Quote of the Day

"Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing." - Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut

My friend Jack loaned me this book to read, and it's hilarious. He also loaned me about 3000 pages worth of French classics. My "homework" is to read "Le Miserables", "The Count of Monte Cristo", and "The Man in the Iron Mask." That's in addition to my REAL homework. Thank you, Jack. I'm glad you're looking out for my intellectual well being. Not. :-P

Why I Hate Hamlet and Kenneth Branagh

So last year for our last project in English we had to read the play "Hamlet", watch two movie interpretations, and write an analytic essay about the movies in comparison to the play and one another. Now, the essay part didn't bug me at all. I love film analysis essays. The problem was, we had to watch this god-awful 5 hour movie directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh. All the actors were good actors, but the movie was just put together and directed horribly. The actors were either screaming or whispering, the lighting was almost fluorescent, the soundtrack didn't fit the action at all, and Kenneth Branagh was far too charismatic to play Hamlet. Ever since then, I've held a grudge against Kenneth Branagh (despite the fact that I enjoyed "Dead Again"), and even the mention of the play "Hamlet" has made me frustrated. Cut to this year. We were assigned "Hamlet" for my Intro to Drama class. I skimmed it to refresh my memory and turned in the summary that we were assigned. I didn't bother reading the entire thing because I'd already read it twice and watched three film interpretations of it. I got full credit on my summary, and we were going over the play in class when our professor announced that we were going to watch the "closet scene" from three different films. I thought, "Hmm, I'm guessing Mel Gibson, Kenneth Branagh, and Ethan Hawke." I was right. As soon as Branagh's name was announced I started getting frustrated. And when we watched it I wanted to scream. HE'S SO OVERDRAMATIC! It drives me nuts! He's too forceful for Hamlet! Hamlet is supposed to be emo and sulky and indecisive! Grr. So now all of you guys get to hear my angry rant. Lucky you.

Quote of the Day

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Things have been crazy. Here's today's quote.

"Stop displacing your thingy stuff!" - Nel

I believe the word you're searching for is "anger", my dear. Tempers run high and vocabulary goes down the drain when you're up until all hours making papier mâché eggs for "Charlotte's Web". Luckily, nothing diffuses a tense situation like your best friend saying something ridiculous.

Quote of the Day #2

This is Sunday's official quote.

"I'll draw a smiley face on your forehead, bitch!" - Laurel

My friend Laurel gets crazy during English class. Haha.

Quote of the Day #1

Even though it's REALLY early on Sunday morning, let's just pretend it's still Saturday.

"Only boys who wear their wellies have a chance with me." - Gaelic Storm, "Kelly's Wellies"

"Kelly's Wellies" is a song about a boy who can't afford shoes so he has to wear Wellington boots all year round. All the other boys make fun of them, but Kevin Kelly gets his payback when they get to high school and all of the girls like him as opposed to the other boys.

I met Gaelic Storm!

So today I went to Irish Fest because my favorite band, Gaelic Storm, was playing there. My friend Chloë went with me. She'd never heard Gaelic Storm before but thought it sounded really fun. When we got to the fairgrounds, Gaelic Storm was finishing their 4:30 show. We listened until they stopped playing, then went over and got in line for autographs. This was my 4th GS show, and I've already gotten their autographs 2 times before, so I decided to get my picture taken as well. I managed to get pictures with 3 of the members, (in order) Patrick Murphy, Pete Purvis, and Ryan Lacey. They're my favorite members, although I have a soft spot for Ryan because 2 years ago I went to one of their concerts at a bar back home, and my little sister really wanted to go but it was too late for her. I'd promised her that I'd get her their autographs, so I bought her a $2 bumber sticker and gotten the band to sign it. Everyone just signed their name when I told them who it was for, except for Ryan who wrote something along the lines of, "Grace, I'm sorry you couldn't be here. Ryan Lacey." It was really sweet. Anyway, back to today's show. So, after I got my picture taken with the band, Chloë and I walked around the fair grounds for a while. Then, at about 8:00, we went and stood at the front of the stage. Gaelic Storm wasn't playing until 9:30, and there was another band before them, but we knew that if we didn't get up there early, we weren't going to be able to get that close. The band who played first wasn't that good, and it was pretty uncomfortable because we were squished up against the barrier at the front and surrounded by drunk people. One guy spilled his beer on the back of Chloë's leg. It was gross. All that was worth it, though, because we had a great view of Gaelic Storm. For those who don't know, Gaelic Storm was the Irish band who played in the movie "Titanic." The members have changed a lot over the years, but the band currently consists of Patrick Murphy (Vocals, accordion, harmonica, spoons, bodhran), Steve Twigger (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Jesse Burns (fiddle), Pete Purvis (bagpipes, uilleann pipes, penny whistle, backup vocals), and Ryan Lacey (percussion, backup vocals). They're great on cd, but SO much fun to see live because they obviously really enjoy playing together and, also, Patrick is really really funny (as you can see by the picture he's quite the clown). The concert was, of course, amazing, but the coolest part was that Pat saw me and Chloë standing at the front of the stage and, recognizing us from earlier that afternoon, waved at us. Later, when the drunks were getting really rowdy, he looked at me again, winked, and crossed himself as if to say, "God help you." Haha. Finally, when they were singing the song "Drink the Night Away", they started throwing plastic Gaelic Storm shot glasses out to the crowd. Patrick grabbed one, pointed at me and tossed it to me, but, unfortunately, the guy next to me reached over and grabbed it out of the air. I was disappointed because that one was given to me specifically by Pat. There was nothing I could do, though, so I let it go. All in all, the concert was really fun and worth the $8 that I payed to get in. Plus, I was really thrilled by the whole "meet the band" and "Patrick recognizing Anna" things. Sometimes it pays to be one of the only sober people in the audience. I find that the band likes you more and is more interactive with you, if only because it means they can avoid interacting with the drunk people around you who are all striving to get their attention. Yay for being short, blond, and sober! :-P

Detroit, here I come?

So, I've been invited to serve on the high school subcommittee for the 2008 FGC (Friends General Conference) Gathering in Johnstown, PA. The only problem is, the first meeting is held in Detroit, MI, in two weeks, while I'm going to school in PA, and the Johnstown meeting is going to be held in May, when I'm back home in the midwest, so the timing really sucks (That's right, mom, it SUCKS). However, it sounds like they're offering me full financial aid on my travel expenses (I'm making sure to clarify it before buying my plane tickets), so I may be able to serve after all. Yay! I'm excited, because I get to plan things like business meeting and the out-trip, even though I'm not in the high school group anymore. So, it looks like I'll be getting to do some free traveling. :-)

Quote of the Day

"Shouldn't you be off spreading religiosity to the fuzzy wuzzies?" - Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, "Firefly"

Mal doesn't take to kindly to religion, not since the rebels were defeated by the Alliance in the Battle of Serenity Valley despite his many prayers. He counters any of Shepherd Book's attempts to enlighten him with sarcasm and wit. Sigh. I love him.

Class cancelled?

So, I went to my Astronomy lecture today, and there was nobody there. That's extremely odd, considering I was running a bit late and there are at least 300 people in my class. Usually by the time I get there, most of the seats are filled and the professor is up on the stage setting up his power point presentation and getting ready to begin the day's lecture. So, you can imagine how walking into an empty lecture hall threw me a little bit. There was no note on the door or anything, and I don't remember Professor Stein mentioning that class was either a) cancelled or b) being held in a different place. Well, what's a girl to do? I decided not to worry about it and instead went to the bank to clear up a money issue and got some lunch. I mean, it's not like they take attendance or anything, and the notes are always posted online. As long as I read the chapter in my textbook and do well on the tests, I'll be fine. Yay for more free time today! :-P

Music and Lyrics

So, I just finished watching "Music and Lyrics" starring Drew Barrymore, Hugh Grant, and Brad Garrett. In general, I quite enjoyed it. It was a little cliché, as most romantic comedies are, but it was sweet and less formulaic than most. Hugh Grant was, well, Hugh Grant. Minus the jerk persona that he usually has in movies, though. His character, Alex Fletcher, a has been 80s pop artist, was very sweet and charming and not smarmy in the least. Drew Barrymore's character was neurotic but lovable. The music was very enjoyable, although by the time I finally saw the movie, the 80s pop (or should I say Pop!) video was a bit old. You see, my sister saw this movie several months ago and watched the music video nonstop on YouTube for a couple of weeks, so I'd already seen it, oh, about 10 times. Still, it was silly, and I quite enjoyed watching Hugh Grand prancing around with 80s hair. Anyway, back to the movie. The plot, as I said, was a little generic, but entertaining nonetheless. I'm a sucker for romance movies, anyway. :-P The dialogue was actually surprisingly good. There were some pretty witty lines in there. I did feel, however, that Drew Barrymore's inner conflict was a bit unresolved. They just kind of brushed over the subject. In fact, her whole storyline, her past, felt a bit forced. Other than that, though, it was a pretty good movie.

Quote of the Day

"You can't stand on a wall! You'd get footprints all over the wallpaper!" - Big Bird, "Big Bird in China"

This is Big Bird's response to being informed that he is actually standing on the Great Wall. What a great guy. Smart, too.

The Band Downstairs

So there is, apparently, a band living underneath me. I heard them practicing this weekend and was very confused as to where the music was coming from, but it soon became apparent that 1. it was live music, and 2. it was coming from the 9th floor. They're actually pretty decent. Anyway, I met one of the band members in the elevator today, and he very graciously asked me if we could hear them and if it was bothering us. He was wondering how much of the dorm they were annoying. :-P Well, it seems like it's only my room and maybe the rooms on either side of us that can hear them, so I told him it wasn't that bad. He said if they ever start annoying us, we should just go downstairs and knock on the door and tell them. The only problem is, he didn't know exactly which room they're in. Haha. Oh well. I'm sure we can figure it out, and they don't practice at unreasonable hours or anything. So, from now on, I will have the pleasure of hearing live music without having to even leave my dorm room or pay a single dollar. Well, other than the $5,000 or so that I'm spending on my dorm itself.

Quote of the Day

Before I post my first "Quote of the Day", I'd like to explain where these quotes come from. I keep a small journal where I write down quotes that strike me. They can be funny or inspirational and come from many sources: movies, books, tv shows, my friends, myself. I'll also offer a short explanation if needed. So, on to the first quote!

"I like airplanes. I want ice cream!" - Nel Bailey

Nel is my best friend back home. This is an example of how her mind somehow jumps from one thing to another. Even I can't explain it, and I practically live with the girl. Haha.

First Post on My New Blog

So this is the first post on my blog. I'm afraid it won't be very interesting. I don't have much to say. This week has been fairly uneventful, apart from the drunken football players wandering in and out of my room at random hours like 3 a.m. this weekend. (Not to worry, they're friends of my roommate and are very polite. Just drunk. :-P) Also, my friend Chloë and I have developed an addiction to the TV show "Firefly." Well, SHE'S developed an addiction. I've been addicted to it for quite a while and own all the DVDs. Unfortunately, Fox sucks and canceled it after only 12 episodes, so I've seen them all several times, and I'll have to wait until 2012 for the rights to expire and Sci-Fi to buy them and restart the show. Oh well. Such is life.