continue as scheduled, though Brando will not be replaced.
Marlon, we will miss you. However, I have a feeling you will live on through comical doodles upon the white boards of high school classrooms.

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24
To Do Between Midnight Last Night....and Midnight Tonight:
--Arrive home soaking wet from Millbrook party
--Sleep for 5 hours
--Wake up at 6:30
--Walk the dog, feed the dog and cat
--Work at the office for 4 1/2 hours, filing charts
--Write three paragraphs for YLA Co-Chair application
--Write two papers for environmental science
--Create and draft a bill concerning tax credits for hybrid energy vehicles in North Carolina
--Take completed YLA Co-Chair application downtown
--Complete three environmental science study guides
--Receive email from Rob Jenkins
--Complete an environmental science bulletin board prompt
--Receive e-mail vetoing course changes next year
--Practice piano for 45 minutes
--Contact Erin Hanehan in regards to travel plans next week
--Receive angry phone calls from my mother
--Walk the dog again
--Enjoy the beginning of the weekend


Who said summer was lazy?

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