Miscellany and Etcetera

O, traitororous ways of a fickle girl

2010-01-22T22:27:00.000-08:00

New blog at Wordpress.com! Tis time for a fresh start, and hopefully a fresh perspective.

.:At the Turning of the Day:.
www.attheturning.wordpress.com

Hope to see you there!

In other news, got accepted to Western Washington University.

みんなさん、おげんきですか？

2010-01-04T13:48:00.000-08:00

きんばんは　日本語が　あります！とても　うえしい、ね？
I'm sure everyone else knows how to set their keyboards to a different language, but oh well. I learned something new, anyways! すごい。

Today is back to school. I had the joy of arriving to my very first non-homeschool math class late! Ahahah. Teacher is much good, though, huttah!

Did anyone else eat too much chocolate this December?

I am thinking of starting a more structured blog that addresses certain topics or follows some kind of plan. As much fun as the new-to-Washington emo posts and dark sorrowings over how little I know of life were, perhaps it is time to put my tuppence in the infinite wells of cyberdom to good use! ^_^

The only problem is that there are ever so many good things to write about.

-Art? (I could post pictures!)
-Languages? (It could be fun to delve into the linguistic connections that run rampant in every culture! We could eat sushi!)
-Crepuscular rodents? (chinchillas ftw!)
-Thomas Merton? (is not a chinchilla, but still awesome).
-Maybe start a project based on one of the above? Maybe just throw all of them into a giant pot and see what emerges?

Except, then you'd be left with another "Miscellany & Etcetera." (Hah, at least it's true to its name. :P)

Trivia: The word 'crepusculum' means 'twilight' in Latin. BET EDWARD CULLEN WOULDN'T GET SUCH RAVE REVIEWS IF HE WERE IN A SERIES CALLED CREPUSCULUM. >:|

What sorts of blogs do you read for fun (rather than obligation, she added wickedly >:)?

2009-12-01T22:31:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! My awesome sister Tina has started a blog, and thusly has she been assimilated into our chaotic realm of online journaling. You may find this vein of virtual gold at www.blue-tipped-carrots.blogspot.com. She's cute, she's spunky, she's got an excellent sense of humor AND she's a redhead, which may or may not be the summation of the first three items.

Go. Go now.

(The Blue Tipped Carrots is our family band name. We do a lot of talking about doing things, but none of them have quite come to fruition. Some possible songs in the making are "The Red Square Bush Song", "The Blue Tipped Carrots", and "The Waltz of the Chinchilla". And probably an opera.)

べんきょうをしましょう

2009-11-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

Benkyo o shimashou! (Let's study!)

{In Art of Color we learned that color is relative, that the relativity of color subsequently produces headaches, and that Nerf guns are the taste of lemons.}

{In Tai Chi we learned that you can use Pung energy to make yourself look intimidating, and that someday we'll be able to shoot Chi energy from our fingertips.}

{In Natural Disasters we hone the fine art of napping}

{In Pacific Northwest History, we discover the Pig War, also known as the San Juan Island Boundary Dispute, fought over a dead pig, and that eating an entire buffalo is nutritively valuable.}

{In Honors Project of Boils and Frothing Curses, we learned that coloring in dim light is bad for both eyesight and artistic quality. (And that a flying octopus is an easy answer to the question "What is art?")}

In life, we learn that God is love.

Pearl-stringing

2009-10-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

Margaret, are you grieving?

On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with his gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Where shall the word be found, where will the word
Resound? Not here, there is not enough silence
Not on the sea or on the islands, not
On the mainland, in the desert or the rain land,
For those who walk in darkness
Both in the day time and in the night time
The right time and the right place are not here
No place of grace for those who avoid the face
No time to rejoice for those who walk among noise and deny
the voice

You have never talked to a mere mortal.

Aunque la mona se viste la seda, mona se queda.

"Honourable Father, very good; Honourable Son, very good; but Honourable Bird I do not understand at all."

Even in Kyoto--
hearing the cuckoo's cry--
I long for Kyoto.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Bonus est.

Today's show has been brought to you by the letter Argyle, and the number Cephalopod.

2009-10-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

Both are lovely.

Er, hello!

I stopped writing posts for awhile, and then everybody else's got exponentially more amazing so I was intimidated. I like your blogs, O Genteel Folk of the Internet realm.

Hrm. What's up?

Well.

I really don't know what to write.

Actually, wait! Here is something:

*hem hem*

Ten Things To Do During My 17th Year of Earthly Existence:

1. Make a strange-looking artifact of some sort and place it on an innocent person's doorstep.

2. Learn katakana (argh) and at least 100 kanji (AAARRRGGHH).

3a. Learn the Russian alphabet.

3b. Say something in Russian to our lovely Russian neighbors. Correctly.

4. Eat sushi.

5. Make panda bread!

6. Read the whole Bible.

7a. Read the Divine Comedy!

7b. Additionally, learn how to spell Alighieri without looking.

8. Paint a real painting. With paint.

9. Finish every picture that I start before I turn 18!

10.

That last slot is God's call. I dunno exactly what He wants me to do yet, but I'll bet it's a heck lot better than anything else on that list! Dattebayo. (Of course, every item here should be done in such a way as to reflect His glory, so every slot is His anyhow. Nevertheless! :)

L'chaim!

In sad news, our chinchilla passed away on September 11th, 2009, which is also my brother's birthday. In happier news, my favorite professor is supervising the completion of a graphic novel that I'm pretending I can do.

In mediocre news, I have to test into Math 99 by the end of the week. Jeepers.

In awesome news, the Tran writes epic run-on sentences. (He was going for the Locke effect).

Be well, friends! (Also, if you feel so inclined, ya'll should make your own 'To-do' Lists and post them!)

2009-09-06T22:33:00.001-07:00

Today was the delightful experience of the chinchilla jumping onto my lap and trying to eat the recently purchased copy of Weight of Glory in my hands.

School starts on the 22nd.

(Now you all probably think we let chinchillas run wild in our house.)

Wahoo desu.

2009-07-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

OKAY WAT IS DIS.

It is currently 90 degrees up here.

90.

NINETY.

I know you dear California people are like "Pshaw that's like December weather", but our summers rarely get up past 80! This is so ridiculous! We're melting like Peeps in a microwave.

Speaking of which, has anyone ever actually put a Peep in the microwave? They don't actually melt, they explode! :D And if you want to have Peep wars, stick two of the disgusting little birdies directly facing each other, arm them with toothpicks, set the time for 35 seconds and behold the glory.

Here is a random unfinished picture! (I have a lot of these, heh. Please full-view because the small version is horrible!)

I hope ya'll are having a marvelous summer! Please don't laugh at my wimpiness when I come down to California...:)

Poechella is the new pink.

2009-07-07T21:51:00.001-07:00

Truly, it is.

(Dear Miss Mouse,

Please forgive me for mooching off your brilliance.

Love,
Danielle.)

These dumb pictures are my excuse for not having anything good to say. :P

(But then, a picture is worth a thousand words, so consider yourself TERM PAPER'D!)

Um, I think that guy has a mouth on his hand. 0_0

Those three-piece suits contain an unholy amount of fabric. And I'm not sure any person in real life could survive that much yellow. (But hey! They match my blog, hah!)

By the way, the text reads "Areleous and Blythe", after the characters. (Front is Geoffrey Areleous, back is Corwin Blythe). They aren't from anywhere but my dysfunctional brain. Everyone thinks Geoff looks like Ron Weasley, BUT HE IS NOT, I TELL YOU!!!

Sometimes I wonder if media such as Photoshop or markers hinder the artistic experience? They're super-fun to use, but they also complete a picture in a fraction of the time another medium (such as colored pencils) would take. Markers especially are like, the Medium of Instant Gratification.

I dunno! Have fun at all your camps, everybody! :)

Carpe artem!

2009-06-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

It's summer! Jobs, SAT scores, new markers and lots of cookies!

I bought 48 markers, and they're wonderful, but the fumes are particularly overpowering if one is working longer than half an hour. (As with the following pictures...*_*)

Pardon the wacky proportions!

(I have no idea what they're sitting on; what do you think? The brother says construction site, my sister and I say demented Ferris wheel.)

The name Eliot Smyrl, which has been bestowed upon the young lad in the stripes, was stolen from the end credits for Up. Which you should all see, because it is masterful; among Pixar's (not to mention the general cinema's) finest.

Hope you're all enjoying your summer!

Cue High School Musical!

2009-06-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

YAY SUMMERZ HEEERRE!!!! :D I don't have to wake up at 5:45 on Tuesdays and Thursdays anymore!! :D

I have no idea what these grotesque little gentlmen are called. (Though 'Troy Bolton' comes to mind). They just...pop out, I guess.

Happy Summer Everyone!

P.S. In other news, I got a haircut, my poem 1999 is in WCC's 'literary journal' and heyguesswhat IT'S SUMMER! :D

Happy Birthday Kakie!

2009-06-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

So, I had all sorts of noble aspirations to art and chocolate and fancy gifts and whatnot, but I didn't take into account that I had the SAT today! And that was like, four hours. And I am lame.

Actually, the SAT is lame! WHO MAKES YOU TAKE A STUPID TEST ON YOUR BEST FRIEND'S BIRTHDAY?! THE STINKING GOVERNMENT, THAT'S WHO.

All my personal lameness aside, I hope that you, dear Mary Kate, know that you are beautiful and talented in so many ways. You have been such a dear friend to me and I can't thank you enough for your grace and patience! I love you and hope and that you have a very blessed and happy birthday today.

In testament to how much I miss you, here is some art that reflects the state of my soul:

I really, really, really, really, really REAAAAALLLLY can't wait to see you this summer! :'(

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Ineffable

2009-05-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

You may laugh at me writing words to deliberate on the ineffable, or that which words cannot touch, but I hope it reflects the futility of the human goal to name everything.

Dear friends, may I confess that I was extremely jealous of the collective insights I've heard thus far about Torrey Banquet? And what a horrible thing, too; to covet my neighbor's past, present and presumable experiences! I regretted moving to Washington more than I have in a very long time, and that was probably the greater sin.

I only mention this so that I can, with clear conscience, express how overjoyed I really am for the growth and joy of each of you! It is an unspeakable blessing (no pun intended) to reach for the ineffable as a community, and that's why I am writing this post.

Lately I've been wondering what the purpose of friendship is exactly. Modern America hasn't exactly provided the best environment for fostering sincere interaction with other people. Betrayal, gossip, verbal and physical abuse, downright rudeness and whatever the heck anyone else can pull out of a hat are all fair game for so-called 'friends' nowadays. (It's the same with marriages, families, workplaces...). As a country, it seems that we've lost our respect for other individuals, drowned in the American dream for personal happiness.

However! You lovely Torrey people get to be the joyful anomalies in this sea of frightened discontent. AND IN SCHOOL NO LESS. (Shouldn't everyone be required to learn decent argumentative courtesy before general science and math?) The obsession of our culture with seeing through everything has made our fellow humans invisible to the scientific eye. American culture has taught to see other not as 'whom' but as 'what'.

I wondered what this transparency effect had to do with our understanding and love of God. As John writes,

"No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us" (1 John 4:12).

...

...

Okay. Now, it would be a logical fallacy to state that, if we don't love one another, God's love will never be perfected in us...

BUT SERIOUSLY. THAT'S LIKE, NOT SPELLED OUT FOR MY THICK FAT HEAD AT ALL. We can at least infer that, if we refuse to love one another, our relationship with God is going to be radically stunted. And...and...and!!

*sigh* Voy a callarme ahora. ^_^ Please rip apart this delirious post as you feel inclined, and do correct me!

Last thoughts:

By reaching further up to God's head, heart and hand, one is enabled to reach further in to the soul another, instead of through them. But it's hard to make that journey alone. We must continually be doing both to strengthen the other!

Congratulations to all hard-working Torrey/high school grads; and I miss all you a lot.

Descent into hell (with cookies!)

2009-05-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

AAAAAAGHH.

Nota Bene! It is strongly advised to not write blog posts right after registering for classes, finding out that a lot of your credits probably won't transfer to your potential universities and that you're not as good at life as you thought you were. (Granted, the experience of humility is a good one, but it doesn't encourage very thoughtful, thankful, joyful, gracious, appreciative or well-balanced blog posts. In fact, about the only use I can see for the previous post is perspective, which is good despite its tendency towards painful recollection...:P)

In other news, Washington is still as rainy as ever. If you happen to be downed by the rain, however, a good remedy is to make and eat gluten-free peanut-butter chocolate chip cookies, which are crafted as follows:

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of peanut butter
1 egg

Preheat the oven to good ol' 375. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in medium bowl, and slap dough in whatever size you'd like onto the modus operandi (aka cookie sheet/stone. Was that the right Latin form, by the way?). If you'd like, you can press the dough down with a fork for both aesthetic and practical purposes, though it isn't really necessary. Cook for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly browned. Or slightly more brown than peanut butter is to begin with.

Also, a double batch is recommended, because little munchkins will filch them from your cupboards and devour them at the speed of light! :o

Have a blessed day under the Mercy, friends!

{tabula rasa}

2009-05-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

And then
There are the Days.

Obviously,
I am the center of the universe.
This rain is all my work;
The emotional billboard for
My sore, aggriev-ed soul.

For, since I do poorly,
So must everyone else.

Obviously,
This day is bad because
I
am bad.

God must watch over the sparrow
Because I am too selfish to care.

The sparrow cannot help me with
Transfer degrees
Laundry
Moral inventory
People skills
and the fact that I forgot my fork for lunch.

God forgive me.

--------

Selfishness is lukewarm. This half-poem, half-monster is despicably written, but it isn't the worst of anythiing because it unworthy of such a grand title.

Hell is much cleverer than and closer to the human psyche than we'd like it to be.

An Ode to Spring Mornings on which the Sun is Shining and All the Dishes in the Dishwasher are Clean.

2009-05-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today I drew open the door;
The White Gate
To a world of peril
Or joy.

I was afraid.

Afraid.

Unsure of what would stare at me:
The cold grime of past meals
Encrusted upon tumblers and plates alike,
Or the porcelin pearl
Of a mug well cleansed.

And so with ginger fingers did I
Creak open the Gate and peer inside.

And Lo!
Never in all of time
Paradise
Did I expect to see!
The purest curves of cups and bowls
Glowing demurely back at me.

O, ne'er have you, tumblers, with your
Circus colors and
Wild waves,
Glistened in the golden light
As such the sun provides today.

And you, dear mugs, of sweetest curves
Sing choruses of light divine;
Heralding the morning with
Your gently curving, quiet lines.

I reach into the rainbow,
Reveling
In the crystals of light on each dish.
Nowhere can I find the
Agony of dirt and grime.

You, O mug, I choose for tea.
And never has Earl Grey had a more worthy throne.

But
A cloud passes over
And in the cold second that follows,
I realize the
Blemish
On this 'flawless' vessel.

Vengeance via Doodles!

2009-04-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

It was blindingly sunny and warm; and the most sublime of spring breezes was blowing through campus. The blazing silk grass and wispy blue skies bespoke our coming rebirth into summer...

At least, it was that way yesterday. Today Washington decided to live up to its stereotypical fickleness and BLESS US with a cold shock and frigid cloudy winds. >_<

So, in resentment *cough* of you California people who seem to have warm weather right now, I am going to throw a bucketload of various doodles at you. :D My apologies!

First up, a work-in-progress of some weird-looking people from Naruto (The samurai-turned-Batman fellow is my favorite):

Second, another WIP of Silver; the heroine of my imaginary graphic novel, Blight (named for and inspired partially by Hopkins' poem Spring and Fall):

And lastly, our favorite manly man (ahahah), Howl. This one I did while nearly falling asleep at school, which is why it's so horrible:

Whee! I hope you're all enjoying your warm weather! *not bitter* ^_^

P.S. If you click on the pictures, you can see their wretched mistakes even closer up! :D

On a Happy Note

2009-04-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

EXCITEMENTNESS: You can get the sheet music for Howl's Moving Castle free at this site:

http://www.pianomoz.com/howl-moving-castle.htm
(You should all learn Merry Go Round Life and play it on your beautiful, sensitive pianos so I can hear it; Baldwin's pedal is malfunctioning. :P)

Did I mention that it's free?! And excellent quality?! And the bestest waltz ever?!

Also, if you have seen/liked Nausicaa, you can get the sheet music here (the advanced version of Requiem is wonderful, by the way!)

http://ichigos.com/sheets/n
(Yay for stretchy bass clef parts that wreck your pinky...:D)

Also, this is kind of irrelevant to the majority of this post, but my Logic teacher made a very interesting statement the other day that I've been trying to wrap my dense noggin around...

"Mercy is the perfection of justice."

What do you guys think? As far as the nature of God is concerned (which is pretty darn far, if I recall correctly :), does this fit?

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend! Spring quarter is ZOOMING by at unholy speeds...

An Extremely Scientific Comparison

2009-03-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

"Actually, the only conclusion I can make out of this pointless story is that Adrien Brody and Nomar are not without similarities. Glad to have enlightened your morning. ;)"

In light of this recent post by our most venerable Miss MKR Mouse, aptly entitled "Awwww", it has come to my attention the need for a Comparison:

Mr. Nomar Garciaparra (Please excuse the presence of Miss Hamm, she means no harm).

Mr. Adrien Brody

In my personal, baseball-illiterate and extremely biased opinion, Mr. Brody is much better looking and more dramatic than Mr. Garciaparra, who seems rather Ken Dollish to me. But they both have epic noses and look nice in suits, so maybe this is besides the point?

What do you think, Madame MKR? :)

1999

2009-03-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

We came home that day,
Ran through the iron-rung gate
And thought we were
Safe.
It was our everlasting summer.
Who could care? It was another day
Under a fiercely mediocre sun.
Until
A voice said “Where is she?”
In the ring that every child knows.
Knows, hears, and
Smells of fear.

The nectarine tree
Gnarled up out of the ground.

Half-Pint, Pa says.
The prairie is a good place
Golden place
With its whispering winds and
Flowering fields. But Half-Pint,
Do not go to the swimming hole
Without me.

I saw its blackly
Charcoal-dead trunk;
Amber blood encrusted
On branch and bough,
And thought nothing.

Beyond the gate
The peeling pale iron-clad
Wheels towards two years of
Just-walking Life. The vestige of
Humanity left in the truck
Stops
Before she is lost, and
Returns our baby to us.

My mother cries, and
Only hours later do I understand;
This is not a golden place.

----

Written in imitation of a Norman Dubie poem for Nature and Poetry. Who knew you could work Little House on the Prairie into a poem about your little sister almost getting run over by a truck? 0_o Also, isn't it strange how 1999 feels nostalgic already?

Here we go round the prickly pear

2009-03-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

The sun rises as it sets
And dies as it resurrects.
My heart beats.

Does anyone else wonder if, in these times, art is superfluous? Of course, there are the arguments for it being the expression and even documentation of a culture, an outlet for creative energy and emotions we can't control otherwise. And, as always, there is the strong case for the search of goodness, truth and beauty in the world, with artistic expression leading the way.

When
Is Today.
When
Are you?
Are you,
Were you,
Will you be?

But I can't help feeling that maybe it's a bit wanton to be doodling various anime characters (though, whoever said that was art? ;), sketching out graphic novels and learning Tchaikovsky when

Silver chain across my skin
Binding time to sinew fast
Beat
fights
Beat
Blood,
And the second hand

America's economy is crumbling (yet again) and people all over are starving, being tortured for any number of reasons (Christianity, politics, sheer malice, etc), too desperate to continue life, too tired to enjoy life, or too angry or too bored or too confused to let other people continue enjoying life.

What are these never-ending shrines?
What are these rosaries?
What are these tools but to give a Face? Our
Monuments to shamed waste.

My dear friend had to separate with her fiancee, recently. Just after her grandfather died.

I watch my watch
Which 'keeps' this time
Faceless Time
Nameless Time.
(I fear that
Which I cannot name
And so I try
I name you time
And countenance your face
This watch).

It wasn't over anything stupid, like those random arguments that swell up into one enormous, dead absurdity. "Untimely matters," was what she said. Untimely.

Tomorrow is soon today, swans!

Have you noticed how, sometimes, the days go by so quickly? And then you wake up on Saturday morning and realize that the week is over? Or maybe it's Sunday night, and you are shocked to find that the week is beginning for the second time in two days. (It still feels like Tuesday! Monday!)

And the Next is Now, you alder trees!

Maybe art is our way of preserving moments. Why do we read books over and over? Why do we keep going back to a picture, photograph or not, and stare? What brings us, time and time again, to any song?

Why don't you hurry,
Why don't you flee?

Perhaps, for just a time, so that we can sink into another world, as well as be lifted above our own. For all the days that we feel stuck in a rut, where everything is so monotonous that it's impossible to grab a hold of any one moment, to pierce the fabric of the hour;

Flee
From
Time

novels, portraits, concertos, sketches, haikus, ballads, and all the sort give us something to cling to. Perhaps then they empower us to sort through the mundaneity of the daily, the minutiae of the second.

Because, quite honestly, I'd prefer to move past the prickly pears of the morning hour. ^_^

Oatmeal Cranberry Scones are Delicious! :D

2009-03-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

Join Phi Theta Kappa, Honors Institute of the 2 year College, today! :D

Along with gaining scholarship information and exclusive access to other important-sounding stuff, you get to take part in a super-deluxe Pat-Yourself-On-The-Back-Because-You-Are-So-Smart Induction Ceremony.

Let me say that again,

Induction Ceremony.

In-Duck-Shun. Ceremony.

Sends a thrill of excitement up your spine, doesn't it?

---

Oh dear. I'm very sorry for that. I just attended the mandatory (and yes, it is called an) Induction Ceremony for this cult thingymajig called Phi Theta Kappa. Basically, if you have a 3.7 GPA or higher, you get a letter inviting you to join so you can get extensive ego-patting and/or scholarship info. Oh, and you get to wear a nifty little pin and bright yellow banner at graduation. *_*

They gave us Roses of Truth. I'm not kidding, they poker-facedly called them Roses of Truth. Or of something.

The poor siblings had to come along to watch the weirdness, too! At least we got cookies!

NIEVEEEEE!!!!

2009-02-26T06:54:00.000-08:00

Jaja! Ah, la amo. Esta nieve en Ferndale, y en Bellingham, y esta mucho frio....

PERO NO TENGO IR A LA ESCUELA POR. LA. MANANA.

:D

Haha! Ah, I love it. It's snowing in Ferndale, and in Bellingham, and it's very cold....

BUT I DON'T HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL IN. THE. MORNING.

Or all day, because today is a self-inflicted snowday and that makes everything extremely happy.

^_^

Today

2009-02-22T15:15:00.001-08:00

Today is the sort of day in which the Weather never seems to make up its mind. One moment you're attacked by rays of the prodigal Sun, the next you must dodge for cover and the nearest tea kettle to escape the rain.

Today is a Cookie day.

Today is a good day to compose paintings in soap suds, to sing "Taylor the Latte Boy", to harmonize with a friend to VeggieTales, to drink tea...

To be alive, for Today is alive.

Today is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it

When we rejoice in Today, everday Today, we rejoice in Tomorrow and Yesterday too. When we choose to "be where we are", when we choose to rejoice in the When of Now, we are rejoicing in every moment.

There are days when the terrible good of God should turn our dancing into sorrow, and when the grief of this world, and our own evils, should render us silent.

But for Today, can we know the joy of the present?

Wisdom From the Pater*

2009-02-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

(*My Pater, not our beloved Cult Leader from bygone days...;)

"Reverse psychology doesn't work with God."

-Dad

^_^

Dumbo and the Dilemma of Dreams

2009-02-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

The bond between an infant and her most beloved cartoon character is strong, my friends. Let us observe the story of one child, a child who felt most achingly the kinship between herself and a lovably big-eared elephant...

Once upon a Whittier house, in a VHS player that sat upon the old unused fireplace, there lived Dumbo. The elephant. Now, Dumbo was a poor soul, mocked and bruised for his ears, which were in monstrous proportion to his body. He existed in misery, for in his cassette-tape world, there was only 'repeat', and 'rewind', forcing him to live every humiliation and every scornful snicker over, and over, and over again...

The injustice was unbearable.

Fortunately for Dumbo, his primary observer (though he had no knowledge of her existence) felt his pain, watched his every hurt, and yearned to rescue the pitiable pachyderm. What decent soul in the world could not hope for Dumbo's salvation? Who could ignore the cries of the innocent?

The more desensitized of our world might, but certainly not this five-year-old! One day, as she replayed the painful story yet again, she had had enough.

"This must end!" she cried, determined. And so she hatched a plan.

Which involved wresting the cassette from its VHS cave, uncovering its hatch, and attempting to rescue poor Dumbo from his constantly-repeated life.

Unfortunately for Dumbo, the little heroine's mother was watching this epic feat and wondering which mental disorder her daughter had acquired. The cassette was gently restored to its home, and the child was sadly resigned to watching the horrors of Dumbo's life yet again.

Ah, youth.

****

Okay, so my days of attempting to rescue the more tragic of Disney's characters are over, but I'm pretty sure my empathy for the fictional has not. (By the way, after my selfless--albeit failed--mission to save Dumbo, my parents actually went to my uncle-who-is-a-counselor-for-people-with-mental-difficulties to make sure that I wasn't crazy. He assured them that I was fine, but I have my doubts...)

What is the purpose of story? Of characters? Of sculpting words into personalities, with whom we can either empathize or despise?

Along the course of my life, I've had various addictions to various stories, ranging anywhere from Harry Potter to my most current phase, the Naruto manga. These characters, as well as 'people' who come from my own mind, pop up on sketchbooks, Nutrition or Communications notes, and pretty much fill up my brain.

One thing I've noticed is that I never gravitate towards the more realistic stories. As much as I respect Tolstoy, I can't really see anyone doing fanart of Levin or Anna Karenina (though his vivid imagery is astounding). I don't know who else has this 'problem', but I can't keep my head, heart or hands away from fantastical popcorn books.

There is something about the almost-but-not-quite "reality" of speculative literature that makes the imagination explode. There is something about characters who one could so easily imagine (but never see) in real life living in that sort of world that whisks you off your common-sense and into the fictional dream of another's hand.

It makes me go "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH".

When does the emotional connection become dangerous?

There are so many things that I want to ask but can't, because this is just a blog, but what do you guys think? I have this sort of moral dilemma and questioning of my grounding in reality every few years or so, and so far I think I'm at a healthy level of insanity...

ARGH that was a lot of rambling. Maybe I should start speaking in third person to reduce the quanitities of "I"'s in these posts...:S

In lieu of anything interesting to say...

2009-02-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

I present to you Miss Mimosa Blue! Amateur Detective and Professional Daydreamer! :D

She likes unnecessary hats, Belgian waffles with fresh strawberries, and the 20's. She is currently being courted by the French author, Bernard Bonhomme, who makes his first appearance in The Adventures of Columbus the Pigeon.

Miss Blue popped out of my head after perusing a random fashion magazine, which announced that the color 'Mimosa' would be in major vogue last fall. Lo and behold, how can one resist such a wonderful sounding color?! Mimosamimosamimosa...

^_^

P.S. By the way, the blog's current color scheme is patterned after Mimosa. :D

One Year (commonly abbreviated as "OY"...)

2009-01-25T09:22:00.000-08:00

Today, January 25th, marks the full year from whence we moved. January 21st was the day we left California, and the 25th was the day we moved into our first Washington house. (Probably one of the quirkiest little rentals ever! My room had awesome map wallpaper and ceilings that slanted to the floor.)

I'm not even sure why I'm writing about this now; I suppose because it's a marker of change? I guess it's a rather large change, too. :P

I think the thing I miss the most is seeing how you all have changed, and being not-virtually-but-actually-there with ya'll. The Internet is a frustrating substitute for people. :(

Frost at Dawn

2009-01-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

When did it come?
Powder white from
Night’s long journey.
(She has left us many gifts;
Frosted ground-swords from that
Cold land, Dark;
And crystal branches hung out
Like clotheslines
To catch the Dawn.)
Trees drape the morning along their brightly twigs
And there are frozen stars in my window.

How did it happen?
For I had always thought grass was green,
Bark was brown, and
Water rippled.
But how clever of you, Night!
Who am I to say grass is green,
Bark is brown, and
Water ripples?
Who am I to know?
This world is jeweled;
These wild blades
Are every shade of a pastel sky
Saffron, shelly pink and sea.

Glow-limbs drip
With painted light
And from the canvas of the Night
Has Dawn brought forth her art.

Creation of a
A frozen breath
Caught forever in
Life and
Death.

Night is gone, and her gelid phoenix bursts forth.

CONSTRUCTION AHEAD

2009-01-10T23:04:00.000-08:00

Just so ya'll know; no, I am not pirating Gabriel's blog, and neither is he usurping mine. Blog is currently in WIP mode and shall be reformatted soon! :)

In other news, Apple Strudel Bread is one of the most interesting pastries I've ever enjoyed. Particularly tasty buttered and with Earl Grey. :)

A Beautiful Tale

2009-01-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

It will make your heart weep for joy, I am sure.

A Story: In Which a Girl Expresses the Love of Christ to Stupid College Boys

Once upon a time, it did raineth felines and canines alike. My soles wert soak-ed as my feet did patter to the bus stop. (I did remain in Poetry class too long, for my teacher hath many words of wit and wisdom, and thus did I dally to further hear her sagery).

It so happened, on that blustery twilight, as I did huffeth and puffeth, that I cross-ed paths with a jester. So dull wert his brain, that, as he beheld me huffething and puffething up the hill, his mouth did proclaim:

"YEAH, WORK IT!!"

Thankfully for his worthless innards, mine brain wert so preoccupied with catching the bus, that I didst not register his rude exclamation. Lo, it didst not cross my mind until he wert well away to safety.

Beware, O Fiendish Moron; thine doom approacheth thee.

The End.

In the Merciful Love of Christ,
Danielle

P.S. Just in case the invariability of plain text didn't convey this, I WAS TOTALLY JOKING about wanting to rip out his innards or plot revenge and whatnot. I think, when it happened, I was just sick to death of ignorantly flirtatious college students...

And the Ice Gnomes are Marching From Their Norways...

2008-12-25T22:11:00.000-08:00

A very merrily blessed Christmas to you all! I hope everyone had a marvelous celebration of our Lord's grace; any interesting stories to tell? Thoughts? Queries? Snide Remarks?

And what is this? The end of the year? Already?! WHERE DID IT GO?!! Does anyone really believe that it's December yet; cause I think there's some sort of conspiracy going on. Involving squirrels. And their acorn-powered time machines.

Closing Thoughts, Queries and (Possibly) Snide Remarks on the Year:

-God is good.

-I wish language were less weak to express God's [insert stronger medium here]. "How was your week? Good."; "Good job!"; "The Lord is good."; "Oh, that's good."

-My great apologies to any other string players out there, but cello is my favorite string instrument. Ohhh my word. (Hah, I just got a "Yo-Yo Ma and Friends" Christmas album...:D)

-Did you know that Yo-Yo Ma made a guest appearance as a cello-wielding bunny on the cartoon show Arthur? I didn't even know what he looked like outside of Bunnydom until this year.

-This year has brought me to ponder art a very lot. If we are a reflection of God's glory, and we are His own masterpieces/artworks, does that make our masterpieces/artworks reflections of our glory, which is really God's glory reflected through us?

-I have discovered that I am a very wordy person! Argh...:P

-Interactions between the two genders is awkward and complicated at secular schools. Like, really awkward.

-If the future wasn't scary, the present and past wouldn't be nearly as interesting.

-SNOW IS COLD. ACK.

-Consistent prayer is hard.

-People that I don't agree with can still be decent, amazing, lovable people. It's crazy. In my ignorance, I sincerely never expected to meet this many beautiful people who claim they will never believe in Christ as their savior. (Then again, we never have met a mere mortal, as Lewis says).

-And lastly, gummies.

I also discovered how much it hurts to miss people, even when you have met all sorts of interesting, gracious and lovely persons. You are all in my heart often, and you are sorely loved. (Ow! ^_^)

May Christmas be with you always; may we ever remember to weaken ourselves before God and other men.

Love,
Danielle

...

2008-12-18T11:55:00.000-08:00

Some of you might remember the children's book, The Adventures of Columbus the Pigeon, that I was writing/illustrating a while back.

Well, the people at Landmark Editions (the company that was hosting the contest) didn't contact us by the last day they said they would if it won (aka Doomsday). We thusly assumed that it hadn't won and eagerly awaited the return of the darned thing. :)

However,

however,

HOWEVVVVERRRR....

They emailed TODAY and wrote the following message:

"We are pleased to advise you that [her] book has been chosen to be published in our PUBLISHER'S CHOICE GOLD AWARD LINE. Such books are ones which have not won outright, but one which we feel strongly about doing and ones we would hate to see the public miss out on and [her] book is certainly one of those. It was a tough decision on our part, because we would be pleased to send to print any and all of the top five in each category. After great deliberation, we have decided to bring it forward in print form."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Is all I have to say about that! :D I think this means that I get to visit Kansas for like, two weeks to finish it up. WOOHOO KANSAS!

Home away from Home away from Home

2008-12-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

You must hear these things.
You must, please!
You must know before it is December
And thought becomes barren as the trees.

In the home of the hearts of these;
Golden saints gaze on the
Curls that carress the face
That rests on the wooden pew.

("Oh! The water's cold!"
But you were so bold as to
Jump!
Into the frigid, stormy, churning, nightmare
Pool.)

No, cat!
Grand huntress of these realms.
You must not devour our friend the bird
For then who will chirp our souls to peace?

And remember
The one o' clocks
At which we read poems much better than this
And wondered how words sound in E minor?

In the home of the hearts of these;
Apollo stands and sings to us
Through transparent fingers and monochrome keys.

I must tell you these things before they are Unreal.
Before time becomes the place that I cannot remember
Before a myopic mind dissevers the dream...

Before the rain floods my head
And I forget to number the days
(Number the days!)
In the home of the hearts of these
Days both seen and unseen.

Spare Oom

2008-11-21T18:06:00.000-08:00

Where am I? What is the rain doing here? Why is everything so gray?

Where is California? What are palm trees? Whoever needed a warm beach, anyways?

How long has it been since California? I don't even remember half the time. We drive to the bus stop (the Bus Stop? What is this Bus Stop?) every day, by pastures and cows half invisible through the mist. Often it rains, and all one can see is the asphalt playing with the rain.

We return to our house--it's a pretty darn big house--and I can't remember if I live there, or we are intruding on another man's home.

And the trees...Oh, the trees! Everyone admires them in the summer, and then forget about their beauty when it's raining, even though it's the rain that keeps them green. So vast, so intricate...My English teacher would chastise me for using such lofty language for a mere tree; but when you are as small as I am, it really becomes a matter of perspective.

But really, trees? Aren't those the skinny tall things with leafy pom-poms at the top? The universal sign for In-n-Out? Since when have trees been something grand?

Sometimes, it feels as if Aslan has pulled us through the wardrobe. It feels as though we are traipsing about in another world, another story, another life. Mr. Tumnus shall bustle nervously out of the forest, the Dawn Treader will lazily drift across the pond in our backyard, and the Penvensies will be sitting down for tea in the kitchen.

But I know this isn't Narnia, even if I can't remember if this is my world at all.

We have a different sun, a different moon, a different sky. Most of my days are spent feeling lost; more in a physical, locational (is that a word? :S) sense than anything else.

What does one do when they are lost? Wander? Wait to be found? Do their homework? Pray?

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

You return man to dust
and say, 'Return O children of man!'
For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.

You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.

For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.

For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring out years to an end like a sigh.
The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strenght eight;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?

So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!"

-Psalm 90

What Did the Movers Yell to the Miners When they Dropped a Steinway Down the Shaft?

2008-11-16T16:06:00.000-08:00

"C sharp or B flat!"

Poor Steinway. He would have been mortified.

Humble Pie in 3-4 Time

2008-11-10T22:51:00.000-08:00

Joining a Youth Symphony when one is very inexperienced and very bad at sight-reading is a sure recipe for Humble Pie. However, sometimes life switches on the oven at the most oppurtune, ripest moments; no extra ingredients necessary!

It happened tonight. Our chamber group was rehearsing, and Sharyn (our conductor) had to whisk away and help some violins or something. Which meant that the vocalists had no idea what to sing, while the bass, bassoon, violin and flute just bowed and blowed their way through the song. (No, "blowed" is not a word, but it rhymed...:)

Well, the bassoonist, being a rather sensitive soul, initiated the following conversation.

Bassoon: Well, this part is pretty easy for us, and you guys are singing; where would you like to practice?

Me: Erm...Uh...

[Silence]

[Crickets chirping in F Major]

Me: Erm...Uh...How about one before seven?

Bass: You mean six?

Me (probably rather red): Um, YES, six!

Okay okay. BEFORE you wonder, "How on earth could she not catch that?", I have an argument to make:

We often have letters in our music that mark a major change in the song, and they are often capital with circles or squares around them. To keep everyone on the same page, we say stuff "One before A" or "Three before B".

This particular Seven was big, it just before a major change in the music, and it had this lovely circle around it! OF COURSE a ditzy, tired, allergenic soprano is going to say something as ditzy, tired and allergenic-sounding as that. GAH!!!

...

Oy. It's late. Good night. Thanks for reading! (I think...)

P.S. Mr. Bass, if you're reading this, I choose cello.

:)

The Mr. Darcy Dress Up Game

2008-10-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

Best. Game. Evar.

It could also be termed the Let's-See-What-Adrien-Brody-Looks-Like-In-18th-Century-Garb Game. (You really can get a decent likeness; there's even a crooked nose option).

It's really called the Regency dress up game or something, but that's kind of boring.

Whatever you call It, here It is.
http://savivi.deviantart.com/art/Regency-Hero-Dress-Up-Doll-101669291

Autumn is here!

2008-10-06T11:50:00.000-07:00

Drink a cup of tea by the
Early morning's light.
The smell of toast meets chilly air
As morning quells the night.

Running to the bus stop as
Raindrops light and small
Bedew bright red and orange and gold
The spectrum of the fall.

*sniffs air* Ah, fall is here! Who wants to come Hurrah in Harvest with me? The trees are shedding their coats of color, the goats are growing round, and hot chocolate is the order of the day!

Thank the Lord for his abundance in mercy and grace.

2008-09-28T21:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a random in-class writing assignment I had the privilege of massacring last Wednesday. :)

The crimson of the leaf hails to the red of the curb. Together they battle Washington’s gray, a merry attack on monochrome.

Joining the war are the clouds. They spatter the battlefield—and passers-by—with the artillery of the sky.

As the scarlet partners stand their ground, students run for cover from the determined wet; disregarding the colorful allies. The leaf is trampled and torn, the curb losing hope. Neither can see the end of the battle. The clouds rumble forward like a herd of elephants, blasting at their earthbound foes.

Suddenly the tables turn as a new ally comes forth. It is the grass, and the trees and the green bursting forward to assist. They are unperturbed by the weariness of the leaf, by the despair of the curb. Rather than lose hope at the clouds, they simply burst forth in a blaze of verdure as the rain pours forth.

Now it is the clouds’ turn to surrender. The rain stops, and the blue sky peers out.

*sigh* English teacher liked it, I'm not sure what I think of it. :P Too eloquent, perhaps?

Oh, and I find out if my children's book wins this Wednesday, if any of you are wondering. Here's to God's providence! *raises apple juice*

My teachers are the nicest Un-Christians I've ever met. There's an amazing book called The Violin Maker (John Marchese), which anyone who ever thought about music, even once, should read. Our pastor is teaching a wonderful series called "Scared Spitless", and it's been so refreshing and...freeing? to explore God's grand compassion and provision for us.

I am absolutely freaked out about my book, and God still continues to be good.

God is good.

Life is good.

2008-09-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends, Romans, and Countrymen...

I am entering my first quarter as a student of Whatcom Community College, and am sadly not really looking forward to it...

If it enters your mind anytime this week, your prayers would be so muchly appreciated! (For my sanity and discretion amongst the varied and twisted worldviews, and for the professors and students who may be portraying them. Goodness, Truth and Beauty for the win! :D)

I love and miss you all dearly; please don't die from schoolwork overload! :) I hope all ye Torrey-ers are enjoying Foof!

Love,
Danielle

Sorry, I'm posting twice today...

2008-09-11T16:24:00.001-07:00

But...

You Belong in the Silent Generation

You'd fit in best as a person born between 1925 and 1942.

You are a person of high values and character.

Family, your country, loyalty, and hard work all important to you.

You are willing to do what's right, even when it's difficult.

What Generation Do You Belong In?

YES!! I've always wanted to live during that time period...:)

Oh, the violins!

2008-09-11T14:02:00.001-07:00

Or the violence...or whatever. :)

My sister is soon to be taking violin lessons, so we have rented out a lovely little violin named Monique.

So...beautiful...

My ultimate goal is to play the cello, so I have been fiddling around (har har) with Monique to see how she feels. Since she's a rather nice violin, it's fairly easy to get a good tone (on open strings, anyways), and it's glorious to hear the potential for beautiful music. Stringed instruments seem to be among the most human-sounding of the musical world, when played well.

And I just taught myself the D Major scale, which makes me way prouder than necessary. :D Now I need to learn Country Road, for those of you who have seen Whisper of the Heart and know how awesome Seiji is. :)

College starts September 22nd! Now we get to learn the principles of evolution...hurrah...If you could remember to lift up a prayer for both boldness and love; I am afraid of strengthening the bad name people have given Christianity.

May Christ be with you always, dear friends.

Drowns in Talent

2008-09-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

So, the realization just hit (feeling somewhat like being shoved in a freezer after basking in the sunlight; in honor of Gabriel and his lovely simile...:), that I have no talent of great import in the world and that, wherever I go, there will always be more talent and more grace and more amazingness in other people.

:D

Isn't that wonderful?! Think about how exciting the world is, now that I do not need to be the best person in it. There are so many wonderful things to do; so many masterful artists to learn from and so many ridiculously talented people to appreciate.

*smacks self into agreement*

Ah, Perfectionism!

It's like trying to write a good stories while reading the Bible or Jane Eyre or T.S. Eliot or Harry Potter or Chicken Jane, and wondering, "Why on earth write a good story when there are such GREAT stories?" and it feels so utterly hopeless that you edit your pages into oblivion. Or like learning a piece by some nondescript composer that nobody knows about, when your brilliant friends are struggling through divine classics that are close-if-not-actually-at the virtuosic level...

Or trying to draw. At all. Without even looking at Rembrandt, or Degas, or Monet...(aw, I love Monet!). Cause if you look at Monet, when you're trying to draw, it's basically the equivalent of being shoved into an iceberg after living in California.

*sigh*

What is the point of this post? That's a very, very good question. Maybe it's...

The more you learn, the more you grow, and (oddly enough) the more humble you become. At least, that's how it should be, I think. I fail more often than not in remembering and applying this.

Plus, if we were all the best, we wouldn't have any motivation to learn, would we? (Well, none of us could ever be the best, since God has handily taken that position. Heck, he made that position! He IS that position!)

Anyways. I've been learning about the woes of pride and perfectionism, and about the grace of God and the necessity of humility.

In other news, I ate Milton's wheat toast with cream cheese and marionberry jam for breakfast, and I miss you guys. :D

Layout in the sun...

2008-08-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

And you'll probably get burned! Har. Har.

Voila! Eet ees a new layout! What dost thou thinketh?

Funny Peoples...

2008-07-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

The only way to describe us (my family and I) + new friends the Joneses is H-A-M...

Observe...except that, you don't have to, since these aren't exactly the most beautiful pictures of us, but by the time we're twenty we'll be ridiculously gorgeous, I'm sure...

(Yeah, that one was a little creepy...:S)

This is Headless Ben with oversized Chinchilla ball...:)

Mika looks oh-so-stylish in a beret, don't you think?

Anyways. There's a random bunch of tidbits for you! Now that you are seriously disturbed, go read Gabriel or Mary Kate's blog and be soothed by the sensibility of their wise words. :D

2008-07-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

I am afraid.

So, recently I've been thinking about the five main things I'd like to do before I die.

(Item 0. Use the words "I", "me", and "myself" much, much less!)

Hah, yeah...Anyways, it's not as morbid of a subject as it might sound. In fact, it greatly assists in the arranging of priorities, the discovering of fears, the learning of things about oneself and such.

1. Get married and have...4-10 kids. :)
I'm afraid of never being loved in such a way.
2. Write something good and get it published.
I'm afraid of rejection by Editors and the General Populace.
3. Work as a missionary somewhere for 6 mo.-2 yrs. or so.
I'm afraid of failure.
4. Learn how to love life and how to love people for who they are; not for what I wish it was, or who I wish they were.
I am afraid of the emotional risk that accompanies loving anything truly and deeply.
5. Learn how to love God.
I am really, truly afraid of what He will ask me to do!

And no matter how much I "steel" myself against these fears (which basically means the more I ignore them), they will always find a way past the barrier unless I give them wholly to God.

Heh, if you can't beat them, join God!

Perhaps it is a lifelong journey, to realize more fears and give them up to God again and again and again. Perhaps it is a lifelong journey, to realize the holy ambitions placed in our hearts by God's own hand, and to pray for His Head, Heart, and Hand again and again and again.

Life is such an sad and joyful, complex and simple, devastating and renewing process! Life through death and death for new life; dead to the world's ways and alive in Christ.

Isn't it amazing how many paradoxes pop up? We learn to be content in God's plans and His providence, and then He stirs in us a restless desire for heavenly things. He urges us to lose everything and find everything in Him. We are unique individuals living as one Body in Christ. We are crucified with Him in order to live again.

We crucify our fears in order to live in His peace.

It's all so confusing until you find out that it makes perfect sense!! AAAHHH!!!

So, I don't know what college I'm going to, I don't know who I will marry if I ever do, I don't know how to perfectly live out what I believe and I don't understand why God can't just make me perfect now...

But I do know that God's one heck of a lot smarter than me and knows where all this is going. :)

What are five things you want to do before you die? (They can be silly too, by the way! I want to eat all the most expensive things at the most expensive restaurant the day I'm given a week or whatever to live...:) What are your fears, hopes, holy ambitions? What do you love about life?

(Wow, that was long! If you made it through, thank you and hopefully the next post will be more concise!)

Love,
Danielle

Crystal Hearts in Narrow Kages vs. Chopin

2008-07-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

So my sisters, my sisters' friend and I decided one rather random afternoon to make one rather random band. After going through a bunch of both boring and cliched names, Kristina presents the idea of Crystal Hearts in Narrow Kages. ("Kages" because it makes the whole thing spell CHINK).

What does it mean?! I don't have a clue. Aside from having an amazingly nonsensical name, CHINK'S instruments consist of the recorder, my paltry piano of 3.5 years, four singers, the bottle (as in blowing over the top of a bottle), and a hot-cocoa-canister-turned-makeshift-drum.

Chopin might have performed in the presence of tsars by the time he was 11, but I'll bet he never made such a cool band with his siblings.

Ehem.

(Also, while I've been doing this extremely important business, my ultimately more amazing friends have been furthering the capabilities and capacities of their head, heart and hand. For summer fun.

I feel so behind in life.)

Edduficayshun...

2008-06-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

Interesting Lessons I am learning whilst in Washingon, of both the Profound and Less Profound sort:

1. Mature sentiment and by-the-seat-of-your-pants passion/emotion are such funny creatures, in the sense that we seem mix them up a very lot. (Maybe we even long for mature sentiment and think we feel it so many times that when we truly achieve it we don't notice it for a while...)
2. It actually does get hot in Washington. Right now, it's 83 degrees INSIDE the house...:P
3. Choosing a college is a harder decision than I thought. Darn.
4. I am slowly learning where everything goes in the kitchen. Pots on the lazy susan, potatoes in the pantry...(We never even had a pantry in California! O, woe for lack of culinary education...)
5. God is quite in control of things, and I believe He finds well-warranted amusement and joy in showing us exactly how true that is.
6. Switchfoot is beyond cool. (In the good way, of course. :)
7. Perhaps the most difficult thing about moving to Washington is, as one gets to know new and very nice people, remembering to keep in touch with the equally wonderful comrades back home. (Please forgive me if you are in the oft-uncontacted; I would love to hear from you and it would help me greatly if you reminded me that I should email/call!)

Last, but definitely not least:
8. Never attempt the Bottle Dance from Fiddler on the Roof in barefeet, and especially not on carpet in barefeet. Unless you are particularly fond of rugburns.

Much love,
Danielle

Adventures in the Sunshine State

2008-06-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a summary of my trip thus far!

Favorite Food Eaten:
Definitely strawberries, which are much less expensive here than in Washington.

Most Interesting Experiences:
Getting Sun Rash. (It's like an itchy sunburn. *scratch scratch*. Curse you, extremely white origins!). Oh yeah, and having a middle-aged surfer dude ask me where Mayport Beach was, and being later surprised to find that I was not, in fact, 20 years old.

Favorite Place Visited:
St. Augustine! :D :D :D It is a beautiful little town by the beach that has tons of interesting and varied shops. How can you go wrong with a city named after such a cool person?

Least Favorite Place Visited:
Texas. On our layover. (To be fair, it WAS only the airport, so I didn't actually see any of non-overpopulated-disgusting-building-with-loud-planes Texas.)

Favorite Quote:
"It's like ballroom dancing for your mouth!"
-Mr. Pizza Advertiser Man on the glories of his wares.

Favorite Souvenir:
A book of Aesop's Fables, Grimm's and Andersen's fairy tales.

Words of Wisdom:
-The evolution of women's swimwear is unfallible evidence of global warming.
-Wear sunscreen. Especially if the closest thing you can get to a tan is a faded sunburn.
-If you don't like airplane lavatories, politely decline their "complimentary beverage".
-Pools are for swimming in, not tanning by. (I HATE when people just sit by the pool and tan without swimming!!! IT'S SO ANNOYING!!! But then, maybe it's because I just can't tan...)
-Go to Washington, then go to Florida and feel how different 47 degrees is from 92! :D

I miss you all and hope you are well! Don't forget to lather on that sunscreen, my lovely friends of Dutch, Norwegian, English and generally White origin! :)

Summer Reading List 2008!

2008-06-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

Yay for lots of books! Here we go...

"Grant me, O Lord, to know and understand which should come first, prayer or praise; or, indeed, whether knowledge should precede prayer. For how can one pray to you unless one knows you? If one does not know you, one may pray not to you you, but to something else. Or is it rather the case that we should pray to you in order that we may come to know you?" -The Confessions of St. Augustine,by Augustine, in a vivid contemporary translation by Rex Warner!

(Curiousity may have killed the cat, but it seems to have taken Augustine on quite the adventure! Everybody should listen to the Switchfoot song about Augustine, by the way...can't remember what it's called right now...)

"The day was now departing; the dark air released the living beings of the earth from work and weariness; and I myself alone prepared to undergo the battle both of the journeying and of the pity, which memory, mistaking not, shall show."
-Inferno, by Dante Alighieri, in a verse translation by Allen Mandelbaum!

(In intense agreement with Mr. Choo, who inspired the reading of this particular book, all I can say is: Dante Rocks!. You can tell how eloquent I've become since moving away from Torrey, eh?)

"Had there been a Papist among the crowd of Puritans, he might have seen in this beautiful woman...with the infant at her bosom...an object to remind him of the image of Divine Maternity [and] only by contrast, of that sacred image of sinless motherhood, whose infant was to redeem the world. Here, there was the taint of deepest sin in the most sacred quality of human life, working such effect, that the world was only the darker for this woman's beauty, and the more lost for the infant she had borne."-The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

(Oh, sad, sad book...Hawthorne has a way of describing things so vividly that it sends veritable pangs through one's heart.)

"[Raoul] was now twenty-one and looked eighteen. He had a little blond mustache, attractive blue eyes, and a girlish [personality, I mean] complexion." -The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux.

(Yup, that about sums it up.)

I'll probably be able to finish all of these on our two-week trip to Florida. Which starts tomorrow morning. At three. In the morning. Which is the problem with living in a small town, because the nearest commercial airport is 100 miles away in Seattle. Oh well. Anyways, yay for good and interesting books! What are your summer plans/books, friends?

gaspeth A (filler) Poste!

2008-05-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

(Blarney walks in the room. The computer is ironically turned on to Blogger. It speaks.)

Blog (very, very irritatedly): WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?

Blarney (stares in awe at shiny computer screen): Um. You speak. -Eth.

Blog: KNOWETH THAT THY DOOM SHALT COME, O INSOLENT AIRHEAD, LEST YE MENDETH THY WAYS AND RETURNETH TO THE LAND OF PERSEVERANT BLOGGERS. BLOG, AND YE SHALT BE SAVED. (pronounced "save-ed", by the way).

Blarney: Er, okay.

Blog: I MEANETH IT.

Blarney: I believeth it.

Blog: BE QUIET.

Blarney: Then how am I supposed to blog? Should I mend my ways or zip the lips?

Blog: JUST DO IT.

Blarney: Which one?

Blog: ...

**************

Hi everybody! Apparently incarnate blogs speak in improper Olde English, but maybe that's just mine. Sorry I haven't done anything for a long time.

...

Ahem. COMING UP SOON in the land of Miscellany and Etcetera!

Not by the Fur of My Chinny-Chin-Chilla:

"Allow me to introduce myself. I, Eliot, am a gentle-chinchilla, and a rather smashingly good one at that. Never shall you see me at a loss for masterful small-talk, in need of an extra or unrumpled handkerchief, or dressed in anything but what is befitting a rodent of my rank.

I am also a poet. Or rather, I take on the appearance of one. In actuality, I am a spy.

But you would never betray a poetic gentle-chinchilla-spy (not to mention one on the good side) for what he truly is, now, would you?"

OOH! A story! Yay! And yes, I did spoof T.S. Eliot into a chinchilla. (Poetic license, if you'll pardon the pun.) It's an epic tale full of romance, adventure, and rodents who enjoy quoting The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.

Aha. Um. Goodnight. :) I miss you all!

Caput, Cor, Manus.

2008-04-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

The head which laughed in infant glee,
The head which held the mind of God,
The head betrayed by traitor's kiss,
The head which bore both thorn and rod...
It lives in truth, now hangs in pain
And bears the weight of God's disdain.

The heart which hurt for king and slave,
The heart which felt each hope and fear,
The heart which wept at silent grave,
The heart which freely took the spear...
It aches for truth and lives in grace,
Worthy alone to see God's face.

The hand which grasped both cloth and hay.
the hand which touched the blind to see,
The hands which, broken, broke the bread
The hands, pierced, to set men free...
They, firm and soft, forever prove
The paradox of truth and love.

He who was Great became the least
Became for us the highest Priest
He who, alike, was Lord and man
Showed to us His head, heart and hand.

-Danielle

Pictahs!

2008-03-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

I think I said I'd post pictures a long time ago, but now I'm actually going to. :) (I probably accidentally convicted myself with the previous blog post; I am acting on my word! ;D)

This is the epically disturbing Danielle attempting to catch snowflakes. It didn't work.

Oui! It is Columbus! Random fact: Did you know that, in Latin, the word "pigeon" is "Columba"? Thus the name Columbus...:)

This is the Sugar Bomb of Death cake. Made especially for my mom's birthday by my artistic siblings and I.

You know, we saw a hobbit scurry out of here, but he came and went so fast that the camera could quite catch it...;)

We have confirmed that there ARE meese in Washington!

Apparently there are also assassins in WA?! (Actually, my brother just conveniently has a black machete with which to be emo...*pats murderous little fellow*)

This is in the treehouse which is on our property! It is a brilliant treehouse. I claim no relation to the kid in the picture, by the way...:)

Thanks, as always, for reading/looking! And with that, I bid you adieu.

Fin.

Talks-a-lot...

2008-03-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

Talkative.

Verbose.

Eloquent.

Articulate.

Looooooooooooooooooong-winded.

What do all of these words have in common? Two things: 1) They basically mean "motor-mouthy", and 2) I had to look at the thesaurus to get most of them. :)

Effusive.

Garrulous.

Wordy.

You know, as Americans, I think we talk a lot. Perhaps it has a lot to do with our democratic tendencies, both in and out of government. "All men are created" (or evolved, as the case may be) equal, thus everybody's opinion is worth something, right? Or at least, every man's opinion is equally worthy.

Expansive.

Unreserved.

Gushing.

But I wonder if, as Americans, we take advantage of that. Maybe we just keep talking, and talking, and talking...

Because society has determined that whatever pops into your head is okay to voice.

Perhaps that wouldn't be so bad, if all our actions followed through with our many words. But if we talk a lot...

...That's a LOT of actions to keep track of.

Open.

Forthcoming.

Ear-banging.

And I also wonder if we, as American Christians, have forgotten the art of thinking before saying. That phrase is often said as "think before you act"...

But shouldn't we strive to be, and to act, as good as our word?

This whole incoherent pile of thoughts came to me in church this morning. Our pastor went over the passage in John where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

He raises Lazarus from the dead. How? He speaks. Not only does he accomplish the feat which scientists and spiritualists alike have attempted since death was invented...

He does it by talking. Jesus' actions are as good as his words. Jesus' words are as good as his actions.

Jesus' actions are his words, and his words are his actions. He is the Word.

Thoughtful.

Meditative.

Discerning.

In a world of virtual reality, where email and chatspeak abound, and TV is often considered "family time" (though getting 6 people to agree on what to watch simultaneously is a victory in itself)...

In a world of virtual reality, where our standard of beauty often amounts to pretty people being digitally airbrushed into impossible glamour...

In a world of virtual reality, where truth is relative and love is sending the letters "ILU!" over the phone or computer...

I am so glad we have Jesus. I am so glad Jesus has us, actually.

I am so glad that Jesus is so eloquent that no one could ever speak as well as he does, and is yet so simple that everyone can understand him. He is the Word, after all. His standard of excellence is not belied by the depth of his love, nor is his grace forsaken for his truth.

I am so glad that Jesus cares about what he says to me. I am so glad that Jesus cares about what he does to me.

I want to be like Jesus.

(This was a really long post! Thanks for reading it all the way through, everyone! :S)

The Top Best 10 Things in the World

2008-03-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

You've heard of the Eight Wonders of the World, correct? Well, here is a list compiled with the utmost accuracy and care; composed only after the author had thought for at the very least 2.5 seconds about each and every number...

With that stirring and awe-inspiring introdcution, I present to you

THE TOP BEST 10 THINGS IN THE WORLD (at least, according to D. E. Peterson)

Let's save the best for last and start with 10!

10. Coffee! Especially when it's really cheap, and even when it's really expensive. :D
9. Goodness!
8. Truth!
7. Beauty! :D (Oh my!)
6. Chinchillas! Especially because they are fluffy!
5. Homeschooling! Especially because it means that we can take Torrey! (And be super-nerds...)
4. Siblings! Especially when they are your fellow sufferers and adventurers in movingness. *pats indignant children on the head*
3. Parents! Especially because they are patient, kind and loving beings who care for you no matter what state/country you're in.
2. Books! Especially such tomes as Lord of the Rings, Anna Karenina, Democracy in America (there, I have officially expressed my nerdiness), and (though I hope it's already obvious) the Bible. I really, really like the Bible. Especially when I read it. :P :)

And the final, the marvelous, the shocking, the glorious, the last but not least...

1.

#1 is...

Friends. Especially when they are nothing else but friends, because that is what they are. (Okay, that was either really cheesy or really badly structured, grammatically. Or both. Thank goodness friends look past my faults!)

So, to all those who are my friends, or who are anyone's friends...

Thanks for being the #1 thing in my world!

(Now copy and paste this into an e-mail and forward it to all your friends or all your coffee will be lukewarm from the moment you decide to disobey. :)

Hah. Just kidding. Maybe I should make a "Top WORST Things in the World" list, with those kinds of forwards as Ultra #1? ;)

The Emo Poem of a Coffee-Deprived College Poet

2008-02-14T22:07:00.000-08:00

Drip, drip, drip.

The lazy drops descend on the metal roof of the Cafe. A fluorescent sign flickers, reminding the uncaring world of the hole-in-the-wall's quiet existence. Quiet, at least, until it happened. IT, happened...

Poets, small, tall, great and lesser, gather at the Cafe each Saturday evening; the remnant of what once was a thriving, bustling restaurant. Some say it was the introduction of anything other than bland American food; others, that one waiter who kept mixing up orders and pouring mustard in people's cappucinos. The true doubters argue that it was the introduction of "Saturday Night Poetry Readings", but nobody really believes them. Whatever the cause, almost all faithful customers vanished...

Except for the poets. And that's not IT, either.

As on every Saturday night, the Faithful (as they deemed themselves) were there; contemplating. Thinking. Pondering. Dreaming. Occasionally, strokes of genius or epiphanies will hit, and poets will shout triumphantly their masterpieces.

"O, that I might be
Free from all that inhibits,
A rose unhindered"

"Where is the happiness?
I once
Had much. Now it's
Gone.
The whirlpool of
Desire is
Now the cause
Of my mire, now
A trickle. A Living Needle
In the haystack of
Darkness and Death. Can
I find it
Again?"

"I've found a rhyme for orange!"

"THE COFFEE'S GONE!!!!"

Wait. The poets turned slowly to the source of the voice; a frightened, hysterical waiter with braces and disheveled hair.

"It's gone! All of it! The Cappuccinos, the Frappucinos, the Lattes, the Java...THE COFFEE! All we have left is tea! Decaf tea!"

"It can't be gone!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"
"What'll we do? How will we get our papers turned in? How will we ever compose poetry again?"

Silence. The full, black, terrible depth of their predicament strikes.

Silence. A pen drops and crashes on the unswept concrete floor.

Silence.

Slowly, he rises. One of the Faithful rises, a student ready to face the future. His deep, mournful voice resounds sorrowfully across the room.

"Coffee would be stronger than
The weak Tea that
Surrounds
My heart.
A Cappuccino warmer and
More empowering to my
Wretched soul.
O, alas;
The icy Earl Grey has
Swallowed whole
The sweet Caramel Latte
Of my Former self.
O, alas, the despair of
Decaf has emptied me
Strangled me
Drowned me.
Until I am nothing,
Nothing but a shell.
Shell of a coffee bean.
Husk of a coffee bean.
The cold, black bleak broken barren
Husk

Of

A

Bean."

Minimalism

2008-02-11T20:59:00.001-08:00

I have really long posts.

Rock-On-inov!

2008-02-10T13:55:00.000-08:00

Do you know that means? (Besides the fact that Danielle is capable of creating bad puns from the names of Russian composers...) I have officially jumped on the Rachmaninov/Rachmaninoff bandwagon! It all started with a four-CD set of various composers, including Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov and a few others. *is in awe*

Okay okay! I know ya'll are hanging on the edge of your seats for the next part of the Columbus the Pigeon saga, so here it is:

...He realizes that THE PERFECT THING TO PAINT is his family! So he goes home and does just that; finishing with only a few days before the contest to spare. However, life isn't carefree for Columbus yet. Just when he thought he was safe, the evil alley cat, Dominic Dupont (yes I am proud of my alliterative names), slashes the painting to pieces.

The End

...

Okay, that's not REALLY the end, that's coming in the next post, along with the pictures of Columbus I have been doodling on every spare scrap of paper I have. >:-) I feel so maniacal. :D

Soooo...We went to this really big, really lovely church called "Christ the King (CTK) Community Church". It was really "AAAAHHH!!! THIS IS A BIG CHURCH!" *dazzle* at first (which induced me to, upon seeing the auditorium seating in the sanctuary, dubiously remark that "Maybe we should've bought tickets..."). Thankfully, the entire attitude of the church seems very much to be that they would rather encourage and enlighten, and never entertain. So, it was much good; we shall probably be attending that church.

Raaaandom updates are...well, random! Here are some more random updates to finish it off:

-Valentine's Day confuses me.
-Facebook occassionally annoys me.
-I really enjoy drawing pigeons. I mean, REALLY enjoy...
-My family and I are participating in Lent.
-One of the horsies is gone for a competition, which means that the other is looking wistfully towards the road, wondering sadly..."Rosie, light of my life, WHERE HAVE YOU GONE???!!!"
-Algebra doesn't like me, and the feeling is quite mutually returned.
-American Idol is a worthless show. And yet, we continue to watch it and laugh/occasionally empathize with the poor people who put themselves out on a limb, and get sawn off by the ruthlessly sharp tongues of the...er, not very nice judges. :)
-I want to watch the Illusionist.

I miss everyone. :(

But I'd rather end on a happy note!

:)

"It was a blustery day in the 100 acre woods..."

2008-02-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

Maybe Washington is acting as a parallel universe for the 100 AW, because it sure is windy right now!

So we now have Internet at our house and are abusing it dutifully (Facebook and Gmail are awfully addicting, after all...). I am teaching my siblings art, piano, and Latin; though we've only completed the first art class so far (We studied Van Gogh and his present of his own personally-amputated ear to his ex-girlfriend...Why are the best artists so weird?!).

We still have not found a decent homeschool group, which pains me greatly, as we have no friends in Washington and no real means to find them. Throughout our various bouts of depression/depressing thoughts, my siblings and I are desperately trying to not kill each other, which occasionally proves difficult. :)

I am composing a childrens' book, entitled Columbus the Pigeon (working title, of course). It is about a French fowl searching for the perfect thing to paint for an art contest in France. He travels around the world looking for such an object, and fails miserably until...

He realizes. What does he realize? You'll just have to wait till the next post! Muahahaha! The suspense is killing you, I know... :) I am also in the process of pre-writing a (fantasy-ish) novel about a young artist who works as an apprentice in the Great Library of Something-or-other-Cool-Town-Name. It is fun. It is painful to realize how much work it will require to ever become a good writer, let alone a great writer. (If any of you are following the controversy over Christopher Paolini's Eragon on Bubbs, please ignore it in this particular paragraph. :) It makes me sad that the writing and enjoyment of books has been over-commercialized; whether or not I ever get published in any way, shape or form, I only pray that I may do my best to the glory and honor of God. O, for Tolstoy and Tolkien and Tocqueville! Lewis and Locke! Hobbes and...wait a second...

You know, I'm pretty sure that, if I believed in reincarnation, I was probably one of the architects for the Tower of Babble, because I am rambling a lot on this post...:)

I miss my friends! Hope you are all well!

-Danielle

100% Humidity GUARANTEED!!!

2008-01-29T21:50:00.000-08:00

...or not. So there we were; steeling ourselves for potential flooding and/or lots and lots of water falling from the sky, and what do we get? SNOW!!! Tons and tons of freezing, falling, flaky white snow!! I WANT A REFUND!!!

Just kidding. I love the snow and its chilliness. It was simply ironic to be expecting the legendary rains of Washington, and getting snowed into a house that has no Internet =o (though I have Internet now). Or washer/dryer. (BIG =0)

In other news:
-It is nice to have horses in your front yard, especially when your landlord pays you 50 dollars a month to feed them twice a day. :D
-It is not nice, however, to be in a bonafide country-fried town where your closest neighbor is half an acre away, and all the rest are at least four acres away. Much more difficult to make friends that way.
-It is also difficult to go anywhere to meet people when you are snowed in.
-Torrey is good. I miss it a lot.
-Friends are good. I miss them SO MUCH that I neglected most of my school today due to staring at the ceiling from my bed in a desperate attempt to fight off maniacal depression. It was quite a dramatic battle. Polyatomic ions (Chemistry!) are never as interesting as when you have so many other melancholy things to dwell on!
-Laundry is good. Too bad we can't do any, because our town doesn't even really have a laundromat, and it would take 10 minutes to get to it anyways.
-
-
-
-
More depressed and angstily composed thoughts...
-
-
-
-
-OKAY! Here's the good part about Washington, since I can't seem to think of any others. It is by God's grace that I am here, safe and sound, in a beautiful state. It is by God's grace that I can see his beauty in so many ways that smoggy L.A. would never allow. It is by God's grace that I am here to do as He pleases, and by God's grace I will certainly complete His pleasure!

It is by God's grace that I have friends I can turn to, a family who loves me and whom I love, and a future which he has planned for me.

Thank you all for your wonderful support. I love and miss you all, and hope you are well.

The Adventures of Kakie, Bunny and Squishy: An Epic Tale of Caffeinated Proportions

2008-01-22T21:20:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, there were three friends: Kakie, Bunny, and Squishy. Kakie was beautiful, Bunny was fluffy, and Squishy was...well, Squishy. They all lived in the sunshiny state of So. Cal., and decided to have an Adventure. This is how it happened:

In the morning, they set off to church, and ate donuts. But first, Bunny and Kakie decided it would be good to pray before eating:

Bunny is reverent of her donuts.

Next, they go to In-n-Out for lunch. Bunny is hungry, so she drinks soda:

Eats a French fry...

And part of Squishy's ear...0.o

Next, Bunny ponders the meaning of life.

After In-n-Out, Bunny is STILL hungry, so she munches on some Starbucks.

Luckily, Starbucks survives long enough for Bunny to try on some fashionable headgear...

...And peruse the artistry of Starbucks.

Squishy, meanwhile, rejects the camera. Buahahaha!!! :D

Bunny agrees that it is hard to be emo in pink.

Kakie knows what it takes.

Kakie, Bunny and Squishy agree that, after a fine day of eating and enjoying the world, it is good to have friends.

Finis.

Happy Birthday, and other Statements of Fact.

2008-01-21T15:55:00.000-08:00

*Ahem*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!!!!

For those of you who are not aware as to who Scott is, he is Awesome. Along with that, he happens to be an excellent actor/speech-and-debater, an author, and an unusually efficient organizer of parties in which his parents are "murdered" with rubber swords and extract of grapefruit-seed juice. Unfortunately, my family and I are moving. On his birthday. Which is today. So I decided to try and make it up by posting on my blog how happy I hope his birthday is! :D Happy Birthday Scotty!

As far as other statements of fact are concerned, here we go:

-Staying up till 1:00 in the morning to pack for a trip (for which you must wake up by 5:00 in the morning) is not very happy for one's temper.
-Eating cinnamon rolls and bacon, however, is excellent for improving spirits.
-McDonalds gets really old. Really fast.
-The Peterson's van is stuffed more tightly than Betty Crocker's turkey on Thanksgiving.
-Going to Washington currently just feels like another vacation. It is, right?
-The Petersons are currently in Sacramento (more specifically Roseville). Next Stop: Oregon (I think).

That is pretty much the summupage of my trip thus far. I miss ya'll A VERY LOT!!! :(:(:(:(:( I will be sending many of you letters once we reach our FINAL DESTINATION. *dun dun DUN*

Coming Up Soon:
-The Adventures of Kakie, Squishy and Bunny: An Epic Tale of Caffeinated Proportions. (Complete with Pictures!)
-The Next Leg of the Journey

I feel special...

2008-01-12T12:24:00.000-08:00

81 words

Touch Typing online

Isn't it wonderful that Saturdays yield nothing but pure lazi-/uselessness? :)

Alexis de Tocqueville is an interesting author. I'm not sure how much of his argument I agree with, but I do think that excellence in the arts, sciences (etcetera) in America is very much sub-par in comparison to that of Europe. Is there anything we can do to revive (or introduce, according to was Tocqueville thinks) a new level of excellence?

I wonder if it IS good for us to prize freedom and equality above all others...Do we?

One more week till lift-off...Washington, here we come! :) :P :( :D :'( :'(

:S

Well, that was fun!

2007-12-30T22:42:00.001-08:00

Goodness, I hadn't realized how depressed/depressing my last post was...sorry...:)

I'm not sure how much better I've gotten since last I posted, but I have been more and more fully aware of my stupidity! *smiles cheerfully*

That...that's a good thing, right?

Anyways, serving me a good helping of humble pie was very good of God. Didn't taste very good, but I probably just need to get used to it! Bah, what's a bit of unpleasant meat every now and then? Makes ice cream taste a whole lot better, it does...

So, as far as the moving updates are concerned, our official leave date for WA (also known as WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH) is the 21st of January. Ah, Washington...Does everyone want to know how I feel about Washington? Of course! Here, I'll tell you...

The Ode to Washington

Once upon a time you see,
So very long ago,
There was a land of beauty
In which there was no snow.

O, this land was gorgeous
A second Eden in the flesh!
It never rained, never poured
The weather ALWAYS blessed!

Until, one day, it happened...
Inevitably bad
The skies transformed from rays to rain
Thus doomed, was the poor land

Hail and sleet and pouring rain
A veritable swamp
To where did such Utopia fly?
The sun was now quite damp!

The people left, the market died
They left, 'long with the sun.
With some disdaining, the few remaining
Renamed it, Washington

-Danielle

Thank you all for your encouragement as my family and I venture in the wet and wild world of Washington.

Smallness...

2007-11-30T18:26:00.000-08:00

Currently I am feeling very small. Not merely small in physical stature, which I happen to actually be, but small in mind and heart and soul.

As far as mind, my intelligence is so much lower than so many people! My perseverance for learning in general is sorely lacking, and I cannot bear doing more-than-usually-difficult work. Also, I am fairly unteachable as far as "Don't-bother-me-I-can-learn-this-on-my-own" sort of thing...

Concerning heart, there is little to say but, "GROW GROW GROW!!!" My friends are so wonderful and compassionate that I feel low and vulgar on occasion.

My soul...Ah, the soul! So much growing for it to do! Never more than twice a week do I read my Bible, and quick blips of "prayer" before I shut off the light are the staples of my Christianity. I feel that my soul is small, small, small; and malnourished....

I am not complaining of my incompetence for practically everything, I just had the very stark realization that I am very, very low in the scheme of things.

And I am frightened. I am frightened for the people I am going to meet as I move to Washington; I am frightened for the potential damage and stupidity I could create there; I am frightened for all the people here who I have underappreciated and never loved as much as they deserve. My mind, heart, and soul are so shallow and unfinished that it feels overwhelming, and I am not sure what to do.

I have such a wonderful life! I am in nearly-perfect physical health, my family is wonderful, we are well-provided for, I have amazing friends, wonderful teachers and an excellent school. So then I look at the people around me who are suffering from health problems, who have endured incredible pain and who have grown incredibly through enduring pain. I see beauty, humility, joy and compassion, and a knowledge which far surpasses any found in your average A Beka textbooks.

What does it take to become as transparently lovely, in heart, soul and mind, as those who have endured the trials of life? I know we should not pray for trial, but what should we pray for? Can a good and easy life yield the same results? Were/are we all meant for this beauty?

Usquequaque...

2007-11-17T09:50:00.000-08:00

...means "utterly", in Latin. It is a lovely word, and accurately describes my current mode of living. I am utterly thankful for being utterly happy, utterly sick, and utterly busy, and am utterly uttering these things to you. :D

I have spent the past week (in perfect physical health) moaning and groaning about pretty much everything and being melancholy. As of coming home from school yesterday, I found out that I was sick...

For some reason, I am utterly happy and thankful for life now!

And in Torrey we had the magnificent Thanksgiving devotional by Mr. Bartel, in which we discussed gratitude, seeing things for what they truly are (i.e., God's creation), and (I think) God's gift of life to us (initiation courtesty of Mr. Chesterton and his "Crazy Tale").

I wonder if part of being grateful for God's creation is enjoying it? As my teacher mentioned, we should certainly not idolize anything, but perhaps we end up idolizing something because we do not look long enough at it. Should we then look and enjoy and learn all the more?

There are so many amazing things to learn from God! I know that's a "Captain-Obvious" thing to say, but I haven't said or understood it nearly enough. Maybe seeing what's right under our noses, and realizing that they are important, is the first step towards seeing things properly at all.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

(Oh, and anyone who likes pretty, fluffy comics with Russian-named characters, they should read "The Phoenix Requiem", at http://requiem.seraph-inn.com/. It is happy. :)

Whee!!!

2007-11-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

Yay!!! It is Friday, which means that "Vita est bona"!

I just wanted to share this lovely and amusing (to me) site with anyone who cares.

www.godtube.com

It is the "Christian equivalent" of YouTube.

I am an Asymmetrical Chipmunk

2007-10-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Oh yes.

This Thursday, I had the interesting and rather painful adventure of getting all four of my wisdom teeth removed. Fun fun fun! (At least the doctor who did it was named Bach; that sort of made up for something). One half of my face is significantly larger and more swollen than the other half; thus I am (or appear to be) an asymmetrical chipmunk. Currently I am surviving solely on vanilla pudding and applesauce.

I got much money towards Borders for my birthday, so I bought Howl's Moving Castle and Northanger Abbey to account for not being able to do anything in my convalescent state. Everyone needs to watch Howl's Moving Castle for the good of their souls.

Here is a random picture of me trying to eat a bird (in my non-chipmunkish state):

Finis.

I am fifteen going on sixteen...

2007-10-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

As of today, anyways. :) Huzzah for the big 1-5. That's what everyone's been saying to me, along with their nostalgic memories of what it was like when THEY were fifteen. Even some of the fifteen-year-olds. Heh.

Along with this update, there's also more news:

We are moving.

To Washington. Warshington. Hah.

Aaah.

More random sentiments.

N-E-how...yeah. Mayhap I am a bit sad about this. Okay, a lot. Here's why:

Reasons for Sadness:
-Friends
-It's okay to be a wimp about the weather down here; IT'S NEVER COLD!!!
-Friends
-My school (we'd be leaving sometime around January...right in the middle of the school year)
-Friends
-Drama group
-Friends
-Moving...is dumb...I don't like it...
-Fri- okay you get the picture...

Yeah, so the list could go on for a good while. On the other hand:

Reasons for Joy:
-The prospect of making new friends
-Being close to most of my relatives on Dad's side; we see them about every other year.
-Buying a house up there is significantly cheaper than doing so down here. Thus, we could save up for college, which is really, really really really reallyreallyreallyreally *pant* really expensive.
-Being as it is that I would love to attend Biola, I would be back down here in about three years; with all my other friends who are hopefully also going to Biola.

Whee...

School

2007-09-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

Is tiring, and I love it.

The End.

Commas, sunburns, and tadpoles.

2007-08-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

And a new layout...that is still work-in-progress...

So, I am reading John Locke's Second Treatise of Government. Or at least I am supposed to be. I just don't have a whole lot of determination to read it, especially with his affinity for commas and sentences that resemble paragraphs.

And as for sunburns, I have turned the most marvelous shade of scarlet. But I guess it was for a good cause; yesterday at the beach was soooo much fun. My friends and I regressed at least ten years and had mud fights and buried each other in the sand. :D (However, safety cautions that people standing within 100 feet should whip out their sunglasses, because I'm pretty sure the UV rays from my face will either blind or really, really hurt your eyes.)

T.A.D.P.O.L.E. (The Art Dump Place of Lovely Entries), my new art site, is up and running as of today. When you feel the desire, or are just plain bored, I will now be posting random bits of art there.

And so, without much further adieu...

I bid you...

Adieu.

Does anyone feel...?

2007-07-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

Like they need a break from life in general?

Or to learn again -and to dwell forever in the sweet moment of revelation- what life is actually about? (Even though you know that's not what is completely right or good for you?)

Does anyone feel as if their feet were somewhere besides solid ground, and their hearts were stuck on earth?

Or feel that they are viewing the world and life from a different perspective than everyone else? As if you were an outsider, and not a participant?

Because that's kind of how I feel right now.

In oddly eloquent words.

But then, you read something like...

"5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." (Jer. 17:5-10)

*sigh*...I don't like being superficial.

*rant* *rant* *rant* :/

No, I am not dead...

2007-07-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

Behold! I live...

There is really no proper/good excuse for my extended absence from such worthy activities as blogging. I was simply lazy and whatnot.

So, as I have not posted in practically forever, I suppose I shall now. Starting with what in the world I've been doing (or, not been doing) this summer.

TOP FIVE ACTIVITIES
5. Chores (I have conquered many loads of laundry in the past few weeks)
4. Various Internet surfing adventures
3. Watching good movies (Lady in the Water, The Village, The Visitation, Spiderman 3 and Ratatouille :D)
2. Playing Phantom of the Opera music (on the piano) until my fingers (and the ears of all my family members) fall off.
1. Alternately reading Nancy Drew mysteries and Macbeth! :) :) :) (The height of my summer intellectual stimulation is astounding, no?)
(0. I suppose drawing, as well.)

FIVE HAPPY THINGS,
5. New Torrey books (that are huge)!
4. Complete and Unabridged works of Shakespeare for two dollars!
3. New Latin book (that is also huge)!
2. The general relief of not having schoolwork!
1. My relatives (who live in Washington State) visiting for an entire week next week!
(0. Spending the weekend at one of my bestitiest friend's house; Mary-Kate @ www.checkity.blogspot.com)

Anyways, that's the basic summary of what I've been doing for the summer.

Oh, and

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE!

(bah, this text is not big enough...:/)

Ah, pulchritudo!

2007-05-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

In a random moment of glee and happiness, I shall provide my good audience with such a Link as:

http://freeplaymusic.com/search/category_search.php?t=v&i=962

(Please press the "Preview" buttons on songs #1 and #5...but, if you are scared of badly-accented Cockney grasshoppers, refrain from #5...)

The first is a thing of beauty. The second...perhaps not as much...:)

Oh, and just for the world to know, First Love Calvary Chapel Christian ISP's production of The Taming of the Shrew is coming up in three weeks...and my dear director and her family (her oldest son of which happens to be the main part) just had to go and get stomach flu! GAH!

Pray for mercy. And no more stomach flu.

Teehee...it's Friday!!!!!

2007-04-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

Yah! And d'ya know what Friday means????

NO MORE SCHOOL TILL MONDAY!!!!

*giggle*

*chuckle*

*guffaw*

.....

Okay, so, yes. I am ridiculously ecstatic, exuberant, and all other manner of words beginning in "e" that denote happniess. Isn't that glorious?

And now it's time for

Random Words in Latin:

Alces (al-kehs)-Moose

Porrigo (poor-rig-oh)- Dandruff
Tosticula (toh-stick-you-lah)- Little Hairdresser (courtesy of Latin 3; commonly used as an "insult" for passers-by)

And, my personal favorite,

Sandaligerula (san-dahl-ih-gare-you-lah)- Maid who picks up sandals...

Aren't bad fohnetiks fun?

Most of these words were randomly found in the Latin-English dictionary as a result of Study Hall periods with nothing else to do. (Mainly with my amici boni www.aboveallshadowridesthesun.blogspot.com and www.checkity.blogspot.com. View their lovely blogs or else. Your soul will be better for it...)

And, just for one last thing, our Shakespeare play (Taming of the Shrew) is coming up (May 21st; four more rehearsals till the Big One)...And half the cast barely knows their lines! Oh joy and happiness!!

Our director's threats of crying grow more abundant as we "progress"...

Schoolhouse Rock...

2007-02-11T16:20:00.000-08:00

ROCKS!!!

Yes. It so does. I simply needed to state this ultimate truth, this beautiful reality. Schoolhouse Rock is amazing and...well, yeah.

Go buy your copy of the Schoolhouse Rock 30th Edition DVD NOOOOWWWWW!!!! (Here: http://www.amazon.com/Schoolhouse-Rock-Special-30th-Anniversary/dp/B00005JKTY/sr=1-1/qid=1171239771/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-4031355-9278320?ie=UTF8&s=dvd)

So...yeah....that's all I really wanted to say...:0)

Randomosity ensues...

2007-01-31T15:38:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, the everlasting joys of...Latin?!

Yes, my friends, today my Latin teacher announced that we were to write Latin plays. With the group I got, our character list consists of a Schizophrenic Cat, a Hippie Wizard, an Evil, Unnamed person w/ a Snake Voice, and a Poor Person, who also happens to be the hero of the story...

Latin is not something to be trifled with.

And the below picture, by the way, is a random, practice...thing that I drew out of boredom.

I must say that I'm ridiculously proud of it. :) (you can view my "art site" at

www.celestialbeauty.deviantart.com)

Till next time, folks.

In principio...

2007-01-26T18:00:00.000-08:00

Erat verbum, et verbum erat- oh, heh...never mind.

Indeed. So, anyways, here is my loverly blog. At least, I think it's loverly.

To introduce myself in a nutshell, I am a nut. :0) Huzzah. I am a student of the great Mr. Leigh (you can view his blog at www.isleofthemighty.blogspot.com) and I like Latin (yeah, that dead language that takes forever to learn), Shakespeare (at least, Shakespearean plays), food, sleeping, singing (off-key, mostly), piano and art. And the color blue and bunnies and...

Yes. That is me, the nut, in a nutshell.

Hopefully I shall be getting some art up here soon; I am writing/drawing a "graphic novel" (aka a comic, call it whatever you want) and will post it here (again, hopefully). Mayhap you shall like. Mayhap not.