English Ravings of a Witty Nature

Well, I believe I have had my weekly allotment of classical music. My sister had two concerts this weekend. I love listening to her play it is the other twenty kids that I wish I didn't have to hear. Not that they played poorly but it isn't nearly as enjoyable as listening to your own flesh and blood.

Caution: The rest of this post should be read with a British accent, a humor of dry wit, and a slightly pessimistic countenance.

As I'm sure you have taken note I have been perusing a great deal of English literature written about the time of Jane Austen. Namely the Bronte sisters' numerous works. The last book to be finished was Agnes Grey which much to my pleasure turned out all right in the end. At the half way mark I was sure that the youngest Bronte sister (Anne) must have been quite disillusioned with the world in general and the most pessimistic and dull of all three girls. However, upon finishing the book I was very pleased to discover that she was not as disenchanted with the world as I had previously thought.

Before reading Agnes Grey I once again had the pleasure of reading Wuthering Heights. I am not at all sure why I enjoy this work of fiction because I thoroughly disliked the majority of the characters. And no matter how many times I wished whole-heartily that Cathy would not make the same mistake of following Linton home that she had done on my previous perusal she still walked blindly through Heathcliff's door. What I wonderful adventure into the inner workings of the heart's desires is Wuthering Heights.

Even after reading those two wonderful works, my favorite remains Jane Eyre. Without a doubt Charlotte's romantic imagination is most closely aligned with mine in most manners. But the heroine alone makes this story compelling. Jane's steadfast morality, sensibility, dry witty intelligence are enough to make any person wish themselves her equal.

The odd effect that reading so much British literature has on my literary style has now become obvious. The rule is simple: what I read, I written. Not the the attributes of the story, but the stylings of the writer. I have always fancied myself to be astutely aware of the different literary styles, but this taking on of them has come to be ridiculous. I can only hope for your sakes that I never take a liking to literature written in a southern black dialect.


Cheer-e-o!

Your Slightly Bemusing Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1: If anyone is wondering, my fanatical and very English ravings should be over for a time. I have now gone on to an Asimov book.

Amendment 2: Asimov writes science fiction for you non-science types.

Amendment 3: Now is you will excuse me, I must finish this blog post-haste.

A Cry for Literary Help

Well, I have no been bored for a whole week now. SCHOOL IS OUT! I know that I said I was looking forward to vacation, but right now I would give my left knee (my bad one) for a good chemistry lesson. The one and only good thing about vacations is that I get to do a lot of reading and that we get to go on vacation. (OK, so that is two things, but my brain is still a little fried from exams, so give me a break).

So far this vacation I have gotten through two books, been to my grandparents' house, made a five hour car drive starting at 11:00 pm, and decided that I am not a "vacation-y" type person.

In case anyone is interested here is my June reading list:

Andromeda Strain (finished)
Wuthering Heights (finished)
Jane Eyre (Nearly Finished)
Agnes Grey
Animal Farm
Foundation (and the other three books in the series)
Tale of Two Cities
Julius Caesar

Now this is just for the month of June I still have another month and a half that I haven't planned out yet. So tell me your favorite books so I can read them and then have a literary discussion with you. (and Yes, I will force you to talk about it with me, so if you don't want to be invited out to coffee for a joyful and very possibly animated discussion I suggest you pass along your literary recommendations anonymously).

I now I to get ready for dance class so I must go.

Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile (who is hurting for more literary amusements).

Amendment 1: Seriously, I do need more book recommendations.

Amendment 2: Movie recommendations are accepted as well.

homeschool and heartaches

Well, in a week from today I will be done with my first year of undergrad. In some ways I can't wait to be done. I really need some sleep time, but summer is one to the saddest parts of my year. I really prefer to be involved in some school work. But still I will be relieved to finish up this year. Now get ready for some sad and slightly sappy ruminations.

I went to the homeschool graduation on Monday night and I ran into not just old friends but also some mixed emotions. After the program I got a plate of food and then started to look around for someone I knew. Everywhere I turned was a new face, someone that I had never known from my days of homeschool group.

As I looked around I say many children that in my glory days were the babies and now they were in grade school. The people that I had grown up with were in college, had jobs, or were simply gone out of my life. I was from the group that hadn't had our "fair" in the sanctuary but with our toes on the fowl line in the gym. The most popular fad toy was the eyeball popper and to jump rope well was the coolest thing you could do.

Well, things are certainly changed and I'm not sure if it is for the better or worse, but I guess it really doesn't matter. The most simple fact of life is that it changes and most of time we are just along for the ride. So while I may think back to the days filled with jump rope, eyeball poppers, and songs about gooey ducks, what matters is that I'm about to finish my first year of college and that my life is, like it has for the last 18 years, changing.

Cheers!

Your Sappy and Heartful Literary Junkophile.


Amendment 1: I'm afraid that after reading that last paragraph over I am becoming as emotional as my mother.

Amendment 2: But I suppose that everyone needs to have the occasional emotional moment.

Amendment 3: Logic is wonderful, but there is something to be said to occasionally becoming emotional about something.

UFO (Unless you Find them Objectionable)

Well, I have one "normal" week of school left and one week of exams. I can't believe that I am almost done with my first year of college. Only seven more to go. This afternoon I have to write my final and yes I mean final gen chem lab report. Though this is really only a small comfort because I have many lab classes left. Next year I'm taking O-chem, physics and biology. So I don't think that I will miss my lab reports to much this summer. But getting to go to class and add things to other things that produce bad smells and loud reactions can't really be considered a chore.

Yesterday I had the proud distinction of being in the UFO Parade. As literally thousands of people lined the street I was on a flat bed trailer that I had painted (and Steve had covered) playing the keyboard with a group of guys. Surprisingly there were only a few times yesterday I felt like crawling into a hole that completely covered my face. Mostly due to the fact that of all the costumes that I say mine was by far one of the most reasonable. (If anyone doubts this you should check out the pictures of my pastor on our church web site.)

The other reason I was able to bear the mild humility of being in a UFO parade was that covering my face would have been simply too hot. As we sat waiting for the parade to begin the twenty people in our group sat huddled under what shade was available. By the time we had finished the parade route, my feet were so hot from standing on the trailer that I kept shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

My only consolation for the ridiculousness of yesterday was that everyone just loved the music. So many people we dancing and moving to the music. I can only think that some people heard are music and saw that it was a church and thought "I want to go to that type to church". (I just hope that they didn't think that we actually believe in aliens.) But as my pastor put it this morning, "I believe in UFOs, there are things that we can't identify that happen to be flying, but not that there are aliens in them."


Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1: After yesterday I am really in the mood to host a Scifi party. There is just something about seeing a group of Klingon walking around your home town that make you want to watch some horribly hokey movie about aliens and strange chemical reactions.

Amendment 2: But chocolate is also in order.

Amendment 3: I think I would like it to start raining for my last week of school. So, the weather has been very nice and sunny very un-Oregon.

Musical Musings

Well, I'm down to three weeks of school. Today I had a chemistry exam and a calc. exam. My morning was a little interesting and very stressful. But it was nice to know that never again will I take an exam written and graded by my chemistry professor. I am free (from particular professor at any rate).

One of my many hobbies is watching musicals. If you didn't know this then clearly you have never heard my rendition of the Sound of Music complete with harmony and choreograph. And my Good night my Someone is world renowned. (It should be noted that the word world is used here not in the typical meaning but in a symbolic way). The funny thing about watching musicals is that you are watching a musical. Here is a list of the things that must be ignored when you watching a musical, if you want to enjoy it that is.

1) Yes, I realize that the entire world does not have perfect dance moves.
2) We all know that the world is made up of many different kinds of people, most of whom are tone deaf.
3) Yes, the chances of everyone in town thinking of singing the exact same song at the exact same time are slim.
4) Most problems are not fixed by putting them to music.
5) Not every small town has an entire symphony backing up their musical endeavors.
6) Life is not a musical, but some times we wish it was.

For some reason musicals have enchanted many people for generations. Their warmth and heart, coupled with some great songs and witty lines have made them a standard. (Boy, did that sound like a commercial). Who doesn't remember watching Marry Poppins as a child and wishing you knew someone like that. (I'm sure then you can understand my reaction to watching Princess Diaries for the first time, and thinking oh my goodness, is that really my Marry Poppins and my Maria Von Trapp, she's old!). Even with all of the accuracy errors in musicals I can't help but wish at times that I had an symphony backing up my life that was filled with well written and snappily choreographed songs.

Cheers!

Your Singing Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1) If for some reason you don't feel the same way about musicals as I do, then please don't tell me. Just smile and nod, and calmly agree to watch my movies.

Amendment 2) Next weekend is the UFO parade, that should be wild and a little scary.

Amendment 3) Three weeks and counting!

Denominations and Observations

Well, apparently my blogging has a deleterious effect on the weather. The sun has gone away and has been replaced with overcast clouds and slightly humid weather. So perhaps I need to stop writing about weather and turn my attention to more important things like observations about the different Christan denominations.

As I'm sure some of you know I have attended many different kinds of churches over my life, and each denomination came with its own quirks and tendencies.

Baptists: The Power of a Casserole.
Baptists are funny when it comes to food. You can barely be on speaking terms with someone and then as soon as you have a loved one sick (or dead) that same person will show up at your house with a casserole. It's as if Jesus didn't say "love your neighbor" he said "bring them a casserole".

Nazarenes: The Power of the Committee.
When I attended a Nazarene church all I ever heard about was this committee was being formed, this committee had decided this. I believe at times they misinterpreted the statement "Do not give up meeting together" to mean "Do not give up your meetings together".

Mennonites: The Power of an A Capella Song.
For some reason the heart and soul of the Mennonite church can be summed up in singing an hymn a Capella. You can go anywhere in the country and find a Mennonite church and you will find a congregation that can sing perfect four part harmony to any hymn, provided they are only given a pitch in the beginning. The ability to sing is some how bound to the absence of musical instruments. They have taken the well repeated old testament saying "I will sing to the LORD" to mean "I will sing to the LORD with no music".

Here is one more thing I found online about the differences in Christan denominations. Starting with the age old question. How many ____ does it take to change a light bulb?

Charismatic: Only one. Hands already in the air.
Pentecostals: Ten. One to change the bulb and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.
Presbyterians: None. Lights will go off and on at predestined times.
Roman Catholic: None. Candles only.
Baptists: At least 15. One to change the light bulb and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad.
Episcopalians: Three. One to call the electrician, one to mix the drinks and one to talk about how much better the old bulb was.
Mormons: Five. One man to change the bulb and four wives to tell him how to do it.
Unitarians: We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, that is fine. You are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your light bulb for the next Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions including incandescent, fluorescent, three-way, long-life and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.
Methodists: Undetermined. Whether your light bulb is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb or tulip bulb. A church-wide lighting service is planned for Sunday. Bring a bulb of your choice and a covered dish.
Nazarene: Six. One woman to replace the bulb while five men review the church lighting policy.
Lutherans: None. Lutherans don't believe in change.
Amish: What's a light bulb?

Cheers!

Your Literary Junkophile.

Amendment 1: Now can you see why I am non-denominational?

Amendment 2: Even though I make jokes about the different christian groups I really did love all of those different churches for different reasons. I simply like to point out some of their oddities. So I don't mean to offend anyone.

Sunny Days and Calc. Exams

Well, I'm very sorry that I wandered off again. As soon as I wrote my last post (the one about the dreary weather) spring arrived and I started spending every free minute (which with my hectic school schedule isn't that many minutes) outside. Oh, and there was that little decision I made last week about a certain life altering location for next year. But like I said, I have been enjoying myself immensely outside, so to make up for all those extra calories I have been burning we have been making lots of desserts lately. You wouldn't want to actually lose weight because of a little nice weather would you?

My whole family has been going on (almost) daily walks. This has turned into some family bonding time, which we affectionately like to call "teasing". The topics we have covered so far in these nearly habitual walks include my passionate dislike of pansies, my sister's habit of shrinking when teased, my mom's odd behavior around animals, and my family's good fortune that my dad is not in charge of the landscaping. I am really going to miss them when I head off to college in about three and a half months. On the plus side it seems that my mom can return my parka and invest in a new bathing suit.

My sister and I also discovered a new place to toss a softball around so if anyone is interested this summer we can play some softball. The other plus side of the nice weather is that I have some where to retreat to when my sister practices her piccolo. If any of you are stressed out little siblings that need some way to drive your older siblings out of the house for a few hours, may I suggest piccolo lessons.

Cheers! and Happy Day!

Your Literary Junkophile.


Amendment 1: You may not hear from me for the rest of the week. I have a psych exam on Thursday and a calc. and chem. exams on Friday.

Amendment 2: I will probably be having a very busy week.

Amendment 3: Aliens and Chocolate. This has promise for a party theme.