Two Days and Counting

Until my eighteenth birthday, that is. Life is making me claustrophobic at the moment. I always get that before my birthdays, but it's harsher than usual this year--probably due to a mixture of it being the big one eight, and me being thousands of miles away from home. I've had a total of 2 birthday parties in my entire life; my birthdays are always low-key affairs at home with my parents and siblings. I like 'em that way. So not being home is a bit hard, you know. Thank goodness for video Skyping, though.

Today I got my birthday cake! I will not describe it yet, though. You will get a picture. Be patient.

I also returned my books to the library. I went weeks ago, you may recall, to get 'Phantastes and Lilith', and ended up getting 'The Charwoman's Shadow' and 'Roots of the Mountains' as well. As it turns out, I read 'The Charwoman's Shadow', I read 'Roots of the Mountains', and I never did get around to reading 'Phantastes and Lilith'. Which, I suppose, shows how my brain works. In other words, it doesn't.

I'll have to go back to the library and borrow it again. But before then I will certainly be posting quotes here, so stick around!

Weather report! Very sunny, with only scattered clouds and drizzles, but extremely windy. I kid thee not. I sat at an outdoor table yesterday, studying, and my 500 page 'Complete Mythological Dictionary' blew away. 

Do you realize how ridiculous one feels chasing a wayward dictionary??

I'm posting my new short story and birthday present for Linden on Facebook at the moment, but will also get around to publishing it here eventually. I'd say it would be done by the end of the weekend, but I might not get much writing done on my birthday.

Hm . . . why is it that I never seem to have anything worthwhile to write about? I'll have to work on that.

Please Pray

http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?s=9855335

Please pray for these poor people and for all of those who knew them and know them, love them, are worried about them, and are missing them. 

To Write Love On Her Arms

. . . I did it. In Elvish, no less.

And I also doodled an eye and a couple of faces on my palm that day. English class was dull.

Literary Quote #I'll-Figure-Out-Later: Master and Commander

'The remora was so strong it had certainly torn the sheathing off, they explained to him; but that was nothing--it was so strong it could hold the sloop motionless, or almost motionless, in a brisk gale! But now they had him--there was an end to his capers now, the dog--and now the Sophie would run along like a swan. For a moment Stephen felt inclined to argue, to appeal to their common sense, to point to the nine-inch fish, to the exiguity of its fins; but he was too wise, and too happy, to yield to this temptation, and he jealously carried the bucket down to his cabin, to commune with the remora in peace.'

-Patrick O'Brian, Master and Commander

I daresay this is my favorite part in the whole book. Apart from the part where Stephen randomly falls overboard in the middle of a conversation. Or where Aubrey randomly whacks his head on the doorframe. Or where Stephen complains to no avail about a crewman sneaking all the liquor out of his asp jar. But, um, it's a good /serious/ book too, not just full of silliness to appeal to my peculiar sense of humor. I'm hunting down the next book in the series now, Post Captain, and I think it's in the state library, so maybe I'll nab it during my 3 DAY WEEKEND!

*insert happy dance of glee here*

But anyway, Patrick O'Brian. Yes. A peculiar style of writing, has Patrick O'Brian, but it's also quite good. Once you get used to it. And yeah, Nikolai, this is the book that begins the series that the movie is loosely based upon. Funness.

Happy Friday, everyone! I don't care if it is the 13th, Fridays are never unlucky. Huzzah for 3 DAY WEEKENDS!

*repeat of above happy dance of glee*

. . . Ai, I have a headache. Or as Gawaine would say, "My head sore aches!" (Yes, that is a Once and Future King quote for those of you who are interested.) I've been up very late at nights doing homework all week, and now I'm finally finished for tomorrow, but I have to wake at 6 after only 5 hours of sleep last night, and it looks like I'll be having 5 again tonight . . . and tomorrow is my dance practice. I'll be a wreck.

Oh well. That's life. College life, anyway.

The Weather. And More Books.

So I've been spending today by:

A) Skype-chatting

B) Doing homework

C) Listening to Les Miserables

D) Reading Emma

E) Going to classes

. . . Which is pretty much how my life's been going the past few days. Which doesn't leave me with anything significant to blog about, I guess!

I think I'm reduced to talking about the weather.

Well, the weather has been rather interesting recently. The mornings are glorious, bright and clear, with blue-blue sky and the grass lemony-green because it's so bright, and the flowers glowing so brightly they look molten and you expect them to drip their excess color onto the soil.

Around noontime, however, vast clouds colored so dark they are almost blue come rolling over the mountains. It's rather spectacular looking, and rather thrilling too because they're a little scary: so thick and low, and appearing from behind the mountains (which are so close here) like an army or something. It makes me think what it would have been like to live here before Cook came, or even be one of the earlier explorers. What would it have been like to be here, in the jungle-surrounded valley, and seeing those clouds swallowing up the sky so suddenly?

Anyways, and then the sky is silver-dark for a couple hours. And then comes the wind, which is immensely strong for about five minutes, and then--a storm of rain, so that not only the sky, but everything around you is silver-grey, and if you're outside you are running with water and absolutely soaked within seconds, and can't see your hand in front of your face.

This lasts for about 5-10 minutes. And then comes the sunlight again, and the rest of the day is an even mix of cloud and blue, but no rain.

And that's the weather report. Thrilling, isn't it? Oi, I need a more exciting life, I guess!

Oh, wait, I have been reading books. The Charwoman's Shadow, Master and Commander, and Emma are my latest reads, and they were all very good. I actually prefer Charwoman to Elfking's Daughter, which I didn't think would happen when the main character was introduced as Ramon Alonzo Matthew-Mark-Luke-John, but ultimately did. I really, really love that book. And M & C was rather good too, good enough that I am determined to pick up the next one next time I am at the library. Post Captain, I think? It's a very different style to what I'm used to, so I had to be careful reading it because otherwise I missed important events. I laughed aloud at certain parts though . . . most notably the remora incident and where Aubrey smacks his head on the lintel. Yeah, I also still laugh when Gandalf smacks his head in Bag End in the Fellowship film. I don't know why, usually I'm not a slapsticky person.

Okay, and that is about all I have to say right now. Except I have decided: I will buy the Complete Symphonic Recording of Les Miserables. I must. That my favorite Javert sings in it sorta tipped the scales. And I do love Michael Ball's voice, just don't want to see him while he's singing, ha ha. Too bad Lea Salonga isn't singing Eponine, but . . . it's good enough for me. I love all things Les Mis. Yay!

My Narnia Moment

You know when the Pevensies first stumble through the wardrobe and emerge, in blinking, shocked delight, in the wonder world of Narnia? Yeah, well, I experienced my equivalent today.

The college library has had issues for a while with bad ceiling, so when it rains--which does happen a lot here!--the water comes through the roof in some parts, leading to tarping of the endangered books and fans and other such items. It's a pain, but it also adds a strange ambience to the upper floors of the library, which are air-conditioned until they're ice cold, absolutely silent, and enormous--you can stand at one end of an aisle, and barely see the wall at the other end. Seriously.

Anyway, I ventured into the college library this morning because I had spare time and hadn't had an opportunity to explore it in a while. Besides, I was on a quest: I have been told by assorted people that I should read some George MacDonald. Now.

So, being the obedient bookworm I am, I went to explore the upper floor, where I figured I would find his works. I had a hunch it would be towards one side of the building, which happened to be tarped. It looked pretty dark and gloomy and kinda creepy, but I took a chance and proceeded anyway, pulled aside the tarp, stepped through . . .

Into a pocket of warmth and sunshine provided by one large, clear window. Before me stood four gleaming old wooden shelves, very tall and very long, piled with old books of the fantasy/adventure genre. And sitting beside the window was a single comfy chair.

Yes. That was my Narnia moment.

I browsed the shelves in a sort of blissful dream. And glory of glories, every single tome I picked at random to thumb through seemed good! Yay! 

And yes, I did pick up Phantastes and Lilith. Not only that, but I nabbed a copy of The Charwoman's Shadow, and another book I picked at random after falling in love with the first two pages. I don't even remember the title, actually. But it is good. 

The only damper on my glee is that my library apparently does not have any of the Aubrey-Maturin books. Bleh. Disappointing.

But anyway, from now on, you know where to find me. In my own personal, secret, Narnia.