Quotes and Inside Jokes

I was just looking at Kimi's blog when I noticed the quotes on the right hand side of the screen. I think the other people in the library think I'm crazy since I've been sitting here giggling to myself... Anyway, while in Japan, Kimi, Matt and I along with some others had some seriously funny moments. Most of them are inside jokes now that need some explaining but thats okay because they're hilarious! Kimi liked to write all our quotes down which I now appreciate tremendously.

I miss you guys!

"You have a nice head...cranial structure" -Josh to Kimi in the cafeteria at lunch

"No Quilt, No Life" -Japanese girls t-shirt

"Relationships are so 20th century, prostitution is the future" -Someone wrote that on the board in the cafeteria and it stayed there for quite a while

"Lucky Charms is teaching little kids to steal from Irish midgets. I mean, Irish midgets have feelings too" -Kara, simply Kara

"Japanese cartoons teach loyalty, friendship and all that crap" -Kara, again

"What, are you the only one allowed to make bad jokes?" -Claire Jaqumin, my Greek Mythology teacher in class to one of the other students. Remember she's French so this is with an awesome French accent.

"Let's kick this puppy" -One of my favorite sayings

"Let's blow this popsicle stand" -Another good one

"Ka-blouw" -Josh

"Screw recycling, I hate the environment" -Me. Recycling in Japan is freakin' ridiculous!

"Women shouldn't be doctors" -Josh, he almost died that day...

"National Founding day is a holiday where they find things" -Josh, again

"I've always wanted to be a seeing-eye dog" -Matt while being the beginning of our people train at Hachiko Crossing in Shibuya where roughly 2,500 people cross the street every time the light changes.

"I'M NOT GOING TO DIE IN THIS BUILDING!!" -Matt quoting his boss. Kimi caught this at an excellent moment on video while we were walking across Rainbow Bridge (Odaiba) in the rain

"I'm not a girl" -I'm pretty sure this was Matt

"Al Gore hadn't invented shoes yet" -Matt during a three way AIM conversation

"Be careful. If we don't stop Global Warming Al Gore is going to take back the internet!" -Me in International Politics last semester

"Is Jim the cute one?" -Matt on The Office characters

"Go to Kenya and build jungles" -Josh

"Irish midgets will seek revenge." -Kara

"I love heated seats, they keep my buns toasty" -I don't remember exactly but this was either me or Matt, either way its funny

"Jesus loves France too" -again, I can't remember but its funny. I know it has something to do with Prof. Jaqumin

"My legs might be short but they are brutal" -Sasha

"I don't think I could date a girl with no arms" -Matt

"Sweetie...I'm gay" -Alex

"I don't like listening to music that doesn't pertain to my life. That's why I listen to 50 Cent" -Josh

"If you die there, I think you'll go to hell 'cause you're already halfway there" -All of us about the Oedo train line thats some crazy amount of stories below the ground and most of its stairs.

"It's a national sport in France, Baby!" *whack* -Claire

"Dear God, thank You for this pizza. Bless it to our bodies, if that's possible." -Matt. We were able to get a real American pizza on the Army base. Good times.

"Wow, that's a lot of sheep" [2 seconds] "Wow, that's a lot of sheep" -Kimi and then me. I had a habit of repeating Kimi even when I hadn't heard what she had said.

"What are we murdering?" "A child" -Me then Kimi and Matt. I came into that conversation at a bad time.

"You'd never want to see overweight cheese in a bikini" -Matt while we were observing the lady "cut the cheese" at the Tillamook factory in Oregon.

"Who cares about those other parts of the world, they are inferior" -Matt

And those are just a few of the fun times we had.

Man! I miss you guys!

Shakespeare's Sonnet 64

I am currently in a class on Lyric Poetry that I thought was going to be very boring and difficult seeing that poetry and I have a bad history... But it's not and I actually like the class so far. This is probably because the professor (Dr. Schwartz) is so awesome at reading and explaining poetry and because lyric poetry has a lot to do with music, seeing that music is the main root of lyric poetry and I like music, therefore lyric poetry is actually interesting. (Like my run on sentence?)

Today in class we went over Sonnet 64 by William Shakespeare. It is unlike many of Shakespeare's sonnets because it deals less with the idea of immortality through procreation or the poems themselves, and deals more with death and how much it sucks (to put it bluntly).

So I thought you might like to read it.

Sonnet 64
When I have seen by Time's fell hand defaced
The rich proud cost of outworn buried age,
When sometime lofty towers I see down razed,
And brass eternal slave to mortal rage;
When I have seen the hungry ocean gain
Advantage on the kingdom of the shore,
And the firm soil win of the wat'ry main,
Increasing store with loss, and loss with store;
When I have seen such an interchange of state,
Or state itself confounded to decay,
Ruin hath taught me thus to ruminate:
That Time will come and take my love away.
This thought is as a death which cannot choose
But weep to have that which it fears to lose.

The main idea of the poem, that we discussed in class, is that the speaker feels as though being with their love is just as bad as if the person had already died, since the speaker knows their love will die just as towers, brass, the shore and soil do. As Dr. Shwartz was reading the poem I felt the feeling in the poem, if that makes sense. And as we discussed it and I understood this one possible meaning, I understood why I was moved. That was a great moment, one of those that makes going to college worth it. I know I have learned something and understand the world around me better because of it.

Go Shakespeare and Dr. Schwartz.

I Celebrate the Day

I thought I would put up the lyrics from "I Celebrate the Day" by Relient K, off of the new Christmas album (post about that below), "Let it Snow Baby... Let it Reindeer".

I Celebrate the Day
With this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let you know
How much you've touched my life because
Here is where you're finding me
In the exact same place as New Years Eve
And from the lack of my persistency
We're less than half as close as I wanna be

And the first time that you opened your eyes
Did you realize that you would be my Savior
And the first breath that left your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever
And the first time that you opened your eyes
Did you realize that you would be my Savior
And the first breath that left your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare
The things I've felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That you have come to meet me here

To look back
And think that
This baby would one day save me
And the hope that
That you give
That you were born so I might really live
To look back
And think that
This baby would one day save me…

And the first time that you opened your eyes
Did you realize that you would be my Savior
And the first breath that left your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever
And the first time that you opened your eyes
Did you realize that you would be my Savior
And the first breath that left your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever

And I
I celebrate the day
That you were born to die
So I could one day
Pray for you to save my life
Pray for you to save my life
Pray for you to save my life
--Relient K

Let it Snow Baby... Let it Reindeer

The new Christmas album from Relient K which I was able to pre-order (thanks to MySpace) and received in the mail on Friday. It's awesome. It has a few songs from their first Christmas Album, Deck the Halls Bruise Your Hand, that are always awesome. My favorite still is and will always be I Celebrate the Day. Such a good, modern Christmas song. And of course there are their pop-rock versions of the classics like Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and Silent Night. An a capella (which Relient K does so well) version of Auld Lang Syne with a special Christmas greeting from the band. And some awesome originals like Santa Claus is Thumbing to Town.

I've listened to the CD a few times through and am still enjoying it. Makes me feel all Christmasy inside!

Books, again...

I love audio books...

The Notebook by Nichols Sparks

I did see the movie a few years ago at my lovely Sasha's house and cried like a baby. At the time my grandfather was living with Alzheimer's making the movie hit home. The book was soooooo much better than the movie. There are so many differences and I definitely prefer the book. As always with Sparks the story was heart wrenching and the ending didn't help. The conclusions are never what I would expect and they just plain suck in one way yet are good enough to keep me content. Oy...

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Oh my bob! This was the worst yet best ending of all! I cried and I wasn't driving I probably would have cried like a freakin' baby... Oh man, good times. I can't say anything else without giving it away so just read it. Ya, just read it...

(So I'm on a Nicholas Sparks kick it seems. Right now I'm listening to The Wedding, a sequel of sorts to The Notebook. What can I say, I'm a romantic, sometimes...)

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith

I think this was actually better than the first. Tears of the Giraffe is a sequel to The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency which I just read (and posted about) about a week or so ago. There was more content and story in this second book, probably because all of the background, etc. was given in the first book so there was more room for detectiv-ing. There also seemed to be more of a moral and some more emotion which I enjoyed. Now I definitely want to go to Africa.

More books are on their way!

Fire Update

My family is doing well and did not have to evacuate. Yeah! Much of Escondido has been able to go back to their homes and there were houses and buildings damaged and destroyed but a small number considering the fact that most, if not all, of Fallbrook was consumed by the fire.

According to the New York Times there is still high risk of the fires burning more homes but Escondido is safe right now.

Thank you for your concern and your prayers! I keep praying that no one else is hurt by these fires and that they will no longer be a danger.

San Diego Fires

First of all, my family and house are okay as of right now. My parents have been told they may need to evacuate and they are ready to leave if they need to but so far that has not had to happen. When I talked to them last night they said the winds had died down and the smoke had cleared. While they can see the fire from the house on roughly three sides, the fire has stayed in a "C" shape around Escondido (said Mommy and Daddy). Some of southern Escondido has been burned and through e-mails from friends I have learned that many people have been evacuated but no word on anyone I know personally losing their home.

So my family is safe for now but this fire is very unpredictable so please keep them in your prayers! I will try to update when I can.

Here are some maps courtesy of Google and KPBS (I'm probably violating some copyright laws here...).

The general area. The white info bubble is on Escondido High School which is a few miles from my house and is being used as an evacuation center that is now at full capacity. The Witch Fire is what is the biggest problem for Escondido right now, its on the lower right. The Witch Fire has burned over 164,000 acres and is 1% contained according to an article in the New York Times this morning.

A closer view. The info bubble is directly over my street.

Random Pictures

Just some random pictures I've taken over the past two weeks or so.

Christmastime is almost here!

So I was taking a picture of this cool moth that was sitting on a plate on the table in the hallway and I was amazed that it was staying in that position when I was so close to it... Then it fell over, obviously dead. Ya, that was depressing...

Some Virginia sunsets

Not Too Much...

going on. I turned in an English portfolio today that I was very interested in researching and writing. We read an article on how a subjects gaze in a photograph affects how that subject is viewed. The article particularly discussed National Geographic and we were suppose to look up pictures on the website and write an essay along the teachers guide lines, etc.

The pictures I found were of the Mbuti Pygmies of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I always thought, as I'm sure many people do, that pygmies were midget sized people which I learned was not true. The pictures were of a particular ritual called nkumbi were boys are initiated into manhood by having a daily whipping followed by spending time in the jungle to help them learn how to survive.

When I first read this and saw the picture of a boy actually being whipped I was horrified. Then when I was writing my essay I talked about how pictures cannot tell us anything about how those boys feel or if everything we've read or heard is true or written in a way that isn't bias. We, Americans who have never been to the Congo, cannot even begin to imagine what those boys lives are like nor how they feel. Cultures are so different from each other and we look at everyone else through our own cultural filters without thinking about how in this culture, certain things may be necessary.

I'm not saying I agree with the whippings, etc. I'm only saying that we can't know without being there.

So I think going to the Congo might be cool...

Party Blower Solo in a Song About Tetris

This is just freaking awesome.

Dogs and Books

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read." -Groucho Marx

More Books!

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

My SIGNED copy of the book. I didn't finish it until after he signed it but thats not the point. The book was funny and different but definitely written for young adults. It was a nice, relaxing and humorous read that did point out a lot of issues that teenagers deal with. It was good times.

The Anastasia Syndrome by Mary Higgins Clark

I have always loved Mary Higgins Clark and this was another good one. Its a novella so it only took about four hours to listen to and the ending was well worth it. I can't tell you what happened, you just have to read it (or listen to it).

True Believer by Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks never fails in making me cry (or at least tear). This was no exception.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

This was a very different kind of book that I did enjoy. I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

I know that there isn't a lot of description but I don't have too much time. All were good books that I would recommend anyone who may be interested in them.

Go books!

The Sounds of Charles City

I put together a video of some of the music at different events I've been to here in Charles City, Virginia.

The first is a calliope at the County Fair and then Curry's elementary school singing Swing Low, then a blue grass band singing Swing Low as well. The last is the Grand Opening Dance of the Chickahominy Indian Pow Wow. All of it great.

Lock In

Here are some pictures from the Lock In.

The guys "playing" the piano. They "played" for a few hours...

Playing Human Chess. Caleb's team (on the right) were the winners!

Jill, who is also in my Religious Science Fiction class and is hating as much as I do right now...

Ashley

Stuff on Heads!


We had such a good time just playing games and being goofy. I made some new friends that I plan on staying friends with. Which is always good.

Balderdash!

I was able to attend the Lock In held by the CSF (Christian Student Fellowship) group at school and it was awesome! We played a very long and fun game of Balderdash that resulted in some serious cases of the giggles and the occasional side-splitting laughter. I was in tears at one point.

For those who don't know what the game is, the judge picks a card from the box and decides which word they want to use. They then tell the group what the word is and they write it down on their word card. Each person then attempts to write a convincing definition for the word and hands in the card to the judge. The judge also writes down the actual definition down and shuffles it into the other cards. The cards are then read by the judge out loud and the group votes on which definition they think is correct. Or, when you get to the end and are feeling pretty silly, the funniest one.

I keep the cards from one round that was particularly hilarious. Keep in mind that all of us are nerds and there were a few Philosophy majors...

The word was Pickelhaube.

Pickelhaube: A prime cut of manflesh favored by the French.

Pickelhaube: The poor unfortunate soul who has to clean up after a food fight.

Pickelhaube: Jibberish term used to ask a person, "Where is my cheese?" or "Do you know the way to my boat?" depending on the pronounciation.

Pickelhaube: Regardless of the meaning of the word, I perceive this answer to be correct. As perception is knowledge, David O'Neal is compelled to vote for this answer.

Pickelhaube: A helmet with a spike on the top of it.

Pickelhaube: The German word for the winner of the Pickle Eating Contest.

Pickelhaube: The kind of friend who drops french onion dip in your water cup.

Pickelhaube: A radical politician.

Pickelhaube: I'll pickle your hob.

Can you guess the real definition? Put it in the comments and I'll e-mail you whether or not you guessed correctly. And no cheating by looking it up!

Fuzzy Goodness

I read these off of my Get Fuzzy daily calendar and had to share them with you. I apologize for the fuzziness, I don't have a scanner here so I had to take a picture. Either way, they're hilarious.

Thursday October 4, 2007

Sunday October 7, 2007

by Darby Conley

News in Blogs

In Journalism today we watched a video of a PBS special about Journalism, its problems and what the internet and technology are doing to Journalism. I have to agree with the commentators about what Journalism has become in that it is more focused on entertaining than informing in many instances. Shows like Hardball, Dateline, Primetime Live, etc. are a bunch of people yelling over each other, trying to cause controversy and gain ratings. But that's a different discussion for another day.

The interesting part for me was when they got to the part about technology and the internet, particularly blogging. Both sides of the argument were presented: those who believe blogs can present news and those who write the blogs are journalists with or without training and those who think news centered blogs present unoriginal and unreliable news. Jeff Jarvis, the creator of BuzzMachine which is a blog about "media and news" (taken from his About Me/Disclosures page). Jarvis also states on this page that "This is a personal site". He goes on to mention how he is connected and therefore possibly bias to various organizations and companies, which I appreciate. In the video we watched in class today he claims that anyone can perform and "Act of Journalism" if they have a computer and a cell phone; if someone is witnessing an act they can take a picture or video of it, post it on the internet and make it news.

I have to disagree with Jarvis and partially agree with the Dean of the School of Journalism at Columbia University, whose name I cannot confirm. The Dean (as I will refer to him) stated that he could not find blog news that was original. I took this to mean that the news in blogs is simply repeating or commenting on news that has already been printed or aired by known news organizations like ABC News or the New York Times. I don't read many blogs, especially news blogs so I cannot comment on that but I can say that I agree because of my own blogging.

Obviously I have a blog and am therefore by definition a blogger. But I blog about my personal life for my family and friends now that I am not living at home and able to share all of that information nor experiences with them. I do not attempt to report news, I may comment every now and then on what is going on in the world but I hope and pray that no takes me thoughts and ideas as fact.

Information on the internet is mostly unreliable. There are many things that I use and trust are true based on where the information is coming from but I do not know for fact that the information is true. For example, when writing a paper for one of my classes I will occasionally use Wikipedia to find dates or names or links but we are not even allowed to use Wikipedia as a cited source. Because anyone can edit and add information to the site, it is unreliable. That is that. Those who edit Wikipedia do not have someone editing their information, there are no fact checkers to make sure what they are saying is what actually happened. The same can be said for blogs.

There may come a day when Journalists will use blogs to report the news (some news stations are starting to) but as of right now, independent bloggers are not Journalists and cannot be completely relied on to provide pertinent, bias free and reliable news.

That's my opinion and its only an opinion.

90%

Yeah! I just got my second Journalism test back today and I got a 90%! I know that's less than last time but there were only 10 questions on this test as opposed to the 20 on the first one so I only missed one. And I'm a little unsure about that one so I'm going to talk to the professor about why my answer was wrong, but anyway...

90%! I am definitely getting an "A" in that class which is good considering I'll most likely be a Journalism major.