Something of a profound day

Yes, actually. Quite profound.

At first it was nothing special. I did homework. Then we went to service.

We were helping seniors play bingo. I was paired up with an old man who was disabled. He sat in a wheelchair and looked like he was falling asleep most of the time. I had to put the chips on the spaces for him. Every once in a while, though, he would sort of wake up, and get excited. He might have been a stroke victim, because he couldn't really speak well and he had the sort of voice that people have when they've learned to speak again. Then another old man was placed at our table. He greeted the my old man jovially, and was responded to with what amounted to a string of gibberish. And it was sad because you could tell it was excited gibberish and he was really happy to see this other man. The other man stared at him for a little bit, at a loss for words. Finally, not taking his eyes from the man, he said "You look good."

I'm just going to completely skip over the extremely awkward and embarrassing event in the middle of the day here, except to say I apparently now have a date to homecoming.

Then in biology, Ms. J was talking to David and I, saying she put us together as partners because we would write a really good prairie plot study paper, and pretty much saying we were the only kids in the class any good at biology (This is true.) So I said, "Yeah, I like biology." Because I really do. And she replied "Good! It likes you!" Which was really a great compliment because I think ultimately I want to do something in the field of biology when I grow up. Like, conservation activism, ecology, life systems, things like that. So that's great.

EEEEEmpulses

rhuefhiwu!!!! Anni Rossi!!!!!!!! YEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! SO COOL!!!!!

I can't tell if it is a violin or a viola. It is a bit big for a violin, so probably a viola. Who knew violas could sound so nice? (I used to be a violinist so I reserve the right to make fun of the viola. Really it usually sounds quite nice.)

Bits and pieces... um something something semblance of a whole?

It's like "put together to create" or something like that.

I am thinking about the Walker right now, obviously. Y'know, since on the one wall it says that. I like the Walker. Most of the time. You have to be in the right mood to appreciate some of the stuff there.

I biked there this summer with my friend Ella. There was an exhibit there called "Live Forever" by a woman called Elizabeth. They were very pretty portraits of people. And they were good likenesses, but they weren't, like, uber-realistic, so it was all very organic and natural and pretty.

Also there is a sculpture there that never fails to freak the hell out of me. It is right by one of the entrances, and it is one of those mascots, y'know? Like football game ones, that freak me out anyway (Who's REALLY under there?), except it's sort of sprawled on the floor. It is SO scary. It looks like any second it's going to stand up and start murdering people.

We also sat on a bench facing the big windows in those couches with the headphones and listened to... John Cage, was it? Whoever it was, it was weird and hilarious. This dude telling the funniest stories. One was where he was visiting his aunt and helping her do laundry and she said "I love this washing machine more than I love your uncle." And then there was this really long story about a lady and her four cats and a chihuahua and how they all somehow got poisoned by shrooms. Or something like that.

I cannot remember some things well. Also there is a painting there that is just black. Also there is a talking dolphin. It answers questions.

You win, Bridget

Not that you were aware that we were fighting. It was more of an internal conflict whether to copy you or not in the whole new school resolutions (Although I won't do the alphabet because that doesn't work and I don't have that many things... more like just general ideas.)

'Kay, so...

MUSIC- I intend to listen to more music than ever before. I now have headphones for my ipod gift, which is just a magical box of treasures. It's so fun to just put it on shuffle and see what comes up. I also am going to practice guitar like a maniac because I truly enjoy playing and want to improve so that the band formerly known as Con the Church Man (You know Gaia, you said that that should be the name... I just said it would be a cool band name. Or maybe it was Bridget?) can be cool and we can just play together and sound nice and write songs or whatever.

ART- I am truly no artist, and don't intend to be, except in the performing variety of course. However, I am fascinated by photography and such. I'd like to take more pictures, master photoshop (Just to tweak colors and crop, really) and post the results on my fancy new tumblr.

SLEEP- I intend to get more of it. No unnecessary internet trawls that keep me up half the night. I get too tired in the morning. On that topic, I'm cutting down on internet time as well. Not because I don't enjoy it, but because it gives me less time to do other things.

SCHOOL- Sure, I got A's last year, but it was easy and I didn't have/want to try hard. This year is harder, yes, but I also intend to not slack off, and truly put in more effort. I also intend to participate in clubs and knock off a sizable chunk of service hours.

So yeah, should be fun.

I got a tumblr... why?

Oh, I suppose there is a reason. I mean, I have wanted to get into photography more and post more pictures. But I don't quite feel like doing it on here, where they might get cut off and the quality might be lame.

But mostly because I was reading Cody Weber's and it made me feel all emo and inspired. Cody Weber/Wren/Saturnine Films is a youtube atheist (also musician, poet and photographer) who I follow. He has a very dramatic and poetic life.

Click here for drama

Oh, yes, I suppose you'll be wanting the url for mine now.

Click here for not drama

I'm sleeepy

And I would love to shut my computer and close my eyes but right now it's 3:24 AM and I am immersed in paranoia. Yes, sleep deprivation comes in stages. The giddy, the scared, the confused. It's a lot like life because it is.

Youtube is helping me.

And now it is a useless piece of plastic. Damn.

Guess who rocks?!?! My dad's cousin Tad!!!!! He's this way cool music critic writer. WAY COOL. And so we were talking for a bit at the family reunion this summer about how much I would like to broaden my musical horizons and listen to way cool stuff more but am held back by shortage of funds and direction and loss of my computer, which I can at least use to access pandora.

He remarked in what I assumed was in an offhand and purely speculatory way that he could send me his old ipod, because he had a new one now and the old one had like 4000 songs on it or something. I said that would be WAY COOL, but never thought this would actually happen (he lives in New York).

BUT IT DID GUYS IT SO DID. There is everything from Deerhoof to Ella Fitzgerald to Killing Jake to M.I.A. to Kiss!!!!

Unfortunately I must return to my title, since I am currently at my dad's house with no headphones (I had my brother's for a minute but he took them back) or any means of connecting the delightful machine to my computer. But still it's WAY COOL RIGHT GUYS.

On another note, I was absolutely giddy in A.P. Euro today because Mr. Bell was being hilarious and lovely so my notes are now a tad... ridiculous. A quote- "TWO POPES OMG WHAT DO WE DO?!?!?!OMG WHAT IS GOD TRYING TO SAY WHAT IS GOING ON WHAT IS REAL ANYMORE?!?!?!?OMG COULD THIS THREATEN MORE THAN JUST THE CHURCH’S POWER?!?!?!?!"

I was giggling the whole time.

What's your favorite Vivaldi Four Seasons Season?

Mine's Autumn. Or maybe Summer. It's a toss-up. Haha, Season's season.

My interesting observation about the school year so far: It favors schoolwork much more over socializing. Yes, very few friends in my classes. Just enough that I don't go crazy from loser loner-ness, but not any more than that.

Oh well. Hee I had Four Seasons stuck in my head all day except all weird and mixed up since I have no idea what order everything goes in. I was enjoying it. I just love that part that goes all... uhh... DoooOOOooo dooOOOooo DOOOOO! Obviously that's not very helpful but it's the best I can do. Go away.

Farm Fest, '09!!! Jak se mas?

Haha, I bet you are so dumb you don't even know what Farm Fest is. Either that or it's just a bizarre family ritual that I hardly ever think about, much less talk about, until labor day weekend rolls around, so I never would have mentioned it ever unless you asked. So here's the story- My maternal grandparents moved onto a farm when my mom was in like second grade, and raised their children there. These children are comprised of my aunt Mary Beth, my aunt Carol, my mom, my aunt Nancy, my uncle Frank, and my uncle Scott. So yeah, like, big ol' Catholic Czech family (We are verrry czech. This farm is in a town called NEW PRAGUE.) Um so, this farm was sort of this huge thing and kinda taken for granted by everyone, but all in all a cool place to grow up and learn life lessons and shit, and I had some fun times there too. BUT THEN! My grandparents were getting older, and a decision was made to move into town. They have a nice little house now, even if it is in one of those creepy cookie cutter neighborhoods where all the houses look the same. BUT THEN! My uncle Frank decided to buy the farm. Actually just the house and the buildings and some of the land around it, not the actual field thingies. So every labor day weekend we celebrate the farm by camping out there, playing capture the flag, and sitting around talking by the fire. Also, the adults enjoy getting their drunk on and making me get them beers. Do you know how to work a keg? (Well, maybe you do.) I do, anyway.

SO! This year was sort of hilarious with a bit of hysterical drama, so I feel I ought to mention it. It started out the same as any other. Sitting in the garage, chatting, eating bars and the like. There's always a pack of small boys running around. My mom's friend Kevin was there for the first time, since he had proved to be impervious to our weirdness at my brother's graduation party, where he spent the whole time playing tag, hide and seek, ghosts in the graveyard and capture the flag with us kids. We were just starting out on the first game of capture the flag when things started to get weird.

My uncle Frank was chasing my uncle Scott off of our team's side when Scott's dog Cupcake (He has twin daughters, I'm pretty sure that name was not his idea.) runs up behind him, sending Frank tumbling. Frank did something of a somersault, sat for a second, admonished Scott, and returned to the game. We were walking back to our side after the game when he stopped, staring at the giant teepee of wood that was for the bonfire later. "Who BUILT that?" He asked, in his big, goofy voice. Frank has such a voice and a manner that it is almost impossible to take him seriously. (He is also a notorious bullshitter.) We were all laughing at him, telling him HE had built it three days ago, but he didn't seem to believe us. In the next few games he just sort of stood around, looking confused. On further interrogation from my aunts, who take things more seriously than most, it was revealed that he didn't know when he had put his shirt and glasses back on, didn't know what time or day it was, and didn't know why we were all there. This was when he was taken to the hospital, where we are told that on the way there he asked the same five questions over and over.

We sort of half forgot about him for a bit. At least I did. There was a humongous bonfire, and we were roasting marshmallows and hanging around. My mom was getting steadily ahead of everyone else in the drunk race, and after Frank came home with a concussion, but otherwise fine, she got veritably hammered. Hilarious, yes, by Giffin the woman was actually hiccuping, but slightly embarrassing as well. Frank didn't remember much about the last few hours, but what he did remember he said he saw in a dream. No worries, though, he just shrugged and had a beer.

Play a mean game of capture the flag? Do you like mosquitoes? Like, all of the mosquitoes that were hiding this year so they could go to Farm Fest? Enjoy Bruce Springsteen and muffins? Think head injuries are funny and weird? Know the ins and outs of a keg? Know what the hell Jak se mas means?* Then YOU JUST MIGHT BE INVITED TO FARM FEST NEXT YEAR!!!!!!

*I admit I didn't know this myself until this year. I know zero Czech. Well, I know a few random words, but have no idea how to spell them. By the way, it's pronounced Yahk say mahsh.

Rawr.

Okay, so, sophomore year, yah?

My backpack is the heaviest it's ever been. Yikes.

Most annoying backpack related thing ever: Parents getting mad at you because your backpack is too heavy and expecting you to be able to do something about it. What, do they think we just fill them with bricks for fun?
I need all the books in my backpack. Do I wish I could carry less? Hell yeah. Can I? NO.
And the worst part is you can't get too mad at them (Well, you can if you want) because you know they're all well-meaning and shit and they don't want you to become a hunchback or anything.

Eh. Eh. Eh.

HIIIIII

A-post-a-month no more! My precious laptop is back in my arms.

So... you'll be hearing from me more while I succumb to the poisons of the internet.