Wuthering Lows

Hello.

I've been feeling the need to write, but I am still so intimidated by the big blank page Microsoft Word displays that I thought I'd just blog and get a little bit of the brain-goop out.

I am finally reading 'Wuthering Heights', after the 6+ years it's been nestled in the 'To Read' pile next to my bed in C-town. At times I get so exasperated with the characters' behavior I just toss it aside and start searching for a novel whose inhabitants are somewhat more agreeable, but I find that there is always something that compells me to read on. The second-generation Linton-Heathcliff-Earnshaw trio intrigues me ---I had expected the story to end with Catherine's--- but the roles within the new trio make such an interesting (and tragic) shift from the old ones, I just have to find out how who ends up where. It all seems very entropic to me...

Also appearing on my summer reading list is 'Thud!', 'Kate', 'Rousseau's Dog', 'The Varieties of Scientific Experience' , 'Catch 22', a couple Philip Pullmans, and 'Until I Find You' among many, many others. And 'Breaking Dawn' comes out in 30 some days... *sheepish grin*... AND Chris Paolini's 3rd book of a trilogy that's no longer a trilogy... But I shan't get ahead of myself...

In other news... listening to music while running has frequently been failing me because I've gotten so used to my music that I'm beginning to tune it out. I tried podcasts for a while, which worked alright, because they often feature more than one voice to entertain my short attention span, but I found today that audiobooks are total perfection. I started listening to 'A Wrinkle in Time' during my run today, and I could have just gone on forever. I've read that book countless times but I still found it a delightful distraction from the confused rhythm spawned by my breath and footsteps.

Alright. 'Tis time for bed. I shall see thee another day.

APRIL- FIRST post from London- I'M SO BORED!!!

omgoodness, i haven't taken this many online quizzes and surveys since high school. boredom reigns supreme when i have weeks to study for finals...

How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had? 2... question mark?
What were your high school colors? Blue & Gold
How do you feel about PDA? Bleh.
How many tickets [if any] have you gotten? Heh, heh. I was like, "tickets? what do you mean by that?"... 1 warning, I guess.
Do you like cheese? Melted. On stuff.
What's the highest you've gotten on Guitar Hero I? Erm...
Have you played Guitar Hero II yet? No?
Do you know what Army of Darkness is, and if so, how do you feel about it? You're a geeky survey.
What is your favorite Starbucks drink? Pumpkin Spice or Gingerbread Latte
Do you like Chinese food? YES!
What's the most embarrassing thing you've been caught doing?I guess when I was little and choreographing dances to bad pop music, I'd get really embarrassed if my parents tried to watch.
Do you have a secret that less than 3 people know about? Um... I'm sure there must be one (?!)
How do you feel about alcoholic beverages and underage drinking? I'm for it! Hahaha- um, I'm pro responsibility... but I don't feel like a lot of adults- or people who can vote at 18- have that- so why limit drinking by an arbitrary age?
What color are your socks? Not wearing any. HA! Tricked you!
How many hours of sleep do you, personally, need to function well? Hahaha. 5? And then a couple of weeks' sleep after the semester is over... ;)
What is your favorite store? Primark! Budgens? Sainsburys! the 99p store! Um, probably H&M.
What's your favorite article of clothing? My green Old Navy hat- and to think I almost didn't buy it!
Have you ever dyed your hair? Yep!
How many times? 1. :(
What color is your car? Do you even have a car? I guess I don't have a car anymore.
Where do you work? I don't... :(
Do you like it? Is this the depressing part of the survey?
Do you like the people you work with? Stop rubbing it in!
Are you smart? Well, I took an online IQ test today & it told me I was a 136. I think it was fake.
So do you work hard in school? I used to... until this week. But damnit, I'm reading 'Ulysses' over again to write a paper! That's got to count for something!
What are you majoring in, or planning on majoring in? English, Dance, maybe Astrophysics or Aerospace Engineering. You know, the us-. Someone should come up with a spelling for the abbreviation of 'usual'...
Do you like your school? Yep.
Do you collect loose change? Have to! Laundry- helLO!...
How much money do you have saved up? About $10,000 less than I had before coming to London...
Do you go to church? Pretty ones in Europe... on special occasions...
Have you ever been a cheerleader? No! :)
Have you ever been on a dance team? I'm gonna say 'No'...
Have you ever taken ballet? Yes!
Have you ever taken gymnastics? Yes!
Have you ever taken tap dance? Yes!
Do you know how to salsa? Yes!
Can you draw, paint, or sculpt? Yes! Ooh, I sound neat during this part...
Are you crafty? Sure!
How much money do you think you use on scrapbooking? Scrapbooking? Maybe $20 Sr. year?
Do you STILL like cheese? Melted. On stuff. Especially potatoes with smoked British bacon.
Are you a vegetarian? Clearly not.
Do you like your family as a whole? Yea.
Do you hate school like I do? No- you're sad.
How do you feel about rude people? They're sad.
How do you feel about homeless people? They're actually sad- and more money from state and federal governments needs to go towards programs to make them not homeless anymore.
How do you feel about starving people? They should go to hell. What kind of question is that? Once again, I believe in humanitarian aid, but you're not gonna make me feel guilty about throwing away moldy tomato sauce...
Do you do your part to contribute to society? Probably not. One day maybe.
Do you give to those less fortunate? I loan $ to my friends sometimes. When I don't already owe them...
Do you recycle? Yes!
Do you donate blood? Twice?
Do you donate anything? My time and energy... ;)
When and where do you donate those things? To creative and academic endeavours across the globe... (like the UK spelling?)
Do you volunteer anywhere? Not yet- I want to volunteer at some sort of children's literacy organization over the summer... or anywhere that will take me.
How do you feel about high heels? I am pro-stiletto! (Though, feminist-icly speaking, I am against them... but what the hell, they make my calves look nice!)
How do you feel about the tattoos known as "tramp stamps?" Trashy not classy. Sorry, not fond.
How do you feel about tattoos in general? They can be neat. I read a book that had a character who put a happy-face tattoo on her big toe so when she was in the morgue and the mortician put a toe tag on her it would be funny. That's the closest I've gotten to wanting one, though.
Do you like piercings? In moderation.
Which one's your favorite? Piercings? Oh, nipples for sure... (?!)
What kind of pain reliever do you take for headaches? I often forget that pain relievers exist, actually. Ironic, considering how often I took them in HS.
How often do you get sick? At least once every fall and spring. Usually one or the other is bronchitis or pneumonia.
Have you ever created anything from duct tape and if so, what? Um, yes! A sword out of wrapping paper tubes, maybe?
Do you even know how many colors of duct tape they have? DUCT tape? Pretty sure just one.
Do you like sharpies? YES!... who's asking?
How do you feel about loud people in the library or bookstore? They should die. Unless a HP book is coming out, then they can be as gleeful as they please w/o revealing any secrets...
What is your favorite holiday? NEW YEARS. I swear, one day I'll have a good one.
Why? It's more romantic than Valentine's, and less obvious than Christmas.
At Christmas, do you prefer giving or getting? Um, if I rocked at buying gifts that year: giving- but usually I don't, so getting?
How many hours of exercise do you get in a week? Depends how devoted I am and how much dancing I'm doing- I'd say 2-20?
What kind of exercise do you do? Running, Walking, Pilates, Dancing, Tennis sometimes...
How do you feel about people that label themselves? Label themselves with what? Using ANY word to describe yourself is a label, so unless you don't need language, get over it.
Have you ever been asked to a dance? Yes, surprisingly enough. ;)
Do you like bright colors? Yes.
Do you like dark colors? Yes.
Do you like pastel colors? No. Except yellow.
Did you know that the color yellow raises your blood pressure? Yellow? Are you sure? Isn't that what psychiatrists are supposed to paint there walls?
What's your favorite kind of candy? Um, Revels! Cadbury Eggs? Raisinettes?
Is there anyone you don't like? Yes. Dick Cheney, Tracy You-Know-Who, and straight men? ;)
Is there anyone you are holding a grudge against? Straight men? ;) But yes, actually.
Is there anyone holding a grudge against you? Straight men? ;) But yes, I'm sure.
Are you a bad person? Sometimes, not usually.
Do you hate or love life? I think life is ironic, and I love irony, so I guess I love it!
Do you take advantage of everyday? Well, how 'bout I don't tell you what I've been doing the past 5 days and answer 'yes'.
Do you treat others as you'd like to be treated? More kindly, I should think.
Do you have morals? Too many. :P
If you were 12 and you could see yourself now, would you be disappointed? Hahaha- totally! Sad.
Do you like Paris Hilton? No.
Do you like Nicole Richie? I think she's bright, but no.
Do you like Tom Cruise? No.
What's the last thing you'd say before you died? "To my husband I bequeath my second-best bed..."

"Come out of your cupboards, you boys and girls..."

So, I shan't take long, but I've decided I'm just going to use this blog instead of starting a new one for London. So... yea. You can start reading this one again if you want. I might just update it again during the next 6 months.

What I did instead of analyzing Plato's "Republic"

So, once I began procrastinating and once my internet decided to start working, I decided to write an editorial. Or something like one. Lol. Its not flawless, I might occasionally have lied, and it could use some editing, but I thought I'd share- a half a year earlier than I had planned:


Sailing is one of the most wholesome and gratifying activities in which one may partake. And if you have spoken with my father for any length of time, you will undoubtedly be familiar with his affinity for all things sail-related. It is a passion that rewards its devotees ten-fold. Drifting across a quiet lake while at mercy to the changing wind– but with the ability to adjust accordingly by pulling in the mainsail or releasing the jib– serves as both revitalizing nautical experience and valuable life lesson conveniently provided in the comfort of a lazy summer’s day.
Allow me, now, to taint the experience with pragmatic political allegory.

The winds are about to change.

Not necessarily for better or for worse, but certainly to enough of a degree that it would be convenient to have someone somewhere shout an advisory “Prepare to come about!” so the rest of us aren’t hit in the head with the weight of the boom.

There are a number of individuals running for the Presidency of the United States. An eclectic group on either side, they include a pro-choice, pro-gay rights, Republican former mayor, a maverick-conservative military hero, a former First Lady, and a skinny new kid with a funny name.

Personally, to have Republican nominees for whom I have enough respect that I am not brought to tears at the thought of one of them becoming Chief Executive is enough of an excitement in itself. (If you still wonder at my political affiliation, I will simply respond with my memory of being a sixth-grader, standing stubbornly against the legitimately-less-forgiving half of the adults in the country, declaring the irrefutable greatness that was the Clinton administration.)

Despite my soft spot for skinny new kids, and to the disappointment of my fellow Obama’08 campaign volunteers, this is not an attempt to rally my district for a single candidate but rather an attempt to start talking about that which has been taboo the past few years. It seems as if when we disagree with good friends about political issues, we agree not to talk about it– which, though as courteously Northern a mentality as it is, does not resolve any problems a particular friend may be experiencing. We can challenge ourselves to talk about both positive and negative aspects of the current state of our union, and we can now bask in the possibilities of candidates who operate against the political grain. As patriotic as red and blue appear when set side by side, purple is a lovely color, too!

For the moment, the wind of political change is no longer coming solely from starboard or port, but in a whirl-wind of non-partisan ideas from partisan individuals who may agree on very little, but care about this country very much.

This will be an election year like no other, with a variety of candidates like that which we have never seen. The opportunity to take part in a grassroots campaign is easier than ever before, so long as you have any sort of access to the vast, open waters called the Internet.

So my challenge to you is this: Let the wind catch your sails, Embrace your ability to determine the course, and Enjoy the ride!

Procrastination is the key to the door of Productivity..

copying mandarex again...

SEVEN CIRCLES
CIRCLE ONE: THE OUTSIDE
1. What's your name: Alex
2. How tall are you: 5'7"
3. What color are your eyes: chocolate;)
4. What color is your hair: mahogany ;)
5. Are you Male or Female: female
6. What is your best feature (physically):um, dancer feet or my nose?
7. What's your shoe size:71/2 - 8
8. Glasses, yes or no: sometimes, but they give me a headache
9. Did you ever have braces: si
10. On a typical day you are wearing: jeans, leotard, sports bra, t-shirt, Ugg boots and a scarf- exactly that almost every day- occasionally adding a blazer
11. When you go to bed you're wearing: rob's old hard rock cafe shirt and u of m flannel pjs- my favorite pants in the whole wide world
12. work out/exercise about how often: mon-tues-wed-thrus-fri and occasional rehearsals on sunday, and when its warm, running on saturday

CIRCLE TWO: MUSIC
1. Name five of your favorite bands: um... Green Day, The Shins, The Clash, Goo Goo Dolls, Indigo Girls
2. Name five of your favorite singers: Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Natasha Bedingfield, Melissa Etheridge, Ben Folds
3. Name three songs you are currently playing nonstop: Light as the Breeze by Billy Joel, Don't Know Why by Norah Jones, Why Should I Worry (from Oliver and Company) by Billy Joel
4. Name one song that best describes your life right now: River of Dreams by Billy Joel (duh)
5. Name one song that best describes your life one year ago: The Lady's Got Potential from Evita (jk- kind of- teehee)
6. When you're driving, what are the preset stations on your radio: umm... I am not radio's biggest fan.
7. What's the last CD you bought: Well, not counting the shitload of stuff I bought on iTunes recently.... um.... a Luciano Pavoratti CD for my dad...
8. Was the last CD you burned an actual CD or a mix: probably an actual cd- i haven't made a lot of mixes...
9. Name one song/band/singer you're embarrassed to like but do: Kelly Clarkson
10. If you could only attend one concert ever again, it would be: BILLY JOEL MAY 9TH AFTER MY POLY SCI FINAL!!!!
11. Name one band/singer you absoulutely can't stand: Pretty much any hardcore country
12. Name a group you use to like but feel you've grown out of: lol- I'm still nostalgic for most of them...

CIRCLE THREE: MOVIES/TELEVISION
1. Name your favorite actor: Viggo, Jon, Stephen, Steven, Hugh J., Ian Mc., Patrick S., Gerard
2. Name your favorite actress: Kate W., Scarlet, Keira, Liv, Natalie (clearly, I'm on a first name basis with all these people)
3. Name your favorite television show right now: Grey's is kicking GGs' and LOST's asses! (and the Daily Show, of course)
4. Name five really cool movies you've recently seen: Little Miss Sunshine, The Prestige... Happy Feet??... can't think of anything else...
5. Your favorite canceled television show: Wings or Captain Planet
7. Name one movie you wish you hadn't wasted time/money on recently: It takes a lot for me to think a movie is a waste of time...
8. You would never watch a movie with: people who hate that I talk during movies?
9. Favorite candy/food to watch movies with: Raisinettes & water
10. Three favorite tv channels: Comedy Central, Discovery, ABC the past few years...
11. Favorite reality show: Treasure Hunters from last summer?
12. Favorite character on a reality show: Air Force!

CIRCLE FOUR: WORD ASSOCIATION(Write the first word/thing/person that comes into your head when you read this word:)
1. coffee: aroma
2. dog: bag
3. slut: Holland
4. candy: land
5. pole: dance
6. ocean: blue
7. brave: heart
8. loving: doving?
9. cookie: chips (apparently chocolate is inherent)
10. death: machette?
11. life: light
12. child: abuse? :S

CIRCLE FIVE: WHICH WOULD YOU PREFER:(bold the one you prefer)
1. Ten guilty men go free OR One innocent man goes to jail for life: depends on the crimes and the men/man... under most circumstances, though, probably the former- "instant karma's gonna get to you..."
2. Eaten by a lion OR Eaten by thousands of small insects-- whatever is faster... lion?
3. A life of contentment without love OR A life with love and heartache-- I refuse to answer this poorly-conceived question...
4. Skydiving from a plane OR Bungee jumping off a bridge-- If I have to fall, I'm going all out, so airplane.
6. No television OR No music-- No TV, I'll listen to the Daily Show on my iPod.
7. No more pizza, ever OR No more chocolate, ever--no pizza.
8. A trip to Europe OR a trip to Hawaii-- EUROPE.
9. An hour with your future soul mate OR An hour with a lost loved one-- so, if "future soul mate" mean that as soon as you do eventually meet again, you're together forever... so, um, the second one? (???)
10. No longer being able to cry OR No longer being able to feel the need to cry-- both are ishy- crying is so nice sometimes.
11. Sex without love OR love without sex-- Really?
12. Loving someone who doesn't love you OR being loved by someone you don't love-- the first.

CIRCLE SIX: THE LOVE LIFE - oh dear.
1. Are you currently in a relationship: God no.
2. Are you currently looking/interested in someone: no
3. Are you a virgin: yes.
4. If yes, how long do you plan to be one: Until I decide not to be... or get raped. Haha! Sorry. Not funny. I just couldn't resist. Hi Dad.
5. How many times have you been "in love": I think "in love" is a silly phrase, because there are so many different kinds of love, it can be hard to differentiate between the different types.- (Thanks to mandarex for those wise words.)
6. Looking back, how do you feel about that person(s) now: the kind of love I have for a couple people has shifted- (and again.)
7. Name three things (physically) you look for in someone: my general taste in boys is actually quite different than the ones I end up dating... 1. soccer-player-looking, 2. somewhat studious-looking, (Jude Law in glasses from The Holiday! *faints*) 3. somewhat scruffy-looking
8. Name three things (mentally/emotionally) you look for in someone: maturity, compassion, sense of humor- (thanks to mandarex, again)
9. Biggest turn offs include: presumptuousness, a willful super-ignorance, and that cocky laugh some boys have that just tells you "you would hate me if you dated me"
10. Your ideal date would be: Male. jk. Well, not really. But to elaborate: Something that has to do with music, books, dancing, or New Years Eve... all in NYC.
11. You want to get married, where, when, how: a church, in the fall, before I'm 40, and legally?
12. Does anyone have feelings for you right now that you don't return: ....... [i'm sorry. ur call did not go through...]...

CIRCLE SEVEN: THE FRIENDS(of your friends, who would you say is:)
1. The one you immediately go to with a problem: Amanda, Mom, Becca, Anna, Sarah (whoever is closest, or answers the phone fastest)
2. The most rational: Do I know anyone like that? Becca? I think not...
3. The funniest: Anna
4. The one you spend the most time on the phone with: probably Becca
5. The craziest (but in a good way): Anna!!! lol- I can't believe this is a question!!!! and Betso :)
6. The most honest: Amanda
7. The purest: that's a strange and loaded question.... um.... Jesus! ;)
8. The smartest: Damn Steve or Damn Ali or Damn Jenny
9. The most athletic: Bridget N. or Sarah or Ali or Lindsey
10. The most compassionate: Amanda- at least in a way that I understand. We can laugh at funerals and depressing camper letters together.
11. The one most likely to get thrown in jail and why: First of all, I would like to thank mandarex for her thought-provoking answer to this question. Second of all, Becca and Betsy. Undoubtedly. I'm not sure why. Maybe vandelism? But it seems like something we'd all laugh about later.
12. The last one that said "I love you": Anna.

Hey, it hasn't been THAT long...

Hello. I thought I would provide something of an update seeing as regardless 'tis the holiday season, we all seem to be just as apart as we usually are. So. Hm.

1. Well, I had my umpteenth oral surgery done yesterday, and, hm-guess-what? We STILL couldn't imPLANT the IMplant. Bugger. He just put in more bone (from God-knows-where) so that more of my own bone will just grow around it. BUT, because he's a North Dakotan and a nice person he didn't charge us for this surgery, which is a plus. So, what this means (because you all care) is if more bone refuses to grow (this is the second or third time I've had this done), I have to get a bridge, which means they file down the tooth next to it and basically cement the fake tooth to that one. :S I'd prefer not to have that done. (aw, 'Bartleby'!- ANYway) So, I'm mildly crabby about that, but I'll get over it soon, I promise.

2. Um, Christmas happened!

3. Amusing story: As a result of event #2., I received an iTunes gift card and spent an evening downloading random pieces of video and audio from iTunes music store. Long story short, I not only bore witness to my increasingly liberal views through the lens of my iTunes Purchased List (Barack Obama, The Dresden Dolls, Melissa Etheridge's song from "An Inconvenient Truth", MORE Indigo Girls, The Daily Show, Stephen Colbert's White House Correspondents' Dinner performance, etc.) but ALSO simultaneously downloaded The Iraq Study Group Report audiobook with the song "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Disney's Mulan. Teehee. I love growing up in the Information Age.

Anyway, miss you all, and if I don't see you have a very Happy New Year!

you know you're a dance major when...

So I was falling asleep in Logic class today, (not the real falling asleep, just listening to the lecture without realizing that my eyes are closed) and my prof is saying something along the lines of: "We know where we want to go, and we know the direction we have to go to get there, but HOW do we get there?" And I thought in my head, "I want to walk homolaterally beginning with my right body half." The worst part is, I almost attempted to say (and DO) just that in my chair, but caught myself before anything more than a twitch could occur. Anyway, now I have to go without sleep for 48 hours. See you Thursday. Maybe.

you know you're a dance major when...

So I was falling asleep in Logic class today, (not the real falling asleep, just listening to the lecture without realizing that my eyes are closed) and my prof is saying something along the lines of: "We know where we want to go, and we know the direction we have to go to get there, but HOW do we get there?" And I thought in my head, "I want to walk homolaterally beginning with my right body half." The worst part is, I almost attempted to say (and DO) just that in my chair, but caught myself before anything more than a twitch could occur. Anyway, now I have to go without sleep for 48 hours. See you Thursday. Maybe.