I love Thanksgiving. Insane family, Good food, and a Thankful spirit, all with plenty to go around.
I love waking up and smelling the Turkey already in the oven.
I love when Grandma and Grandpa get here first and I can show off to Grandma how good I'm getting at piano.
I love when my Aunt and Uncle have their transmission break down in the middle of the lane on the freeway and their AAA card expired last month so Dad and Grandpa are off to go rescue them in a car that won't fit them all anyway while I stay home searching and calling every rental car place between Corona and Temecula and the ONLY ones open today HAPPEN to be at the Ontario Airport. Not good business on the agencies' part.
I love when my insane relatives finally come over and I'm left to care for their ill-behaved children
I love trying to escape everything but the noise of people trying to debate politics (even after the election) and my Uncle being a show off with his medical expertise (most of which I think is a ton of crock.I was surprised he didn't chew me out for not seeing a physical therapist for my finger [because it doesn't bend straight] like he chewed out my dad) is incredibly stressful.
I love getting sick to my stomach right after dinner and sleeping (somewhat) for the next two hours, until just after everyone had left. I DID feel bad that I missed cleanup.
I love sharing a pillow with my dog as Mom, Dad, Sister, and I all crashed on the couch to watch old reruns and Disney movies. (The Incredibles was on tonight. It's amazing)
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year. It was really cool getting (excuse the fact that I'm a product of the 21'st century) over two dozen texts from friends and family wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving, and THEN going through my contact list and sending well wishes back! Black Friday is tomorrow. It's ALMOST tempting to peruse around some stores and see what they have to offer. I have MOST of my stuff bought already, but there are a few people still present-less on my list. But come ON people! There are already some insane shoppers lining up outside of department stores. WHAT is so important that it requires getting good workers out of bed early, just so you can start your shopping at FOUR THIRTY IN THE MORNING?!?!?!? sorry...
Anywho, I hope everyone had and excellent Thanksgiving. I'll say this much: mom made cooked and excellent Turkey, made perfect because she BRINED it overnight! Delicious! And there were about 7 pies, plus one that never settled, none of which were eaten, and four of which, only one family in attendance actually ate! (We're not a big pumpkin family)
One of the ladies at work said the cutest thing yesterday, and I just had to share it. It won't sound nearly as cute because you don't know Michelle and a computer can't pull off her voice, but it was a quote from Winnie the Pooh:
"I wasn't going to EATs it Rabbit! I was only going to TASTE it!"
Gotta love it.
Oh well. That was my insane Thanksgiving. Now, Merry Christmas!!!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Whoa Dang!
I've got over 100 hits on my blog! Woo!! I always love hitting the 100 mark on things.
Let's see...what's new...what's new?
I went to see the Twilight premier...it was incredible. I only waited in line for 5 1/2 hours. Which is more than Harry Potter 5, which I waited in line for for 3 hours, but was about in the same place in line. Crazy, I know. Twilight actually made #3 in "most pre-sale tickets sold", beat only by The Dark Night, and "Star Wars...III", I believe. And is in the top ten somewhere for greatest revenue or whatever they call it for the first weekend.
I'm...grounded again. It doesn't happen that often really. Twice a year, tops. That old adage, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten", apparently does not work in high school. So when I skated through my classes with a 4.0 Freshman year, then with a 3.6 Sophomore, I SHOULD have seen the trend. It is apparently impossible for me to get through this years AP classes the same way I got through last years AP class. Whoops, my bad. It MAY also be impossible for me to also have a job and an extra college course, but I haven't really decided on that one yet. Anyway, as a result of my laziness I'm spending my Thanksgiving Break exactly as I had intended: going to work and doing homework. Except now, it's forced, not my choice, and if any of my friends were in town or healthy, I would not be able to hang with them. Either way, there is no one to hang with anyway.
I also baked two desserts today and made myself rangoons. YUM! But the desserts weren't for me. They are for the NHS (National Honor Society) bake sale I have tomorrow. Bummed it's on a Sunday, but I need to go so I'll work half a shift. All the proceeds are going to the Humane Society, so it's not all bad, right?
By the way, One may not truly appreciate how long a Dr. Suess book is, specifically "Green Eggs and Ham" until they are standing in front of a class holding up the book and turning pages while their friend is signing EVERY STINKING WORD. The point was for us to get the hang of translating, which means not using "Signed English" (Signing word for word) but using standard American Sign Language and turning each sentence into a phrase. So instead of "I do not like them Sam I Am" it's "I - not like - [point] - [name sign for Sam I Am]" It's a lot simpler and less tiring. Learn Sign Language, it's good for you. :)
Let's see...what's new...what's new?
I went to see the Twilight premier...it was incredible. I only waited in line for 5 1/2 hours. Which is more than Harry Potter 5, which I waited in line for for 3 hours, but was about in the same place in line. Crazy, I know. Twilight actually made #3 in "most pre-sale tickets sold", beat only by The Dark Night, and "Star Wars...III", I believe. And is in the top ten somewhere for greatest revenue or whatever they call it for the first weekend.
I'm...grounded again. It doesn't happen that often really. Twice a year, tops. That old adage, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten", apparently does not work in high school. So when I skated through my classes with a 4.0 Freshman year, then with a 3.6 Sophomore, I SHOULD have seen the trend. It is apparently impossible for me to get through this years AP classes the same way I got through last years AP class. Whoops, my bad. It MAY also be impossible for me to also have a job and an extra college course, but I haven't really decided on that one yet. Anyway, as a result of my laziness I'm spending my Thanksgiving Break exactly as I had intended: going to work and doing homework. Except now, it's forced, not my choice, and if any of my friends were in town or healthy, I would not be able to hang with them. Either way, there is no one to hang with anyway.
I also baked two desserts today and made myself rangoons. YUM! But the desserts weren't for me. They are for the NHS (National Honor Society) bake sale I have tomorrow. Bummed it's on a Sunday, but I need to go so I'll work half a shift. All the proceeds are going to the Humane Society, so it's not all bad, right?
By the way, One may not truly appreciate how long a Dr. Suess book is, specifically "Green Eggs and Ham" until they are standing in front of a class holding up the book and turning pages while their friend is signing EVERY STINKING WORD. The point was for us to get the hang of translating, which means not using "Signed English" (Signing word for word) but using standard American Sign Language and turning each sentence into a phrase. So instead of "I do not like them Sam I Am" it's "I - not like - [point] - [name sign for Sam I Am]" It's a lot simpler and less tiring. Learn Sign Language, it's good for you. :)
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Follow Up on Sound and Fury
For anyone who cares all too much, this is the essay I ended up writing for English. I don't like it that much; I'm suffering a sever case of writers block tonight. Oh well. Enjoy if you can:
Leroy Brownlow once said, “There are times when silence has the loudest voice”. But what is silence? Is it something that we must live with, or something we could not live without? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines silence as forbearance from speech or noise, absence of sound, or absence of mention. Silence is nothing more than a concept, an idea subjective to each individual person’s definition.
Noise is the opposite of silence, and noise is all around us. Noise can be beautiful just as easily as it can be revolting. People talk but say nothing; shouting, sirens, horns, alarms, arguing, contention; all derive mainly from noise. There is a reason many monks live in silence. Their lifestyle reflects their desire to find the things and hear the sounds that are missed when we are too busy talking to listen. Mankind could learn from them. We live in a world where kids and adults alike seem to only be able to thrive in a noisy world. They hear only from the earphones tamped in their ears and would not even hear it if all the books in the world burned. I too have felt the addiction to noise tear at me as I sit in a quiet classroom attempting to work, unable to focus my thoughts. But as I grow more accustomed to silence, I learn to feel its beauty; to recognize what I had been missing when all I heard was what I put directly in my ear. Psychologists have analyzed that those same people who feel a need to hear music and noise constantly, are those who are too afraid to be alone with their own thoughts.
Consider the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. They live in relative silence, but only because a part of their body does not receive the sound, not because the world is void of sound waves. To them, silence is normal, and often if a noise is to be heard at all, it must be so loud and at such a frequency as to further damage the ears, and is often physically painful. Imagine living in a world where a person does not even hear thoughts in their head, but instead feels the concept. Without ever knowing the sound of a word, it could not be ‘heard’ in their head. A word could be seen as it is to be spelled, and what it represents, but that word would have no sounds that went along with it.
Anatomically, when a person speaks, they can mainly hear only themselves because they hear both their voice in waves, as well as the vibrations through their bones. My teachers always told me if I wanted to be a better listener, I needed to be less of a talker. They were right. Must we spend a year in silence to better understand the sound of a whisper? Probably not, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea every now and then to turn off the sound and just listen to what is there. One may find that silence is not as empty as they first believed. When a grand orchestra finishes a song, and everyone has stopped playing, a patron may hear the literally loud silence that happens after the last note and before the applause, because the resonance still rings in the air. Even silent movies had background music. Silence is a conduit of thought through which a person may truly find themselves, because even in silence, there never really seems to be any absence of sound, noise, or thought.
Though beautiful, silence can at times be painful. There is a reason we use the ‘silent treatment’ as children, and even sometimes as adults. The silence is meant to not only keep the upset from speaking something they may regret, but to spurn the recipient into sorrow, remorse, and maybe even pain at the realization of how they hurt the dealer of the silence. Silence is a shield and a dagger, used to preserve and to pierce. An unknown author depicted it perfectly: “Spiteful words can hurt your feelings but silence breaks your heart.”
So what is silence? Is it the absence of sound, noise, and speech as the dictionary says, or is it simply an absence of needless loud distractions? Silence can be harming, demeaning, derogatory, disgraceful, ignorant, and rude, or it may be peaceful, pleasing, relaxing, settling, and full of wisdom. What we say rings out long after we have stopped speaking. What we do rings out long after we have stopped acting. Silent defiance speaks volumes, when used in the right way. Silent acceptance sings sonnets when used in the correct context. Sometimes we need to get angry. Sometimes we need to be heard. Sometimes we need to speak up for what we know is right. Other times, we need to stay silent. When the world is throwing its accusations every which way, speaking in haste and anger would only be confirming its allegations. Abraham Lincoln said, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt". Just because something can make less sound then a whisper does not make it any less powerful than a double-edged sword.
Leroy Brownlow once said, “There are times when silence has the loudest voice”. But what is silence? Is it something that we must live with, or something we could not live without? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines silence as forbearance from speech or noise, absence of sound, or absence of mention. Silence is nothing more than a concept, an idea subjective to each individual person’s definition.
Noise is the opposite of silence, and noise is all around us. Noise can be beautiful just as easily as it can be revolting. People talk but say nothing; shouting, sirens, horns, alarms, arguing, contention; all derive mainly from noise. There is a reason many monks live in silence. Their lifestyle reflects their desire to find the things and hear the sounds that are missed when we are too busy talking to listen. Mankind could learn from them. We live in a world where kids and adults alike seem to only be able to thrive in a noisy world. They hear only from the earphones tamped in their ears and would not even hear it if all the books in the world burned. I too have felt the addiction to noise tear at me as I sit in a quiet classroom attempting to work, unable to focus my thoughts. But as I grow more accustomed to silence, I learn to feel its beauty; to recognize what I had been missing when all I heard was what I put directly in my ear. Psychologists have analyzed that those same people who feel a need to hear music and noise constantly, are those who are too afraid to be alone with their own thoughts.
Consider the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. They live in relative silence, but only because a part of their body does not receive the sound, not because the world is void of sound waves. To them, silence is normal, and often if a noise is to be heard at all, it must be so loud and at such a frequency as to further damage the ears, and is often physically painful. Imagine living in a world where a person does not even hear thoughts in their head, but instead feels the concept. Without ever knowing the sound of a word, it could not be ‘heard’ in their head. A word could be seen as it is to be spelled, and what it represents, but that word would have no sounds that went along with it.
Anatomically, when a person speaks, they can mainly hear only themselves because they hear both their voice in waves, as well as the vibrations through their bones. My teachers always told me if I wanted to be a better listener, I needed to be less of a talker. They were right. Must we spend a year in silence to better understand the sound of a whisper? Probably not, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea every now and then to turn off the sound and just listen to what is there. One may find that silence is not as empty as they first believed. When a grand orchestra finishes a song, and everyone has stopped playing, a patron may hear the literally loud silence that happens after the last note and before the applause, because the resonance still rings in the air. Even silent movies had background music. Silence is a conduit of thought through which a person may truly find themselves, because even in silence, there never really seems to be any absence of sound, noise, or thought.
Though beautiful, silence can at times be painful. There is a reason we use the ‘silent treatment’ as children, and even sometimes as adults. The silence is meant to not only keep the upset from speaking something they may regret, but to spurn the recipient into sorrow, remorse, and maybe even pain at the realization of how they hurt the dealer of the silence. Silence is a shield and a dagger, used to preserve and to pierce. An unknown author depicted it perfectly: “Spiteful words can hurt your feelings but silence breaks your heart.”
So what is silence? Is it the absence of sound, noise, and speech as the dictionary says, or is it simply an absence of needless loud distractions? Silence can be harming, demeaning, derogatory, disgraceful, ignorant, and rude, or it may be peaceful, pleasing, relaxing, settling, and full of wisdom. What we say rings out long after we have stopped speaking. What we do rings out long after we have stopped acting. Silent defiance speaks volumes, when used in the right way. Silent acceptance sings sonnets when used in the correct context. Sometimes we need to get angry. Sometimes we need to be heard. Sometimes we need to speak up for what we know is right. Other times, we need to stay silent. When the world is throwing its accusations every which way, speaking in haste and anger would only be confirming its allegations. Abraham Lincoln said, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt". Just because something can make less sound then a whisper does not make it any less powerful than a double-edged sword.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
My Night at the Ball
Last night I had a once in a life time opportunity (most likely) to attend the March Field Military Ball, "An Anniversary Salute". Let me tell you, it was incredible. Like nothing I had seen before, accepting maybe the changing of the guard at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. The Ball began with me putting on my really nice formal gown (brand new, $25, Salvation Army), the cute little jacket my mom made me to make it modest, sitting for half an hour while mom made my hair just right, then spending the next two hours helping others get ready. Then we drove out to Riverside, all VERY hungry, and walked through the foyer of alcohol-thirsty Ball go-ers and wedding attendees from the room next door, and into the Ballroom. It was incredible! We found our table at the very front, right next to the stage (it helps when the one taking you to the Ball has a father that's a colonel and is #2 over all the base[love ya Bri]) then pushed my dear friend's mom in her wheelchair to the back to find the bed set up for her. After about 30 minutes of trying to locate said bed, we finally found it, then got to sit down at our table with all our names typed out on cute little cards and a delicious looking salad already set out. (Remember, by this point we were even hungrier.) BUT, military protocol forbade us from touching it. In fact, here all the March Field Military Ball "Rules of Engagement":
1. Thou shalt wear the appropriate attire
2. Thou shalt be seated in the dining room prior to 1845 hours
3. Thou shalt not leave the dining room or cause disturbance during military ceremonies. Military protocol overrides all calls of nature or thirst for beverage
4. Thou shalt give respect to whomever commands the floor
5. Thou shalt not consume thy meal until the Wing Commander announces, "Dinner is Served"
6 Though shalt consume thy meal in a manner becoming a gentleperson
7. Thou shalt not engage in allowing any portion of thy meal to become airborne
8 Thou shalt enjoy thyself to the fullest without offending the local constabulary
Once everyone was seated, the Honored Guests were introduced (I was a guest of an honored guest...very fun), the Distinguished Visitors were introduced, and then my favorite part of the entire night began. The flags were presented from each branch of the Armed Forces with members of those forces presenting them, and to see the regal of those men was astonishing. Everything was perfect and pristine, exact to a T, exactly like you would want the protecting you to behave. To see each flag get walked up the aisle, then slowly bowed down (I never learned the technical term for the flags being lowered as they were presented) and raised up. After the Armed Forces' flags came the California flag, and then, finally, the American Flag. Little can ever be seen as patriotically beautiful as a man in uniform solemnly carrying that flag up to join the others, and then seeing the American Flag stay upright as the others all, (in perfect unison, might I add) bowed under it. Incredible. After the National Anthem was sung, the flags were posted in another beautiful ceremony. A brief prayer followed, then came the POW/MIA service. Did you know that at all formal military gatherings where there is eating involved, a place is set for the POW/MIA's that would have been there were they not at that moment lost? Another ceremony took place where the same men who carried the flags carried a hat from their military branch and placed it, in a very uniform and ceremonial way, on the table. The symbolism of everything on and about the table was read aloud, and one POW/MIA from each branch was named and saluted, one lost as recent as the 90's, one lost as long ago as the Cold War.
The Airmen's Creed was featured, then came the Honor Guard. Six men from around the country bearing rifles or a saber came in and, to a cadence perfectly practiced and polished, proceeded to throw real, functioning rifles with a real bayonet fixed to the end to each other and in the air and down their backs. It was amazing incredible insane...still searching for the right word. The way it was set up was there were four riflemen in a square, one man in the center with his saber how did not move the entire time except to walk on and off stage, and one other rifleman who stood a bit of a ways off and simply watched, but all men were in perfect formation, and NEVER broke cadence. Now this wasn't your color guard baton tossing foolishness. Oh no! This was let's toss our bayonetted rifles through the air then catch them in rhythm with the pointy ends ON the Saberman's throat...in unison. Or lets all put our rifles in the air then suddenly place them all down, one at a time, so the pointy ends make a box around Saberman's head! Then let's toss them in the air and roll them down our backs and catch them, then throw them at each other!!!!! Their prestige was phenomenal. But then the unexpected happened. One of the men dropped his rifle. You could hear a pin drop; the room was silent. No one moved, I was in shock. How could he drop his rifle? With that much training and work and honor... did they still flog people in the military? But...get this...still, there was no lapse in the cadence. We were able to see what the sixth man was for. Every man in the formation froze exactly where they were. The man who dropped his came to attention. The sixth man marched up, placed his rifle in the man's hands, then picked up the dropped rifle and marched back to his place. As soon as he was back in place, the cadence began again, as if nothing had ever stopped it.
Finally! A very nice dinner was served, and the bar was opened, and people drank and danced and danced and drank. I made friends with the uniformed techies in the back with Bri's mom. Then we went home...around midnight. Bri and I made videos in the back of the car on the way, I went into an empty convenience store in the middle of the night IN my dress, and then I got home and crashed in bed. We DID get a Novelty Anniversary Wine glass, an awesome novelty March Anniversary coin, a sweet name tag with "Miss Thompson" on it, a really good use out of a cheap dress, and, of course, the memories.
What I learned:
Military is awesome. Uniforms are handsome. Drunk people are FUNNY dancers.
More people need to see/have/feel the respect those men gave to their nation, their flags, their comrades in arms, and their honor. Nothing can beat it.
1. Thou shalt wear the appropriate attire
2. Thou shalt be seated in the dining room prior to 1845 hours
3. Thou shalt not leave the dining room or cause disturbance during military ceremonies. Military protocol overrides all calls of nature or thirst for beverage
4. Thou shalt give respect to whomever commands the floor
5. Thou shalt not consume thy meal until the Wing Commander announces, "Dinner is Served"
6 Though shalt consume thy meal in a manner becoming a gentleperson
7. Thou shalt not engage in allowing any portion of thy meal to become airborne
8 Thou shalt enjoy thyself to the fullest without offending the local constabulary
Once everyone was seated, the Honored Guests were introduced (I was a guest of an honored guest...very fun), the Distinguished Visitors were introduced, and then my favorite part of the entire night began. The flags were presented from each branch of the Armed Forces with members of those forces presenting them, and to see the regal of those men was astonishing. Everything was perfect and pristine, exact to a T, exactly like you would want the protecting you to behave. To see each flag get walked up the aisle, then slowly bowed down (I never learned the technical term for the flags being lowered as they were presented) and raised up. After the Armed Forces' flags came the California flag, and then, finally, the American Flag. Little can ever be seen as patriotically beautiful as a man in uniform solemnly carrying that flag up to join the others, and then seeing the American Flag stay upright as the others all, (in perfect unison, might I add) bowed under it. Incredible. After the National Anthem was sung, the flags were posted in another beautiful ceremony. A brief prayer followed, then came the POW/MIA service. Did you know that at all formal military gatherings where there is eating involved, a place is set for the POW/MIA's that would have been there were they not at that moment lost? Another ceremony took place where the same men who carried the flags carried a hat from their military branch and placed it, in a very uniform and ceremonial way, on the table. The symbolism of everything on and about the table was read aloud, and one POW/MIA from each branch was named and saluted, one lost as recent as the 90's, one lost as long ago as the Cold War.
The Airmen's Creed was featured, then came the Honor Guard. Six men from around the country bearing rifles or a saber came in and, to a cadence perfectly practiced and polished, proceeded to throw real, functioning rifles with a real bayonet fixed to the end to each other and in the air and down their backs. It was amazing incredible insane...still searching for the right word. The way it was set up was there were four riflemen in a square, one man in the center with his saber how did not move the entire time except to walk on and off stage, and one other rifleman who stood a bit of a ways off and simply watched, but all men were in perfect formation, and NEVER broke cadence. Now this wasn't your color guard baton tossing foolishness. Oh no! This was let's toss our bayonetted rifles through the air then catch them in rhythm with the pointy ends ON the Saberman's throat...in unison. Or lets all put our rifles in the air then suddenly place them all down, one at a time, so the pointy ends make a box around Saberman's head! Then let's toss them in the air and roll them down our backs and catch them, then throw them at each other!!!!! Their prestige was phenomenal. But then the unexpected happened. One of the men dropped his rifle. You could hear a pin drop; the room was silent. No one moved, I was in shock. How could he drop his rifle? With that much training and work and honor... did they still flog people in the military? But...get this...still, there was no lapse in the cadence. We were able to see what the sixth man was for. Every man in the formation froze exactly where they were. The man who dropped his came to attention. The sixth man marched up, placed his rifle in the man's hands, then picked up the dropped rifle and marched back to his place. As soon as he was back in place, the cadence began again, as if nothing had ever stopped it.
Finally! A very nice dinner was served, and the bar was opened, and people drank and danced and danced and drank. I made friends with the uniformed techies in the back with Bri's mom. Then we went home...around midnight. Bri and I made videos in the back of the car on the way, I went into an empty convenience store in the middle of the night IN my dress, and then I got home and crashed in bed. We DID get a Novelty Anniversary Wine glass, an awesome novelty March Anniversary coin, a sweet name tag with "Miss Thompson" on it, a really good use out of a cheap dress, and, of course, the memories.
What I learned:
Military is awesome. Uniforms are handsome. Drunk people are FUNNY dancers.
More people need to see/have/feel the respect those men gave to their nation, their flags, their comrades in arms, and their honor. Nothing can beat it.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Because I Should Be Doing Homework
This is what I do when I should be doing other things. But you know, I have an excuse today. Kinda...
After going to seminary, then school, then staying for lunch and 6th period (which I usually refer to differently than school, because it's my work experience class, and I'm usually only at school for lunch and 6th period once a week, the rest of the time I leave after 5th) I went to work for a few hours to make up since I took the day off yesterday in favor of getting an extra 6 hours of sleep. So I went to work on my day off, where I got NONE of my normal work done because everyone needed help with something else... then I went to my Brianne's house to see her new and improved Cast-less foot. FINALLY I went home. But, alas, as I walk in, dear brothers girlfriend walks out with a sweet, "Hey Katie, so you know, your brothers sick upstairs. Stomach flu or something." Ok...he's asleep, I'll take care of him when he gets up. Of COURSE he only comes home when he's infectious. Unfortunately, he's awake, and of course, needy. So I get what he needs. I love my brother. I'm his closest connection to this family. BUT! Not 20 minutes later, dear sister comes home. And of course, she has caught some kind of NASTY cold, made worse when she played soccer out in the cold tonight.
One large bowl of Chicken soup and a run to the drug store later, sister is in bed, brother is crashed on the couch, Pepto- Bismal in hand, dad's at work, and mom is finally on her way home.
To reward myself for playing nurse, I decided to procrastinate. Oh WAIT!!!! I do that anyway. But, I do get to listen to Garrett's new Forgive Durden CD. If you haven't heard of Forgive Durden, it's pretty amazing. Their music is like little you've heard before. The CD I have now, called Razia's Shadow, is a musical (iTunes, $11.99). And not like the high school kind, a soundtrack. The CD tells a story. There is narration to each song, and they MUST be listened to in order, unless you enjoy not knowing the meaning of a song. Another thing I love about this album, each song features a a different artist, who's voice blends so perfectly with the song and theme, that it's literally like they have been cast into different parts of this musical. This probably is more interesting to me because three of the songs feature one of the singers from my favorite band, Greta Salpeter, of The Hush Sound.
Aside from writing a review of a new band, I SHOULD be doing history homework. I promise, I love history, loath the homework. PLEASE note: what follows is not meant to bash our country or sound unpatriotic. History is written by the winners. I'm learning some interesting stuff. Like how President James K. Polk practically begged for congress to declare war with Mexico over Texas. And how even though many may say we are a "humble nation" because we have never "conquered" anyone else, I, along with my history teacher, would like to point out: Hawai'i. Last time I checked, they had a perfectly capable queen before the white Americans came. I guess what I'm trying to get at, is that our country is NOT perfect. It as a whole has made mistakes. Our leaders have made choices that we may not see as wise, but we need to remember, we are not briefed on national security and affairs every morning. (Which also makes me wonder: does the president always get on his suit and tie EVERY morning, even when he's not in the pulic eye? Has President Bush ever met with his cabinet in his PJ's?). Anyway, we cannot expect to understand everything our leaders do, but we must trust them. No one branch can do anything without the possibility of being checked by the other two. Our constitution is living and breathing, and in that way, flawless. By the way, did anyone know that a few months ago, two entire American bases were emptied in Iraq? Not for the soldiers' safety, or because all was lost, but because in those areas, the Iraqis began to control their people exactly as we have hoped they would. But would the news tell you this? OF COURSE NOT. Why should they? Popular vote says the war needs to end, so we need to convince those that are pro-war that they are wrong and the anti-war people are right because we lost a Grand Total of 7 servicemen in the month of October. TELL PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR! Isn't that the theory of the day? Don't say it if it will offend me, don't broadcast it if it will make me uncomfortble. Just make me want what the politicians want me to want. Then we'll all be happy. Right?
Wrong. But whatever. One girl that has not even graduated high school, posting on a blog that probably reaches about...a dozen people, is not going to make the associated press stop advertising propaganda for the 11 o'clock news.
But I can rant to whoever stayed to read this entire post, right?
P.S., I'm not sure if he actually said it or not, but supposedly, President Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you are racist, I will attack you with the north." Whether or not he really said it, it is still a pretty cool line, is it not?
PPS my blog has been linked on this pretty cool site called The Twilight Plains. So I'm linking back in this post, and on the side bar. Check it out! They're much more popular over there than I am; WAY more hits.
After going to seminary, then school, then staying for lunch and 6th period (which I usually refer to differently than school, because it's my work experience class, and I'm usually only at school for lunch and 6th period once a week, the rest of the time I leave after 5th) I went to work for a few hours to make up since I took the day off yesterday in favor of getting an extra 6 hours of sleep. So I went to work on my day off, where I got NONE of my normal work done because everyone needed help with something else... then I went to my Brianne's house to see her new and improved Cast-less foot. FINALLY I went home. But, alas, as I walk in, dear brothers girlfriend walks out with a sweet, "Hey Katie, so you know, your brothers sick upstairs. Stomach flu or something." Ok...he's asleep, I'll take care of him when he gets up. Of COURSE he only comes home when he's infectious. Unfortunately, he's awake, and of course, needy. So I get what he needs. I love my brother. I'm his closest connection to this family. BUT! Not 20 minutes later, dear sister comes home. And of course, she has caught some kind of NASTY cold, made worse when she played soccer out in the cold tonight.
One large bowl of Chicken soup and a run to the drug store later, sister is in bed, brother is crashed on the couch, Pepto- Bismal in hand, dad's at work, and mom is finally on her way home.
To reward myself for playing nurse, I decided to procrastinate. Oh WAIT!!!! I do that anyway. But, I do get to listen to Garrett's new Forgive Durden CD. If you haven't heard of Forgive Durden, it's pretty amazing. Their music is like little you've heard before. The CD I have now, called Razia's Shadow, is a musical (iTunes, $11.99). And not like the high school kind, a soundtrack. The CD tells a story. There is narration to each song, and they MUST be listened to in order, unless you enjoy not knowing the meaning of a song. Another thing I love about this album, each song features a a different artist, who's voice blends so perfectly with the song and theme, that it's literally like they have been cast into different parts of this musical. This probably is more interesting to me because three of the songs feature one of the singers from my favorite band, Greta Salpeter, of The Hush Sound.
Aside from writing a review of a new band, I SHOULD be doing history homework. I promise, I love history, loath the homework. PLEASE note: what follows is not meant to bash our country or sound unpatriotic. History is written by the winners. I'm learning some interesting stuff. Like how President James K. Polk practically begged for congress to declare war with Mexico over Texas. And how even though many may say we are a "humble nation" because we have never "conquered" anyone else, I, along with my history teacher, would like to point out: Hawai'i. Last time I checked, they had a perfectly capable queen before the white Americans came. I guess what I'm trying to get at, is that our country is NOT perfect. It as a whole has made mistakes. Our leaders have made choices that we may not see as wise, but we need to remember, we are not briefed on national security and affairs every morning. (Which also makes me wonder: does the president always get on his suit and tie EVERY morning, even when he's not in the pulic eye? Has President Bush ever met with his cabinet in his PJ's?). Anyway, we cannot expect to understand everything our leaders do, but we must trust them. No one branch can do anything without the possibility of being checked by the other two. Our constitution is living and breathing, and in that way, flawless. By the way, did anyone know that a few months ago, two entire American bases were emptied in Iraq? Not for the soldiers' safety, or because all was lost, but because in those areas, the Iraqis began to control their people exactly as we have hoped they would. But would the news tell you this? OF COURSE NOT. Why should they? Popular vote says the war needs to end, so we need to convince those that are pro-war that they are wrong and the anti-war people are right because we lost a Grand Total of 7 servicemen in the month of October. TELL PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR! Isn't that the theory of the day? Don't say it if it will offend me, don't broadcast it if it will make me uncomfortble. Just make me want what the politicians want me to want. Then we'll all be happy. Right?
Wrong. But whatever. One girl that has not even graduated high school, posting on a blog that probably reaches about...a dozen people, is not going to make the associated press stop advertising propaganda for the 11 o'clock news.
But I can rant to whoever stayed to read this entire post, right?
P.S., I'm not sure if he actually said it or not, but supposedly, President Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you are racist, I will attack you with the north." Whether or not he really said it, it is still a pretty cool line, is it not?
PPS my blog has been linked on this pretty cool site called The Twilight Plains. So I'm linking back in this post, and on the side bar. Check it out! They're much more popular over there than I am; WAY more hits.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Sound and Fury
I'm writing an essay for English right now... okay so I'm just brainstorming. Scratch that, I'm just thinking about my topic without any intention to write most of it down...
The paper is supposed to be a definition essay, one page, single spaced, in which I write an extended definition of a term.
The term I've chosen is Silence.
Silence is a very pertinent to my life. I'm studying American Sign Language right now, learning about the culture and language of a people who live in a predominantly silent world. After much contemplation, I decided that if I were ever to become deaf, the only thing I would miss is music. If not for music, I would probably break my own ear drums now.
There is too much noise in this world. People talking but not saying a word. Shouting. Sirens. Horns. Alarms. Arguing. Contention. A familiar voice. A baby cry. The waves crashing on the sand. The wind through the trees. The rain on the window.
I often wonder what it would be like if we didn't hear these things. Would we be happy? Would we be better off? Would we be grateful enough for not hearing the bad things, that it would ease the pain of not hearing things we loved?
If I were to never hear yelling and contention and bad things again, would it be enough to cancel out my sadness at never hearing my favorite things again? Would I be able to live in a world without music? Without the good sounds? Would playing the piano or the violin have the same meaning to me if I couldn't hear the music, just feel the vibrations?
What is silence anyway?
When a full Orchestra plays Beethoven and everyone has played their last note, have you ever noticed how loud the silence is? The notes ring out long after the musicians are done playing.
What we say rings out long after we have stopped speaking. What we do rings out long after we have stopped acting. Silent defiance speaks volumes, when used in the right way. Silent acceptance sings sonnets when used in the correct context. Sometimes we need to get angry. Sometimes we need to be heard. Sometimes we need to speak up for what we know is right. Other times, we need to stay silent. When the world is throwing it's accusations at us, would we be better supporting their cause if we spoke up and testified to what they were saying.
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." President Lincoln was a smart man.
So what is silence? Is it something that drives men mad? Or is it something to calm the trouble soul? Is it empty and hollow? Or full of meaning and words better left unsaid? Would the world be a better place if we had more of it, or less?
So many questions. One teeny little paper to spill them all out on.
Haha was this a run-on post or what?
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Dear History,
Dear History,
After nationwide testing, it has become apparent that your students have learned nothing from you. Therefore they are all now going to be repeating your past courses for the next 4 years. We apologize for the inconvenience, and wish you the best of luck.
Love Dearly,
Katie
P.S. I'm moving to Pluto. No one thinks it's a planet anymore, so no one cares. They'll leave us alone there.
After nationwide testing, it has become apparent that your students have learned nothing from you. Therefore they are all now going to be repeating your past courses for the next 4 years. We apologize for the inconvenience, and wish you the best of luck.
Love Dearly,
Katie
P.S. I'm moving to Pluto. No one thinks it's a planet anymore, so no one cares. They'll leave us alone there.
Monday, November 3, 2008
How To Accumulate General Angst
So elections are tomorrow, and I couldn't be happier. Not because I'll be using every spare moment to rock the vote, because I won't be. Not because I'm so sure my candidates will win, or my propositions will pass in my favor, because I'm not so sure they will. I'm glad that elections are tomorrow because that means the END of having to lose best friends because my religion is prejudice and hateful, of getting sworn at on street corners because I'm holding a sign that they disagree with. I'm sick of being afraid to mention anything about my views in school because I don't want to get in a confrontation with any of the kids I know will fight me for being against them. I'm sick of all the lies, slander, mudslinging, and anger coming from the men who are supposed to represent and lead our nation.
I've actually gotten a lot of angry comments from people on my own side of the issues as well for not being more supportive, not attending the meetings, not rallying in the streets. Well, that's not my style. They can get over it.
Is it bad that I've stopped praying for things to go in my favor, but instead for me and those like me to be protected from the evil-doings or bad effects of whomever and whatever is voted in? That I pray for the good people to not be punished too harshly for the ignorance and decisions of others?
I'm tired of all the contention. I'm tired of all the pointless, endless arguments that just go in circles because both sides are too close minded. I'm tired of being yelled at and sworn at and ridiculed because I think one way. I'm tired of being called ignorant and brainwashed. NEWSFLASH I've read both sides of the argument. A debater has no hope of accomplishing their goal if they don't know what accusations they'll have to defend against, and a person can have no hope of picking the correct candidate if they decide to base it solely on the candidates race or gender, religious beliefs or wealth, military history or what their spouse does in their free time. So tomorrow I will be staying in school, not attending the last ditch efforts to sway the vote. I won't be vehemently shouting at the voters as they leave the polls. I won't be waiting with my torch and pitchfork to riot as soon as I hear the results. I know we need to vote. I would if I could. I just wish that people weren't willing to go so low to get their way. People do not need to be cutting the calves of their opponent to gain a lead. They need to state the facts and nothing but the facts.
Now I have a couple stories to share. Analogies, if you will.
Say Michael Phelps was in a race one day, and realized he was behind. He's not going to turn around and cut into his opponent's lane, cutting them off! It's not fair, and he'd get disqualified from the race. So why are we not allowed to DQ the racers in politics who decide to cheat and cut off the opponent? NOT COOL.
Now I want you to think back to elementary school, back to your very first school elections. Remember that older student who promised better school lunches and more playground balls if you voted for him as president? Remember how long it took you to realize that the student you voted for actually had no power over lunches, or on how many balls the school buys? How many Americans have realized that our presidential candidates may or may not have promised some things that may or may not be in their power to promise us? Many things they have promised to accomplish, can only be accomplished by them asking congress to decide on it, and they actually have no power over that issue at all.
So that is my round-about view on politics. The elections are botched, because there's been very little debating going on anyway. People need to grow up and act like adults.
Nothing is simply black or white. Not even our candidates.
But you can't be a fence sitter, because they're electric now.
I've actually gotten a lot of angry comments from people on my own side of the issues as well for not being more supportive, not attending the meetings, not rallying in the streets. Well, that's not my style. They can get over it.
Is it bad that I've stopped praying for things to go in my favor, but instead for me and those like me to be protected from the evil-doings or bad effects of whomever and whatever is voted in? That I pray for the good people to not be punished too harshly for the ignorance and decisions of others?
I'm tired of all the contention. I'm tired of all the pointless, endless arguments that just go in circles because both sides are too close minded. I'm tired of being yelled at and sworn at and ridiculed because I think one way. I'm tired of being called ignorant and brainwashed. NEWSFLASH I've read both sides of the argument. A debater has no hope of accomplishing their goal if they don't know what accusations they'll have to defend against, and a person can have no hope of picking the correct candidate if they decide to base it solely on the candidates race or gender, religious beliefs or wealth, military history or what their spouse does in their free time. So tomorrow I will be staying in school, not attending the last ditch efforts to sway the vote. I won't be vehemently shouting at the voters as they leave the polls. I won't be waiting with my torch and pitchfork to riot as soon as I hear the results. I know we need to vote. I would if I could. I just wish that people weren't willing to go so low to get their way. People do not need to be cutting the calves of their opponent to gain a lead. They need to state the facts and nothing but the facts.
Now I have a couple stories to share. Analogies, if you will.
Say Michael Phelps was in a race one day, and realized he was behind. He's not going to turn around and cut into his opponent's lane, cutting them off! It's not fair, and he'd get disqualified from the race. So why are we not allowed to DQ the racers in politics who decide to cheat and cut off the opponent? NOT COOL.
Now I want you to think back to elementary school, back to your very first school elections. Remember that older student who promised better school lunches and more playground balls if you voted for him as president? Remember how long it took you to realize that the student you voted for actually had no power over lunches, or on how many balls the school buys? How many Americans have realized that our presidential candidates may or may not have promised some things that may or may not be in their power to promise us? Many things they have promised to accomplish, can only be accomplished by them asking congress to decide on it, and they actually have no power over that issue at all.
So that is my round-about view on politics. The elections are botched, because there's been very little debating going on anyway. People need to grow up and act like adults.
Nothing is simply black or white. Not even our candidates.
But you can't be a fence sitter, because they're electric now.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Old Becomes New
So I've actually had this blog for years, but I went inactive on it. I figured it'd be a nice place to let out all my rants. For those of you who don't know me well, my little rants are fun tangents I go off on whenever I feel like something needs to be said, and can range anywhere from one sentence to a 7 page English essay.
My rant for today: Elections
Elections are stupid. We vote, because if everyone decided that their vote didn't matter, we'd have a tie. There would be one vote for every presidential candidate. Their own. I decided that even though my AP English class gives dumb homework, the class itself is teaching me to be a great debater and speaker, and it has given me the amazing ability to point out the fallacies in the arguments of others and identify the rhetoric used to sway the audience in favor of the speaker. The only problem is, when you're trying to convince high school students to see things your way, the only way to accomplish that is to be the first person to sell your side of the issue. Because they tend to like and believe the first thing they hear, and it's VERY hard to convince them otherwise. Stupid stubborn...*grumble grumble*
You know, I learned something the other day in AP US History. (*gasp* I know! Heaven forbid I learn something in school) The history of the Democratic donkey is as follows: Once upon a time Andrew Jackson was running for president. Some people didn't like him. (I wouldn't either, the man was insane.) So some began calling him a not nice word, synonymous for donkey. He liked it so much, he made it his official party animal. I have yet to learn the history of the elephant. I think it's because elephants live with giraffes and giraffes are awesome. Too awesome to be a party symbol. Therefore we must be elephants. Donkeys live with pigs. Pigs stink. (Oh! Apparently it's because the same man who first drew the donkey as a democrat also decided to randomly draw the elephant as republican. Go figure)
I should probably be sleeping now...oh well.
Also if you have a blog and I know you let me know so I can link to you as soon as I figure out how...
My rant for today: Elections
Elections are stupid. We vote, because if everyone decided that their vote didn't matter, we'd have a tie. There would be one vote for every presidential candidate. Their own. I decided that even though my AP English class gives dumb homework, the class itself is teaching me to be a great debater and speaker, and it has given me the amazing ability to point out the fallacies in the arguments of others and identify the rhetoric used to sway the audience in favor of the speaker. The only problem is, when you're trying to convince high school students to see things your way, the only way to accomplish that is to be the first person to sell your side of the issue. Because they tend to like and believe the first thing they hear, and it's VERY hard to convince them otherwise. Stupid stubborn...*grumble grumble*
You know, I learned something the other day in AP US History. (*gasp* I know! Heaven forbid I learn something in school) The history of the Democratic donkey is as follows: Once upon a time Andrew Jackson was running for president. Some people didn't like him. (I wouldn't either, the man was insane.) So some began calling him a not nice word, synonymous for donkey. He liked it so much, he made it his official party animal. I have yet to learn the history of the elephant. I think it's because elephants live with giraffes and giraffes are awesome. Too awesome to be a party symbol. Therefore we must be elephants. Donkeys live with pigs. Pigs stink. (Oh! Apparently it's because the same man who first drew the donkey as a democrat also decided to randomly draw the elephant as republican. Go figure)
I should probably be sleeping now...oh well.
Also if you have a blog and I know you let me know so I can link to you as soon as I figure out how...
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