mcollinknight

As a side-note before I begin: I EFFING LOVE THIS SONG AND IT IS MY NEW ANTHEM. THE END.
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Halloweek continues to be AWESOME. Yesterday was Robin Hood (complete with construction-paper hats and feathers, as well has two sets of bows-and-arrows: one from Canadian Tire, one fashioned from random stuff in our backyard) and I had to take the bus alone again and I'm sure I was laughed at - but as soon as I came into Politics and plopped down beside Catya, all was made well. The prof (a man I despise for his horrible teaching skillz, even though he seems like a moderately pleasant person) looked up and said we had nice hats and spent the next ten minutes trying to scare us about H1N1, and the following 20 minutes actually being awesome and sarcastic and tearing people apart for being all 'well Canada gives lots of money to foreign aid' and 'I'm a student, I shouldn't have to help' and it was awesome because he just started swearing and being intelligent. But then he got boring again so I stopped paying attention.

We staged the photoshoot on the front lawn, which had trees and fences and piles of yellow leaves - and good thing we did, because when we walked by today they were blowing all the leaves away (#45 Things I Hate About Our Society: electric leaf-blowers. What is the point, you morons?) and had an amazing time.

Today's theme was Lost Little Girls, so Catya was Little Red Riding Hood, and I was Alice in Wonderland (because as you know I have the dress) - it was odd in that it wasn't immediately obvious I was in a costume, so I just got weird looks for wearing a ribbon on my head and 18 trucks of makeup. But we found a path with lampposts by the gorgeous old theatre building (all the buildings on our campus are ugly, so it was really the only option) and had another epic photoshoot with Catya's basket of cookies and rain everywhere :D

Funny story about the cookies. If you needed more proof that my house is ghetto (other than the whole in the kitchen floor and the fact that two weeks ago we had to punch 20 holes in the basement/Catya's bedroom to connect the heating system to the furnace)? I was baking cookies, whatever, and apparently the insulation melted off the coil and it started sparking and making mini-fireworks and it's all okay (I tried to bake the cookies in the toaster oven but that was weird) and we got it replaced, but yeah. This house. Is crazy.

Pictures from the first two days up on fbook, those of you who have me on there. If anyone wants to add me on fbook I can provide you with the deets - I just won't ever be putting IRL pictures of myself out on the Wide Internets.
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In seriousness now, I need opinions: tomorrow's theme is Super-Human Strength, and Catya is going to be a superhero and I will be a Maasai Warrior (because I own the shukahs and the bow). However, I was only going to change into it for the photoshoot (on a fire escape!) and not wear it to my discussion group because I'm a bit unsure about it. Because the maasai aren't storybook characters or archetypes or traditional figures open to public whoring-out (not in that sense, but I can't quite say what I mean here) like the other ones: they're people, and it's a complex culture, and it's a culture that's not mine, and I wouldn't want anyone to think that I was making it into a joke or a stereotype or just exploiting the "pretty"ness of the traditional wear, because that's not why I'm dressing up as a Maasai Warrior. Now obviously I know a bit more about the Maasai than random people in my discussion group, and I can talk about (and obviously learn way more about still, because I am clearly not actually Maasai and three weeks of knowledge is nothing compared to a lifetime) the culture and the history, but I would hate to give the wrong impression, or make a misstep, or hurt or offend anyone. So. Opinions? Should I wear the shukah and strut proud into my discussion group in-costume (since that's the whole point of this week), or should I keep it just for our own house and photoshoot, or should I not do it at all? Because I don't really know enough about issues like this yet to be able to put my finger exactly on what would be wrong with it, and I feel like on some levels it wouldn't be wrong at all, but obviously my perception of the costume is going to be different than other peoples'. (Let me know, and don't spare my feelings. If you think it's totally cool, then cool.)

For those unsure about what I mean by Maasai? I present Felix, my Maasai Warrior Husband. (Also, Felix now has FACEBOOK, WHAT. LOL FELIX.)
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TAYLOR SWIFT CONCERT SHOULD I GO Y/N?

For part_b. I am supposed to be writing a paper on oil in Africa, dammit! WHY can I not focus? *hits self*

1. Since you fucking hate Anne Boleyn, who is your favorite historical person? Ironically, her daughter. I would love nothing more than to be reincarnated from Queen Elizabeth I, who is my hero. Not only is she completely fricking cool, she also kicks arse - at EVERYTHING. Really, there is absolutely nothing about her that isn't cool.
2. What are your three essential books? 'The Kiterunner' by Khaled Hosseini, 'The Poisonwood Bible' by Barbara Kingsolver, and, of course, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by Shakespeare.
3. What annoys you most in a person? If they're Lark (really annoying coworker). If I have to be specific, I'd say someone who makes random, inappropriate and off-topic remarks in the middle of class.
4. What are you most nervous about right now? Well, for starters, the four essays and three research papers. But also Christmas Formal: apparently you ARE supposed to have a date. Well, damn.
5. Who would you pick a fight with if you knew you would win? Mr Beaver *snorts* So he's nearly six feet, he's skinny as a twig and nearly transparent. We have nerd fights all the time (mostly about grammar), but I would like to finally win one over on him.

Today was the last day of the 06/07 school year. There were no paper!fights on the bus as in the times of yore (public school), and no taking off to NY after school gets out. I booked it (pun) to Reader's World, whereupon I spent nearly $100 on books. Only 3 of them. Books are bloody EXPENSIVE. I then walked to work. I was 4-ish minutes late, but it was only Sam, so no biggie. Back to the responsibility of life, I suppose. I went to Shoppers after and bought stuff. I spent rather a lot of money today. Tonight I also discussed investments and kiva.org with my mater-unit.

In Ancient Civ we walked to Tim Hortons because the teacher owed me a donut from winning the wordsearch competition (wow, that class is productive, innit?), and I talked about asphalt with Jaden. I read all the inscriptions (finally) in my yearbook, and here are my favourites:
--"What a great year it has been. It was so nice to share part of it with you. Let's have a great summer and a stupendous Grade 12 year!" (Raphael)
--"...I loved it when you would read Hamlet, it was so smooth and beautiful. You always have great insight, a joke and a smile. Go us at Summerfest!" (Pickett)
--"...well anywho, don't rollerskate to Baysville, you might get raped by a raccoon! Ewwww" (Seahorse)
--"I can't think of anything to write, all I can think about is your sweet chocolate :)" (Fils)
--"Sup Clurrr! Good times this year in math class (minus Hammond). Ooh and Bio, too! We're like super geniuses in Bio! Haha. I hope you had fun in... where was it again? Belgium? lol, getting into barfights over boys. Anyways, I'll see you around next year (in freaking Gr 12!!!!)" (Chris)
--"Laurent! I <3 Laurent! And you too! You're my fav. Tu et (sic) insanse!" (Caitie)
--"I'm so glad you didn't love the exchange enough to stay there forever. I missed you so much. You're definitely like the nicest person in life. I love you so much. Slash you're a beautiful ballerina <3" (Persephone)
--"Gr 11 is pretty much over! Wow! You went to Belgium. We learned fun facts about mayonnaise, mollusks, and pickles sliced funny ways. Whave to really try and hang out more than a couple times. We should totally buy strawberries, wipped cream and lemonade! Have lots of fun!" (Jaden) insert totally awesome pic of ice cream sundae here

I kept thinking this year wasn't as good as the year before, but you know what? It was. It was different: no hanging out at the Bean, no more of you all being single. But the two changes made in those instances are GOOD THINGS. So that's all right, then. I went to Belgium. I got a computer. I was sick multiple times. I had an exchange partner. I had exchange partner!drama. I got a really really crappy mark for the first time in my life. I was sixteen.

Like Jaden said, last summer of worry-free-ness. ROCK THE NESS. For in the fall we must fill out applications and make decisions and work our arses off. In the fall we must make tons of money. And then the next autumn, the fall after that - in a year - we must do our own laundry, and make our own eggs, and will for what will likely be the first time in our collective lives, see what an electricity bill looks like. We will be frightened. We will be petrified. We might phone our mommies. We will vow to live in treehouses.

But for now we can dump our dirty jeans downstairs, whine about having no food in the house, be driven places and flick a light switch free of worry. We still have our mommies to yell at us to put on sunscreen (*blushes*). Well, this isn't going where I wanted it too. But whatever. I read the National Geo AND the newspaper today to make up for watching Raiders of the Lost Ark during my Magee course. Interesting stats on malaria. More to follow. Happy Summer 07, gang.

...because I HAVEN'T made enough posts for today. *grins*

OK so I finally finished Hamlet. By William Shakespeare (ooh, I'm witty). Long car rides in France apparently being my inspiration. Although it was extremely tempting to look out the window. Get back on topic, Colline. ANYWHO: it was... alright.

Alright.

I love Shakespeare, I really do. I've read Macbeth a million times and could read it again and again. Twelfth Night and All's Well That Ends Well content me on afternoons, and A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of my most cherished jewels of all time. I think The Tempest wins for best-written, and I need to put Othello on my to-read list (darkseahorse, review?). Anyway, Shakespeare funkies my monkey. But. BUT.

Hamlet just didn't do it for me. Oh, it had it's moments: I personally loved Polonius' ramblings and banter with Hamlet - great wordplay, and hilarious to read. But I found the play in general to be lacking in the gorgeous natural descriptions that usually make up Shakespeare's plays (I refer to you Midsummer and The Tempest).

Also, the ending sequence filled me with disgust. Oh, here we go, everyone dies AGAIN. Even HORATIO, which I saw NO NEED for. Abso-bally-lutely no need. He just decided, "Oops, here we go! Poison down to die for my crazie friend when it solves nothing and isn't really a gesture 'cause there's no one left to see me do it!" Not that I'm against death, mind. Romeo and Juliet, anyone? And at least in Macbeth the deaths were spaced out throughout the play. Hamlet, pretty much everyone dies in the same scene. And it was, as I said, clumsy. As IF Hamlet and Laertes, such skilled fencers as they are rumoured to be, would just mix up their swords. And as if Colonius would just say, "Oh no don't drink that, dear" and then sit by as she (Gertrude) DOES drink it and then say, "Oh. That wasn't supposed to happen." I mean REALLY! *tears hair out* It was slap-dash and rushed, what with the drink AND the poison on the sword. There was no redemption, there was no real punishment, because everyone died, and no one had to stay while their loved ones died or suffered over-much.

I'm also terribly confused as to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and may have to send an email to the cousin-unit (who was in a play entitled 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead' and therefore might be able to help me). They died? What? And how was Hamlet responsible for it? I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. There seems to be about two lines on the subject and I can't discern anything from them. Why, Will? WHY? Why, after so many years of blessed clarity amongst my fellow muggy peers have you abandoned me?

The whole play is like something I understand but don't entirely get. I have no opinion on whether or not Hamlet was actually mad, or if he loved wossface... Ophelia. I don't know, and I don't really care. He was an interesting character, to be sure, but it's all sort of muddled for me. I don't know. Maybe King Lear will be my cup of tea :)

"Andy Warhol was a weird little boy."
-Mrs Vesta, my history teacher
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My hands are pink. It looks like I have either a) a really big birthmark or b) a really bad henna incident. It is, of course, neither, but there is a reasonable explanation. My boss gives art classes, and today we had those, which consisted of me putting podge on people's frames and the kids painting on strips of fabric with food colouring. You know all about food colouring? It stains, yes? And we were doing this outside, so the sidewalk is now tie-dye, and when it rains all the poor fish are going to have food colouring in the lakes, which can't be good for them (yes, I know we eat it, but we are'nt fish, and don't have gils with which to breathe in orange artificial colouring).

ANYWAYS, my hands are pink and blue and purple and yellow and green and colours that have not been invented yet. I kind of don't want the food colouring to come off. This way I have something to scare off the steriod-pumped crowd around my locker. Because they are the kind of people who would judge on that.

In other news, I've brought my Lawren Harris painting home (Spring on the Oxtongue River) to finish, because Mr Touch-My-Face wants me to put it in some art show, although I don't know why. Sure, I like it, and I guess it's pretty good, but it's not that good. I mean, it's going to be there with Joo's, and she is AMAZING. While I was carrying it to work, people complimented me on it, but it's not even finished, and people were like, "Is that snow?" Ooohm, er, no, that's just a white spot where I haven't painted. 

So now I have to finish painting it, and I'll be fiddling with the sky FOREVER, because I keep telling you all, it's too dark, but I can't make it lighter, and then I end up painting over trees, and, oh...

I have decided: I want to go to Scotland, and I want

pheonixis to come with me.

I saw my aunt Vettie yesterday, and she brought with her the photo album of her family's trip to Bonnie Great Scotland and now I WANT TO GO SO BAD.

But I am very excited, as she gave me the email addresses of my cousins, who I haven't seen since bloody well forever (apparently the trip to Scotland was for the world bagpiping tour, that 'solidified' my cousin's 'love of the instrument'. Yeah. Right. He still hates it.) I am excited! I can introduce them to SBP, since they spend all their time on the computer anyway!

Yesterday my pater-unit and I went into this cheese shop near my Grandmother's house, and I almost wept. The place was full of Italians, and there was just so much... cheese. Feta, and parmiggiano reggiano (soo much fun to say) and olive oil and I almost died. Plus, the bakery was pretty good, too.

I really have nothing to say, although I had some eloquent and poetic post all ready (in my brain) to put up, but I suppose I'll have to manage with drivel.

P.S. Tamora Pierce rules.