beaujolais wine

I don't know why, but I have Rhianna's "Umbrella" stuck in my head.

Oooh, baby it's raining, raining.

Tomorrow I leave for Nashville, and I'm very excited.

Although, I'm not excited about the 9 hour drive to get there.

I got a new phone today. It's a Pantech Duo. Very cool, it is. I feel very Veronica Mars with the phone.

I made a 94 on my first World Civ 1 test. I didn't go to Biology today cause I was still sick from yesterday. But I got up for World Civ 1 and then I ate a Whopper Jr. and felt better.

Strange.

I want to know what I made on my biology test though....

I should go to sleep soon, cause we're getting up early for the trip and whatnot. I just figured there needed to be an update. Semi-update at least.

p&l
rachel

your ultimate drink stop

Being 22 isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Not that it's "cracked up to be" anything. It just isn't great. The feeling of being 22 is just ... blah.

Today, I had a Waffle House hamburger for lunch and then we went back to Waffle House for dinner. I had breakfast for dinner the second time.

I rented The Force Unleashed which I am VERY excited about. I've played it only a little bit, but I feel weird sitting by myself in the living room, but I would also feel weird forcing people to watch me play. So whatever.

I have some studying that I really need to get done, anyway. I started it yesterday, the studying that is, and continued a little today, but reading and trying to define all these things I need to know is very tedious. Or like ... I don't know. Not very easy.

I have three tests next week. Bio, World Civ 1 and 2. I don't start World Lit 2 until October. Bio shouldn't be too difficult, cause it's only the basics of it anyway.

This will be my second test in World Civ 2. He says we're "behind" in class.... but we're only taking our first test in World Civ 1. Strange it all is.

Thinking of The Force Unleashed makes me really want to be a Jedi Knight or a Sith Lord. Why can't it actually be true?

Maybe I can move onto Skywalker Ranch with George Lucas and we can pretend to be in the Universe of Star Wars for real. Lightsabers and all.

Anyway....

This Thursday coming up I'm going to Nashville to go to my cousin's wedding. It will be fun, cause I'll get to see Jfer and Malibu. It's going to be FANTASTIC!!!! I can't wait to see them both!!!

p&l
rachel

22 - here i am

I am now 22. There's no fighting it. what.so.ever

We played Uno Atack. Ordered pizza. Drank beer and ate pzza. But nothing stopped me from turning 22.

Lots of things happened, and Sara didn't want me to go through anymore trouble, but there really isn't any more trouble. (I'm watching Nausicaa: Princess of the Valley of the Wind)

Many games of Uno, the endless deck, I have played.

This movie I'm watching, (Nausicaa, the anime) it's like, there aren't as many people having babies, than there are people having babies on the planet, or whatever. It's quite funny, it really should be seen. I don't think I have to bring it back tomorrow exactly, but I think Mark, T's Mark will want to see it.

p&l
rachel :)

EDIT - next day - I was drunk when I wrote this post, so forgive me if some things don't make sense.

nausicaa

It's quite a good anime, thus far. I'm less than an hour into it, I'm guessing, but it's still wonderful.

There is one thingthat reminds me of another of Myiazaki's films. 'Yubaba' is a character from Spirited Away, one of my favorite animes. And 'Obaba' is a character inthis movie, Nausicaa, Valley of the Winds. Nausicca came a long a good deal before Spirited Away, I know this. So perhaps there is a little of Obaba in Yubaba. I shall do some research.

I checked it out from the library just this afternoon, after M returned it. Quite interesting, he was leaving just as I was arriving. I was there also to get books for my essay, mentioned later.

Even for a movie from 1984, it has very environmentalist undertones. Poisoned soils and whatnot. It's very "earth friendly."

Surely, I'll have to watch it again.

My first essay was assigned in World Civ 1. The topic I chose was: Research the Old Testament as a reliable source of history. Also, I must research the importance of sacred texts in religions. I think it's going to be interesting.... writing this paper. I've done a good bit of resarch already today.

For example, I learned that Moses was recieving the 10 commandments while the Greeks were fighthing the Trojan Wars. I would have imagined these two instances of time to be futher apart from each other. However, I read that they both occured sometime around 1250 BCE.

Or at least that's what I learned on this time line I came across online that I won't be able to list as an actual source. I'm going to have to work it into another source, I guess. Maybe I won't even use it in my essay at all. The paper is only 3 - 4 pages. Double-spaced isn't a book or anything.

Whatever.

Not much has really happened.

We did get that 300 bucks back from the person whom stole all the items from my house almost a week ago.

I have to read this thing about Martin Luther before class tomorrow, so I should do so....

p&l
rachel

penelope: a magical modern fable/ love story

Penelope is a very great movie. I think I've fallen in love with James McAvoy.

The movie's art direction is most beautiful, from the things hanging on the walls to Penelope's costumes. Everything has a touch of fairy tale to it.

Reese Witherspoon and Catherine O'Hara's character are incredibly enjoyable as well. Both very well portrayed.

Anyway, the movie is pretty much the greatest thing I've seen in a while.

It's one of those movies that gives you that great feeling when it's over. A feel-good movie, I guess that's what you would call it.

Penelope (Ricci), after living indoors for 25 years, escapes her parent's mansion in a big city, disguised herself behind a scarf and began living among regular people. All of this happens because she meets a man, Max (McAvoy), and he inspires her be her own person. All the while being stalked by a journalist and a young blue-blood ex-suitor of Penelope's.

Penelope's initial reactions to a crowded city sidewalk and drinking her first beer from the tap are very brilliantly put together. The quirkiness of the dialogue is very entertaining. Quick-quips and one-liners are great in my book any day, if they're done the right way.

The nose/snout and Christina's natural beauty combined that make Penelope the funfetti icing on the cake of fairy tales. Although it was released in 2006, I'm deeming it one of '08s favorites. ;)

Overall: I give this film two thumbs up! A must-see.

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

Anyway, for life update: today I bought a video game, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. It's a very great game, I've only played it once before.

I also rented Dragon Quest Swords: Tale of the Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors. Very long title. So far, I can't get past this one area, on a bridge where these birds keep destroying the bridge and I fall into the river below. :(

Whatever. Buster is very beautiful.

p&l
rachel

here we are now, a sip of wine a sip of water

Someday maybe, maybe someday we'll be smarter?

Is it true, Jimmy? That one day we can be smarter?

Well, who knows, but I know that I won't be able to trust people very easily anymore. Not that I trusted people in the first place, but I continue to let people in my life and they just fucking screw me over. Why are people so fucked up?

Like... people who say they're your friend but then steal shit from your family. What the hell kind of shit is that? Well, it's not qualities I look for in a friend. I was very upset to find this out yesterday.

I lose a friend. Gain a paranoia.

It sucks losing friends like this, left and right. It just lowers the numbers of people I want to hang out with here. And that wasn't a very large number to begin with.

Where are the people who are true and honest and won't let you down? Where are the friends that aren't just in it to stab you in the back? Where have all the cowboys gone? (That's just a joke, duh.)

I hate being so naive. It's not a very positive characteristic if people are just going to keep taking advantage of my kindness.

Addiction, in general, is something that will tear a friendship apart. Any kind of relationship, I'm guessing. Either way, I don't want to put myself in the situation where I'm around people who have a problem with either: drinking, taking prescription medications or any other kind of hardcore drugs. Smoking pot is still a-ok in my book.

Well, on the upside of things... my birthday is in a week and one day. I'm hoping that the ripe old age of 22 will be better than 21. Ah, and I say this every year. Hoping the one coming will be better than the one past. Only time will tell.

"You'd think after 22 years I'd be used to the spin, but it only feels worse when I stay in one place, so I keep walking away." - Conor Oberst, Bright Eyes. I'm just gonna put the song on here, cause this is how I feel right now.

I did download the new Emmylou Harris album, if I haven't mentioned before, and it's pretty amazing. I do love me some Emmylou. Maybe I'll name my first child after her. Just kidding, I already have my children's names chosen, if I get the choice.... lots of things depend there.... haha, if I even have children, for example.

So, imeem doesn't have that song... apparently, so I put a different song at the beginning of the blog. I do love that song as well.

Very lame, I believe. Not having that song at all.

p&l
rachel

a slew of shit has just gone down in this house

Well, a now ex-friend of mine stole some things from my house a few days ago. They stole $300 and a lot of prescription pain medicine.

We found some things that should have his fingerprints on them so we can prove it to the police, if it goes that far. My dad was not very happy. Neither was I. Neither am I. I'm absolutely livid about this. Who can you trust if you can't trust friends?

I don't really know what else to say on the subject. It's pretty self-explanatory.

p&l
rachel

innocent life: a futuristic harvest moon

Here are just a few screen shots. I'm really enjoying this game. I have a robot helping me on the farm. However, my character is a robot himself.

My guy, Corbin, he just got a kitten from the Dr. who created him. I named the cat Domino. Corbin also has a dog named Chocobil, who was given to him by another farmer named Gayak. It's all quite interesting. I really want to buy the game so I can play it to it's extent.

There's so much to do in the game that it's slightly difficult to harvest all my crops in a few hours and then be able to ride around the island in a little buggy. Anyway...

I watched a movie earlier tonight, and I'm kind of forgetting what movie it was. Oh yes, Hard Candy. That is such a great movie. I do enjoy Ellen Page. And Patrick Wilson. Sandra Oh and her cameo appearance as the neighbor.

Class was interesting today. I felt a little weird, like a nerdy, trying-to-be-a-know-it-all kind of person. The professor asked a question, and the person he asked didn't know the answer. So instead of having him tell us the answers each time, I raised my hand. Quite sheepishly, I add. Well, he asks some questions about arranged marriages in the Renaissance, and I knew all the answers to each question he asked. I felt very strange. I don't want people to think I'm a freak that studies all the time.

I've kind of gotten out of that habit. Although, when I start studying, I cannot stop until I'm done. Well, I do need to do this worksheet on Martin Luther. And finish my outline on Chapter One. And possibly begin the outline on Chapter Two.

Chapters one and two are for world civ 1 and the Renaissance and the Reformation (ch. 16 and 17) are for world civ 2. I'm just getting lazy here, typing.

Alright. So it's almost 2am. I should hit the hay.

p&l
rachel

i don't know where i am, i don't know where i've been, but i know where i want to go

I'm feeling a new found love of blogging.

I have been pretty absent-minded as of recent, with all sorts of drama going on in my own life. Although it's not as dramatic as a sitcom, it is drama nonetheless.

i.e.: my car transmission. Other things are that our air conditioner is acting all funky. We have to keep sucking a lot of water out of it or else it leaks onto the carpet in the hallway. Very stressful.

Not only that, but I have to unpack all these clothes I put in garbage bags "just in case" that Hurricane Gustav was terrible to our house and whatever. Even though we just got a few downed limbs in the yard.... we still have to re-assemble all the junk in our house we spent so much time putting away.

In other news, I didn't have school today, and that was pretty cool, although that does mean I haven't been to a single Biology class. I don't have them on Friday's, so my first appearance in class will be bright and early Monday morning.

I really love Bright Eyes' albums Cassadaga and I'm Wide Awake it's Morning. Also, I've been listening to the new Emmylou Harris album, All I Intended to Be. I think I'm becoming very folk/early country. Country music is derived from folk music, I believe. From early folk/gypsy music, telling about the life on the land or whatever. I may have to do some research on that.

I don't want to work on this shit in my room. Putting things back where they belong. It's kinda like how my mother said it would be: if we were prepared and got things out of the way of water (if water had gotten in the house) then nothing would happen, and that's kinda how it worked out. But now we just have to put things back the way they used to be.

The surround sound in the living room hasn't been reconnected yet.

I don't know if I mentioned it, but I got a new charger for my computer, so now I don't have to make it all ghetto with duct tape or whatever I had to do before.

Oh, my friend R gave me a really cool ashtray, although I don't smoke. It looks like an Asian pagoda or something. I'm gonna make it all shiny, take a picture and show it off eventually.

p&l
rachel

i love solitaire

I read this on the imdb.com WEEN news:

Meester Born In Jail

2 September 2008 6:29 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester was born in jail, according to scandalous new U.S. reports.

The actress' mother was serving a federal prison sentence in Texas when she gave birth, and although baby Leighton was born in a halfway house, her mum returned to prison after her daughter turned three months.

According to America's Star magazine, Meester was raised by a relative while her mother completed time for her role in an illegal drug enterprise.

The publication also claims Meester's grandfather, father and aunt were jailed for drug dealing.

Meester's publicist was unavailable for comment when WENN went to press.

Very scandalous, but not so Blair Waldorf style. Maybe in a parallel universe where Blair was actually really white trash. HA.

Anyway, I watched the season 2 premiere of Gossip Girl, and I have to say I was a little shocked about the newest references to the actual novelizations. For those of you who have read the books, and have not yet seen the episode, it's very interesting. Let's just say something very 'royal' happens for Blair.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the episode.

It's very late, and I was hoping to wake up early, but I don't think I'm going to want to....

I reluctantly began reading the 'Jacob POV' in Breaking Dawn, the final book in the Twilight Saga. I'm not a big Jacob fan, but his interactions with his tribe and the vampires, it's very emotional, I guess. His hate for the vampires, because he's a werewolf, and they're made to destroy vampires. However, Bella Swan is very attached to both Jacob and Edward, the vampire Bella's in love with. And a lot of things are going wrong and there are attacks about to happen. It's all so ... suspenceful.

I will soon post an opinion post on Snuff, since I have recently finished that book. Which reminds me I need to go to the library.

p&l
rachel