A 20-Something's Blog/POV

eh, eh, nothing else i can say

2010-08-17T22:59:00.006-05:00

I love Memoirs of a Geisha. It's a lovely movie. So well put together.

Classes start tomorrow. My roommate wants to get up at 6am and go work out. I just don't understand how someone can do that. I'm going to try.... we'll see how it works out.

Today I finished reading Pillars of the Earth. It's probably one of the best books I've ever read. Spanning 35 years, it tells of the intertwining lives of several characters, ranging from a prior of a monastery, a mostly-feral boy and his mother who join the family of Tom Builder, a mason looking for work on a cathedral, and a young woman and her brother who have been stripped of their royal titles. All happening during a civil war in the 1100's. The mini-series on Starz doesn't do it justice. The story is very compelling. The way it takes the lives of people from the 12th century and makes it sound modern, even though you can tell the places and people are very much ... not modern? I can't think of a good word to put there at the moment. (That is the worst thing about my mind. When I need a good word, I can't think of one.)

This semester, I will not have the time to read its sequel, World Without End, but I will try during the Christmas break. It's nearly as long as the first one, 900 some odd pages. However, I will have so much to read this semester coming up... so much Shakespeare, American Lit and poetry. Le sigh.

Buster had a bath today, which he disdains. I worked for seven hours making a mere 23 dollars in tips. The Waffle House here is not as good at making money than the one on the Coast. However, you'd think they would make a lot more money, because it's the only one for hours around. I guess Coasties like Waffle House a lot better than people in Northern Mississippi.

My house in Columbus is coming along well. I still have 6 boxes to unpack, and I think I'm just going to throw all the contents of them into storage things I have to put under my bed, once I get one.

Also on a list of things to-do is get my xbox fixed. It doesn't read discs anymore and I really wish it would so I could finally put my DVD player in my bedroom so I could watch TV as I fall asleep.

Sometimes I find it difficult to fall asleep, even at 2am. I don't know how to fall asleep I guess. My mind races with ideas right as I'm falling asleep, and I never write them down, hoping I'll remember them. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't. I usually just try to keep trying to sleep, keeping my eyes closed, but my mind still keeps going.

I always look to the past for things I could write about. On my extension of Hot Thibodaux, I have run out of words. I have plenty ideas for what is to happen, but I cannot put them into words. I think this is what people call writers block. I can't take Fiction Writing until next semester, and I cannot wait until that happens. I'm not very skilled in poetry, and I've never really read much of it, written it either, except for a long time ago, when it was mostly dark, emo, lame things when I was a teenager and was angry at the world. Things have changed drastically since then. Who knows, perhaps my poetry will still be dark and whatever, but it won't be emo and lame.

Once, in high school, someone said I was the definition of emo, but honestly, the only thing emo about me was that I listened to the music. I was depressed, of course, but I wasn't cutting my wrists or other parts of my body. Doing things to physically hurt myself. That is pretty much pathetic.

I can't think of any time in my life where I've wanted to hurt myself. I found a letter I wrote to my parents a long time ago about how I wanted to hurt myself, and I'm sure at the time I did. Teenagers always feel like the world is against them and they can't do anything about it, and the best way out is pain, or death. Truthfully, life after being a teenager is the best thing in the world. So far, I've enjoyed every minute of it. I'm not the person I used to be, that's for sure.

In high school, I was not outgoing, social or anything. I was self-conscious and felt that I wasn't good enough. Now, I'm none of those things. Maybe still a little self-conscious, but really, who isn't? (Even though, the "popular" kids in my high school said that if I had only talked more I'd have been more "popular." I'm very, very glad that I was not popular in high school, because I feel like it gave me the perspective of life that I have now. I was even invited to a girl's end-of-the-year pool party, but I did not go because there was no one there I would know.)

Perhaps I should write a satire of teenage existence, but it would probably end up being too cliche and melodramatic.

I don't know what else to say.

p&l
rachel

optimum tragectory

2010-08-10T20:23:00.002-05:00

Where does my destiny lie?

I'm watching The Men Who Stare at Goats. I enjoy this movie. Jedis, goats, what more could you ask for?

In less than a week a lot of things will have happened: my best friend will be married, school will be going on and I'll have a new roommate. Someone I have never met, but I think we'll get along just fine.

I've been decorating the house, getting myself ready to start sleeping in the back room, even though I don't have a mattress yet. Sleeping on air mattresses isn't so bad, I guess.

There are still so many boxes to unpack. I'll have to do it all again in a few years. Pack and move. Pack and move. I wonder how many times I'm going to do it before I feel like I can settle down.

I'm hungry, but I don't know if I want the leftovers from last night's dinner. I wonder how much one pizza from Dominoes could be....

The train choo-choo's in the distance and I sit here wondering what can I do to make tomorrow interesting?

p&l
rachel

It's been too long...

2010-08-02T23:53:00.004-05:00

since I've last blogged. Too much has been happening.

I have a lot of free time now, I guess I should do it more often. I need to be writing more often anyway.

As for my writing career, I have progressed a bit.

I live in Columbus, Mississippi now. I got 5 grand in scholarships to the school here, which is awesome. 4 grand of it is for my writing. Not bad at all.

My short story Hot Thibodaux has gotten pretty rave reviews from a lot of ... English teachers.

I won an award for it from the community college I went to last semester.

I was published in said community college annual literary journal. I think that's me doing pretty well for myself, right? Publication and scholarships. I'm on my way to the big top. Ca-ching.

However, life in Columbus is pretty lonely. I don't have a roommate. It's just me and Buster.

I have a few friends, but they live in the next town over. Also, I have my co-workers, but they're co-workers.

I really love the house I'm living in though. There's a ghost cat, and it has made its presence known. I have witnesses, Lindsey and Lexi have both seen it in action.

At the moment, I work a lot and don't do any house work. I've done a little writing, but I need to do more. I do a lot of reading though, and that should count. I'm at least broadening my horizons.

As for the Fall semester here at the W, my classes should help me flourish:

Poetry Writing Workshop (I'm not very good at poetry, hopefully this will help)
Shakespeare (early works I think)
College Algebra (I'm not too excited about this one)
Yoga (I am excited about this one)
American Lit 1 (Even though I took World Lit 1 and 2, I have to take another survey course)

My future is bright, my tail is bushy. I need to start submitting Hot Thibodaux to more literary journals other than the one it was published in, which doesn't count, because it doesn't have a circulation over 100, I'm sure.

Tomorrow is my first day off in seven days. I have to pay my first electric and water bill. Being an adult is not all it's cracked up to be....

HOWEVER, what I really should be talking about is the ending of LOST. But I really can't until I see the whole last season again. I need to be well educated in it's brilliance before I can make any accusations of any sort.

The box set will be coming out this month. 150 on pre-order on amazon.com. I really need to buy it once I get my tuition refund money if that ever happens.

I am now the proud owner of all three season of Veronica Mars. I don't have to rent it from the library anymore. Even though the Columbus library doesn't have a great selection of DVDs to choose from.

I'm still working at Waffle House. It's nothing special. And it's pretty much the same where ever you go. A WaHo is the same in every city, every state. The people have the same problems, the same complaints. The same whatever.

I really need to just write a sitcom. Or a Grey's Anatomy type show about a Waffle House-esque diner. I just need to come up with loveable characters. That's the problem..... to stereotype or not to stereotype. Cliche or not to cliche? That is the question.

p&l
rachel

realizations...

2010-04-05T03:05:00.005-05:00

I realize from my last post that it has almost been another year since my last post.

It's such a shame that something so much as Waffle House can keep me from doing something daily that I should be doing.

However, mostly what I would be writing woud be the same thing every day. Monotonous activities that would bore even the most exictable of children. Le sigh.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm unhappy with my present life, which is why I must be accepted to MUW. A change of scenery is long overdue. Also, I need like-minded folks.

as the waffle burns.....

2010-04-05T02:53:00.005-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about life recently. And a lot about death.

Death is unexpected even when you know it's coming. You're just never ready for it to happen. The person who had always been there, somewhere, is now gone. It's a strange feeling.

Then you begin to think of the deaths of those who are closest to you and how it will effect you, because you know those who are closest to you are going to die probably sooner than you are. Unless there is a freak accident. (But we all know that Big Mama would take care of Buster if anything ever happened to me.)

I recently won 1st place in a writing contest for MGCCC, short story catergory. I get to read an exerpt from my story and receieve an award. I'm very excited about it all.

I've been forcing all my regular customers at work to read my story. They all ask to read the story, and complain when someone else has read the story and they haven't even been ASKED to read the story. It's sometimes shocking just how much your attention matters to some people. I mean that in a good way. Customer satisfaction, I guess. Working at Waffle House during 2nd shift, 85% of your customers are going to be regulars. Pretty much. Getting to know your customers just happens.

I can't decide if I want to post a copy of my (award-winning) story on my blog or not. Considering i haven't really posted on this thing in ages, I'm not sure what good it would do. I'm sure I've lost my readers. If I had any to begin with.

Perhaps a new era is in the making.

I have been working on a lot of new stories.

Who knows.

p&l
rachel

OH! PS: I'm currently watching FIREFLY on netflix instant on my xbox. wut wut. i luv joss whedon

revenge of the sith or return of the jedi.....

2009-04-14T11:03:00.004-05:00

It seems as if blogging has become a thing of the past for me. I used to do it constantly, and now here I am, months after my last post, and I can't really think of anything to write.

Well, a year ago to this date, I posted a blog about Sarah Michelle Gellar's birthday. Which... it is her birthday again today.

I acquired a new power adapter cord for my computer, and I'm going to take super good care of this one, so it doesn't fall apart like all my previous cords.

But, I found a job. That's been taking up a lot of my time recently. Learning the call system for Waffle House is kinda tough, but I think I've got it down somewhat.

The tornado that hit our house has left Buster terrified. The tarp over my window rustles in the wind and scares him. He can't sleep in my room sometimes, it's the epitome of pitiful.

I skipped class today, but I really didn't want to watch The Seven Samurai again... even though I will have to see the end on Thursday, but at least we'll start something new.

As far as television goes: they need to play episodes consecutively, not skipping weeks (or months) as time goes on. We're not in a writer's strike anymore, people. Lets keep the shows on the roll.

Lost has been coming on every week and I watch religiously. Gossip Girl, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, however, have been on hiatus for a few weeks and it's driving me CRAZY.

There is a movie that EVERYONE I know needs to see. It's called Repo! The Genetic Opera. It's about the future and how people go through massive organ failures. A company develops a way to give people organ financing and then organ repossessions become legal. Anthony Stewart Head, Giles from Buffy, is in it. Along with Paris Hilton and Alexa Vega, that girl from the Spy Kids movies. It's a wonderfully told story and the music is amazing - did I mention it was a musical? - but everything about it is absolutely amazing. I downloaded the soundtrack immediately and now I listen to it almost every day.

I own it now... so I'm pretty happy.

A new show I've been introduced to is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It's hilarious. I LOVE that show. I wish I could see season 4 episodes, but they were removed from Hulu.

Anyway... I've been watching Freaks and Geeks most recently. I watched it back in the day, but re-watching it makes me realize a whole lot more about it. Especially after seeing other movies produced by Judd Apatow. I didn't realize Seth Rogen was in that show until I started watching it last night. But I did remember Jason Segel, only because I've always loved him. And Linda Cardelini (or whatever). She was really funny in Grandma's Boy and the main character from that movie (I forget his name) was in F's and G's selling Sam Weir and his friends non-alcoholic beer in the second episode. Kick ass.

However, I feel a little like I'm going through V.Mars withdrawls. I need to see one of the seasons like ... stat. I'm not sure which one I haven't seen the most yet though. Probably season 3.

Who knows what will be in store for me in the future. More blogging? More V.Mars? More Lost? Oh God I love Lost. I LOVE LOST!

dios mio.

2009-01-19T01:43:00.003-06:00

I guess it's time for a new blog. We're kind of well into the new year now, and all seems pretty normal...

Even still... the new year is in fact underway, I haven't gotten around to fulfilling my resolutions. Oh well, there are still 11 and a half more months left in the year to get to them.

However, I have started my new semester of classes at JC. They're pretty fun, I'd have to say. My 'Film as Lit' class is mainly just watching movies. We've watched two so far: M and Fargo.

Intro to Criminal Justice is taught by the Jackson County DA. He's really funny. I will just have to show up to class on time this week. :/ I was 5 minutes late. I'm sorry, I had to eat dinner.

Today, the 19th, starts my online classes. I've checked them out and thus far, I think it's going to be a little stressful perhaps to study online. I might have to write things down still. I might have to get more notebooks. BTW, my online classes are the New Testament Survey and General Biology I.

I've been doing nothing but watching lots and lots of TV and reading lots and lots of books. Mainly the Sookie Stackhouse series, but it's still been a lot of reading. 8 books! I've also picked up Howl's Moving Castle. I can't say that I've done anything note-worthy... so I'm gonna be keeping the blogs short this time around.

Currently, I'm watching Heroes Season 2. I sure do enjoy Heroes. I just completed Lost Sesason 2. I'm about to go to the library in a few days and pick up Season 3. Even though the premiere for Season 5 is this Wednesday (I can't WAIT!), I'm gonna keep refreshing my memory. I kinda dislike Season 3 the most out of all the seasons of Lost until now. I enjoy the plot a lot more now than I did during that season. Them being held by the others, I guess that's what I didn't like.

Whatever. It's kinda late, so I think I'm gonna hit they hay.

p&l
rachel

an old chronicle

2008-12-23T00:10:00.004-06:00

I began reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy this evening. It's a tale of a man and his son, traveling across an ashy, barren America, years after a tragic cataclysm blighted the country. So far, it's been quite an obscure tale, obviously. The characters have no names and are only called The Man and The Boy. There is a movie in production, set to release next year.

McCarthy also wrote All The Pretty Horses and No Country For Old Men, both of which were adapted into films.

The Road, thus far, seems to be a tale of death and desperation. Perhaps atonement. The "sins of the father" could be represented as well, the "father" being America as a whole. How McCarthy sees the future of America by the nation's faults and wrongdoings.

I'm not sure how it will affect me after I'm finished. It's already making me think of things to come: the future is a constant and inconstant phenomenon; a concept one cannot truly grasp.

To think of the future, one can be optimistic or melancholy. McCarthy is a latter thinker.

I also think this story will make me very depressed, but I shall continue to read anyway. Perhaps it is not a story to read in times of merriment, such as the Christmas holiday.

p&l rachel

sookie is MINE

2008-12-22T01:34:00.003-06:00

I finished Dead Until Dark this evening, and I have to say, I'm really impressed with several things. One, how HBO took one almost 400-page book and turned it into a 12 episode season. Another thing is how Charlaine Harris can weave a story, and her imagination! I'm sure I could have come up with something similar, had I the thought process she had.

I also purchased the second novel, Living Dead in Dallas, today. It starts out like the HBO season ended - with a dead body in Andy Bellefleur's back seat. Now, I'm really sad this person is actually dead, because I really, really liked him. In the show he's a much more prominent character, but in the books, he seems more of a background character.

I'm also a little curious why in the books there's no Tara, and she's only been mentioned once, and not by name. Tara was Lafayette's cousin (Lafayette being the dead body in the backseat). Very unfortunate stuff, the death of Lafayette. I wonder if this book will be the premise of the second season. They did embellish a lot in the first season, while going along with the first book, but it worked out well in the end. But Tara is supposed to be Sookie's best friend. Sookie had no friends in Dead Until Dark, which is weird, since Sookie had lived in Bon Temps her whole life. Arlene couldn't have been her only friend.

So many questions, so little time. I wish Charlaine would continue to write the Sookie Stackhouse books, but I think she's done with them. Alas.

p&l
rachel

i wanna be your bootlegger, i wanna mix you up somethin' strange

2008-12-18T00:52:00.008-06:00

I've fallen in love all over again with ... well, technically True Blood, but I've been reading the books the series is based on, and it's just magnificent to another degree now.

Dead Until Dark, the first novel, is absolutely intriguing. Bill Compton is not only less human, but a more sexual character. Sookie and Bill have sex in almost every chapter, since the first time they made love after Sookie's grandmother was killed. The intimate scenes are very powerful, in dialogue and in detail.

Eric, the sheriff of "area 5" is more kind to Sookie than he is in the series. That is more comforting than every vampire except Bill being courteous to Sookie.

Another thing about the book is that half the series has already happened in the first novel. It's amazing, realizing that I'm going to get to experience more than just what I saw on HBO. I wonder how true to the books the HBO series is... it's been pretty identical thus far in my reading. It has sparked a new interest in wanting to watch the series again.

Although the books are rather ... trashy in the sexual department... the book is written in a way that it's very easy to read. It's a wonderful read, though, don't think that since it's easy to read that it's lacking depth... quite the contrary... Sookie is much deeper in the book than she is in the series. The characters, both in the book and the series, are similar. Strong willed, modest (but not with Bill, sometimes), and vocal on her opinions.

I'm almost done with the first book, and I'm third in line to get the second one, Living Dead in Dallas. Something else I question is when Tara is going to make her appearance. Lafayette Reynold has already been in quite a few scenes, and is as flamboyant as he is in the series.

I'm actually quite surprised at how much of the series is in the first novelization. It makes me anxious to read the rest of the series, hoping to find out spoilers for next season's excitement...

But.. enough about Sookie Stackhouse. Let's talk about my Woodwose's.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about it. I've decided that they grew up as slightly "feral children" in the wilderness of the Olympic National Park (which is beautiful, btw, I looked at pictures on Google). Perhaps either they all get anxious about the impending evil coming to destroy Earth and finally integrate themselves into human society (in Seattle), or only one of them gets bored and intolerable of the others and runs off to find something more exciting. I can't decide.

I also can't decide how to actually start it. I mean, the prologue is a prologue. It doesn't actually tie in to the story, it's just like a "Starter Guide" on how the Woodwose's actually work. In the story, however, there will be more information on how they were actually created and what purpose they serve for Earth. They're kind of like aliens, but were born/spawned/created on the planet Earth. I think that once they do integrate themselves in with humans, they will do something environmental like start some volunteer program, or join one, so that there is human contact, also since they don't have social security numbers, last names, or real birthdays, parents, etc.

Something I was thinking about earlier... how I said that wizards were popular first, before vampires... well, Robert Pattinson (Edward in the film version of Twilight), was Cedric Diggory in the film version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (which I have put on hold at the library, just so I can watch him and pay attention to him this time).

Anyways... I'm completely done with school for the Fall semester 2008. No more class until January 7th. My online classes don't start until Jan. 19th, which is a plus; it's also the week that Lost returns. Whoopee!

Another Whoopee: I read that Desperate Housewives has been extended through season NINE. That is quite exciting, do you not agree?

I hope to get my final grades soon. I was exempt from my World Civ 2 final, with a final average of 90 (an A), which was amazing. Today, I took my last two finals: Biology and World Civ 1. I made a 88 on my Bio lab final, which makes me very happy. I'm positive I made an A in my World Lit 2 class, since I made a 100+ on every test we did in class, and a 99 on the research paper I did on "Religious Undertones in the Short Fiction of Flannery O'Connor." I'm quite the genius, if you didn't know already.

p&l
rachel

i've found it

2008-12-15T20:08:00.006-06:00

I've been searching for a creature that can become the next biggest thing. First, there were wizards with Harry Potter... now it's vampires with True Blood and the Twilight saga. I read an article about how in 2009 they're going to try to bring the werewolf into the limelight.

Now, it's a little sketchy on if people will connect to this storyline. My creature is called the Woodwose. They first appeared in the artwork and literature of medieval Europe. They are seen as a link between civilized humans and the dangerous elf-like spirits of natural woodlands. Physically, they're supposed to be very hairy and feral.

However, in my story, the "woodwose" are regular people. There are five of them, each coming from a different aspect of the elements - earth, air, fire, water and spirit. They have powers relevant to the element they came from. The idea of these people just being born from the elements is very enticing to me. The conflict is this force that is coming to Earth to destroy everything. They were born to stop it from happening. Very environmental it will be.

Now... my problem is the setting. Where will it be? How old are these characters and what stage of their life are they in? Too too many things to think about. We shall see how it turns out.

I've written the prologue, (in Stephenie Meyer style) and I'll post it here:

Myths aren’t actually myths – they’re real. There are five of us, and we were all spawned from the earth and its other elements: air, water, fire and spirit. Each of us has powers relevant to where we came from. We were generated with all the knowledge of our beings, the history of the Earth, and our task at hand. Something is coming to destroy this planet, and we were created to stop it from doing so. There are lots of names for what we are, but you can call us the WoodWose.

p&l
rachel

ps - i love buster

2008-12-14T22:41:00.002-06:00

Ah, so recently, I've been thinking a lot about the past. How naive I was. Well, I've also been watching some tapes my friends and I made the summer after we graduated from high school. Almost four years ago.

It's weird to think back, look back and remember how the people who used to be important to you at one point just vanish from your life in all aspects. Best friends who've lost contact. Exes who are too proud to actually be friends.

So many people love looking back on these things, and it's very refreshing to see these moments of your life relived in front of you. Seeing these things remind me about how these moments were important in the process of becoming who I am. It shows me how far I've come in these past four years in personality, morality and vitality. HAHA, just kidding really, but who knows how far I've really come. Oh, well, I know I've come far since freshman year of college. That year was a real rough and tumble year for me. Even though those are some of the best moments I've ever had.

Another thing that reminds me of the past is my sister. She just turned 14 and she had this huge birthday party. My birthday parties were never that extravagant. My sister and I are completely different people though. She's always been so much more out going than I was in grade school. Thinking about it, if I had been that extroverted, then I might have had more friends, but I might not have turned out the way I am now.

Who knows. It's like a "What if?" scenario.

p&l
rachel

what did max mean when he said he'd see me at school?

2008-12-07T19:21:00.005-06:00

**Note: I’m writing this while our internet is on the fritz, so it might be a little lengthy before we get it all sorted out**

Like I mentioned, I’ve been watching Heroes, season one, and I’ve seen a few plot hole connections in the third season. In the latest episode, Hiro and Ando are in that Texas comic book store. There have apparently been several more Isaac Mendez since his death almost a year ago, and in episode “.07%” Isaac says that the “last” comic about Hiro was the one where he went to the future.

First of all, how did Isaac Mendez write so many comics about Hiro already, when in reality the first time Hro really time travels it’s when he goes to NYC for the first time, the first real view of the “bomb?” It’s just a tiny plot hole, I guess I can let it slide…. I know I’ve had a plot hole or two in my day. But this is an epic show, and I will not say any more negative things about it.

I also started writing a new short story. I’m still a little unsure of how things are going to work out for my character, but I know the path she’s going to go in. How things are going to happen, but I don’t know how everything is going to end up yet. What kind of epiphany she will have, or what the “resolution of the conflict” will be. I do know the conflict though, which is usually my biggest problem (haha).

I’m really craving some pie a la mode. I’m not sure what kind of pie I want though. I could try some peach pie. Cherry pie. Apple pie. Those kinds of pies. I wish we had a diner that served pies, or a place like Big Pattie’s Pie House like on True Blood. I bet they’d serve their pies with ice cream. Yum.

We did a “group presentation” in World Civ 1. It was just like going back to high school. Only, the topic was slightly scholarly: a what if kind of situation for history: What if the Black Plague never reached Europe in the 14th century? It was rather interesting when I finally got around to really reading about it. I think we did a pretty good job with our class presentation though, I hope.

I realized while re-reading what I wrote for this blog, that I pretty much summarize the rambling I do. Each paragraph is pretty uniform and similar. I don't know how I do that or how it actually takes form that way.... It's just strange all-in-all.

I've been watching season one of Roswell. I forgot how wonderful it was, all those years ago, when I was still in middle school. 8th grade I think.... I finished Heroes, and now I'm almost done with Roswell. I have to go to the library tomorrow and get my blocked status taken care of so I can put seasons two and three on hold (of Roswell). I also need to put season two of Heroes on hold.

Our internet is working now, for the most part.

p&l
rachel

new spring 2009 schedule

2008-12-07T16:19:00.003-06:00

No classes Monday or Friday.

Film as literature: Tuesday/Thursday
Theatre Production: Tuesday/ Thursday
Intro to Criminal Investigations: Wednesday night

Two online classes:
General Bio 1
New Testament Survey

Total hours: 14

This looks like more fun than my schedule before.

i can't really explain it, i heard the little girl whispering... -matt parkman

2008-12-02T23:20:00.003-06:00

I'm watching season one of Heroes, and I'm reminded why this show is definitely worth watching.

It's so epic, even in the third episode. Hiro persuades Ando into going with him on the journey. He's like "So you'll come with me?" expecting Ando to drop everything at Yamagata Industries and go with Hiro on the epic quest to save the world. Then, save the cheerleader, save the world.

Mr. Sylar. Mohinder's Indian accent more prominent in the first episode than in any other episode. He sounds Indian-British mixture. Not as Indian as he started out in episode uno.

Also, Claire's Texan accent is pretty good, and keeps its swagger at the right times, and constantly. Ahem, Mohinder. Everyone in the "Texas" segment of the first season have decent accents, and keep it up. I guess Mohinder still has an "accent" but it just doesn't sound as Indian as before.

Whatev "Mohinder's accent."

Sylar (Gabriel Gray) has so many books in his apartment in episode three. Mohinder and Eden are checking it out, and they find the secret room with the map with "dozens more" ropes than Monhinder's father's map. FORGIVE ME! Chandra Suresh.

Parkman just saved Molly Walker. Sylar's getting away.

So epic. So wonderful season one is. I just love it so much.

It's probably the number one season of tv shows I've ever watched. My most favorite.

I don't really want to compose a list of my favorite first seasons right now, so I'm just gonna have to figure one out eventually.

Simone Deveaux, not shot dead yet.

p&l
rachel

bs

2008-12-01T20:41:00.003-06:00

Why is Christmas the only time of year, other than birthdays, that we give gifts to people we care about? Why can't we just keep giving gifts all year round?

I think when I have my own family, we're not going to do Christmas. We'll give gifts constantly. Perhaps if people gave more than they took, people would be happier, generally. Probably not completely happy, but it would be something to look forward to all the time rather than in June or July waiting for months for gifts to look forward to.

I just feel like it's such a crock. Christmas. Who knows what I'm actually talking about.

p&l
rachel

what not to name your baby: batman

2008-11-30T21:56:00.004-06:00

My legs have been itching so much today. I think it's the slight drop in humidity, and it makes me wonder if m y legs will always be dry in decreased humidity. Maybe I shouldn't think about that and just keep a hefty bottle of lotion around, just in case.

Well, the holidays have come and gone. Well, the second holiday has yet to come, Christmas that is, and hopefully that holiday will last much longer than this one did. Although I did get to see L and X, L more often than X, it was a wonderful, wonderful reunion.

Television has been pretty hectic as well. The last episode of Gossip Girl was full of Thanksgiving havoc. Serena wore an extremely short dress while trying to prove that she isn't a "bad girl" anymore to her saintly bf, Aaron Rose. Blair also got a wonderful surprise, her father came to visit, and he made his traditional Thanksgiving pie. I don't remember the kind it was.

I'm terribly sad that True Blood has ended and won't return until next summer. I suppose June isn't that far away.....

I really need to get my Christmas list done. If I don't say what I want, I won't get it. That's how it always works. So I need to get at least one thing in my mind straightened out right now and figure out what I want for the giving holiday.

Rachel's X-Mas List:

A new TV
A properly working vehicle
Fable 2 (xbox 360)
Infinite Undiscovery (xbox 360)
The Last Remnant (xbox 360)
Buffy Series DVD Collection
6 months Xbox Live!
Penelope (DVD)
Clothes (I'll live with gift cards)
Books (gift cards still good here)

I can never decide what a good limit of things I want is. Am I asking for too much? Too little? I know my mom already got me some boots (x2).

This week's episode of Dexter has come on, I should probably pay attention.

p&l
rachel

sometimes my arms bend back

2008-11-25T00:00:00.004-06:00

I'm watching Twin Peaks. I don't remember the first time I watched it, but this is very crazy. But I expect no less from David Lynch.

The season finale of True Blood was extremely spectacular. I didn't expect Bill to just go into the sun like that. I admit, I started the season thinking that Sam Merlotte was the killer, but I was wrong... and Rene - of all people - was the killer. I guess it's always like that.

Now I just have to read the books to see what HBO added into the plots and what they had taken away. I took a peek into the third book of the Sookie Stackhouse novel series, and it doesn't have a lot of the show's character names. Strange. We'll see how it goes when I get the first book.

Well, Thanksgiving is in a few days, which I'm 'thankful' for; the food, the friends and the time away from school. I'm not going to have that much time away from school. I have a paper to write for World Civ 1. I haven't even read the article I'm supposed to write the response for.

I need to also finish reading Roman Fever, by Edith Wharton for World Lit 2. I have to write Reader Responses for that and Babylon, Revisited by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have ejoyed the both of them, but I'm just not into the whole Modern Realism thing, I guess.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for me until the holiday. I'm not looking forward to taking notes tomorrow. There's probably going to be a lot of notes. Ugh. Apparently, we're going to have a test in World Civ 2 the Tuesday I return from the holiday. So, that means I'll have a test to study for AND that paper to write. It's a 2 page, double-spaced paper, so it will be quite easy to dispose of. Sheesh, I have two papers to write, but the second one isn't due until the week after the week after the holiday.

My computer is fixed, hopefully completely... I think I still need a new battery though. My mother left a note on the table saying that I need to make my "wish list." This is going to be a little difficult trying to figure out the most important things I'm going to want for the giving holiday.

p&l
rachel

yoville apt update

2008-11-20T20:59:00.002-06:00

I added a few new things, also updated my YoVille-person's look.

Check it:p&l
rachel

2008-11-19T17:36:00.003-06:00

This is my YoVillian's apartment on YoVille on MySpace.

Everyone should join. It's a lot of fun. Like the Sims.

p&l
rachel

50% off boots and otter wear

2008-11-17T18:45:00.002-06:00

Buster and I are sitting in the kitchen, posting this blog, since my computer no longer keeps charge. I called Apple today, and my computer cannot be called in for free technical service.

So I have to either go to my closest Apple Retail store (Metarie, LA) or call the support line and pay 49.99. BULL.

Whatever. I will get my computer fixed somehow.

Nothing much has happened of any particular significance. My bff ladies are coming home this weekend for Thanksgiving. This makes me very, very happy.

Thursday, Conor Oberst will be playing a show in New Orleans, and perhaps, if I go to the concert, I could bring my computer to the Apple store. I really hope we do go to the concert, since it will be awesome and whatnot.

UGH. I can't think of anything to really write about. There are lots of shows to talk about: Dexter, Desperate Housewives, True Blood, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy (the latter two I haven't seen yet). Oh yes, and Eleventh Hour, which I also have not seen yet.

However, I can tell you that the first three shows were very watch-worthy. Mmm, only the season finale of True Blood left, which the last episode left me with a little relief knowing that I was right about Rene. He is NOT the sweet Cajun guy everyone thought he was. He is a killer. Unless he can come up with a justified reason for why he disappeared after his sister was murdered.

Gossip Girl is coming on soon, so I gotta go get ready.

p&l
rachel

honest to blog

2008-11-12T22:04:00.008-06:00

I'm watching Juno. My computer is probably on its way out, so this will be a short post.

Tomorrow, I really need to call the Apple people so I can finally get all this over with and get it fixed.

I read the first chapter of Twilight again. I forget how innocent Bella Swan is in the beginning. She's so intent on not being happy in Forks, WA. It's a little cliche, which I remember the first book of the series being. The way Stephenie Meyer writes is right for the tone though. It's told from the POV of a 16 year old girl. It sounds like it's a 16 year old girl. So I guess it fits. It's just right.

I finished a short story. It's not my first, but it makes me so happy that I finished it. It needs a little work. The ending isn't really obvious yet. I had my intentions, but they are not clear, I guess is what I mean. 'The Scouting Isle.' I would post it on here, but ... it's too long. And incomplete.

How many drafts will author go through with one short story? Many, many, many. That is what I know. I wonder how many drafts Chekhov went through to finish The Lady with the Dog.

Jason Bateman is getting fresh with a 16 year old girl on Juno right now.

I can't say enough how much I love Michael Cera. So beautiful he is. Almost as beautiful as Buster. I want to see more movies with him in it. Not the younger, awkward Michael Cera, but the now wonderful Michael Cera.

Why is it with actors it would feel weird just calling Angelina Jolie just Angelina. Or Al Pacino just Al. Edward Norton... calling him just Ed, or Edward. All connotations of the name Edward. It just seems weird.

Jennifer Garner's character wants to be a mom so badly.

BTW: I did, in fact, make a 100 on my World Civ 1 test. GO ME!

p&l
rachel

i wanna do real bad things with you

2008-11-11T22:34:00.007-06:00

Tuesdays. The night of my World Lit 2 class.

Tonight we had our first test. Yesterday, I had a test in World Civ 1 and I'm pretty sure I ACED it. Like seriously, a 100. I think it might be my first college test where I made a perfect score. But we'll find out tomorrow when we get them back.

Tomorrow.... ugh, tomorrow I have a Biology test. I'm pretty sure I'm ready for it, cause Genetics is a pretty easy chapter. Punnet Squares are fun. I should probably do some more of those just in case. I got some extra word problems yesterday at the "learning lab" on campus. That thing is quite useful. We get print outs for free (up to 25 pages). We get tutoring, free computer programs (not that I can use them on my Mac) and other things like that. It's pretty interesting. I've used it several times this semester.

This Saturday is the all-day World Lit 2 class. We'll be going into detail about The Metamorphosis which we just read for this class. We also read Anton Chekhov's "The Lady with the Dog" which I found to be quite profoundly wonderful after we analyzed it. Looking into books, short stories, plays and stuff like that is very interesting.

As for what I've been trying to get to: television. Sunday and Monday were good nights for tv.

Sunday night:

First of all, Desperate Housewives. As Edie said in the commercial that came before it: It's possibly the juiciest episode yet! Lots of things are revealed, such as Porter's affair with an older, married woman. Lynette attacking that woman is a good scene. Dave's shrink will be making an appearance in the next episode, I'm hoping, since he was booking a flight to Fairview at the end of this past episode. I can't wait to find out Dave's secret, although I still think Mike killed his brother in prison. Speaking of Mike, him and Katherine?! That is something that was very unexpected.

On Dexter, Miguel tries to talk Dexter into killing a defense attorney. Dexter's code makes him say no though, and Miguel respects him for it later. Dexter does help out a friend by giving her what she wants: the perfect key lime pie. This pie had a kick to it though, just the kick she needed to kick the bucket. Oh, Camilla. You did ask him to help you though. I'm happy to see that Deb is getting her groove on with the CI, Anton (not Chekhov). She also finds a new lead on the skinner case, which is a plus for the investigation, and towards Deb getting her shield.

True Blood. Always a surprise while watching this show. Exorcisms, vampire tribunals, shape shifters. So many things happen in this episode that prove the show to be "other worldly" (in more ways than one). I don't understand why Sookie was so pissed at Sam for keeping a huge secret like being a shape shifter. She does kinda overreact a little too much. I feel for Sam. I know now that he is not the killer, even though I did feel like he was when the show first started. Lafayette made me laugh in that scene with the suited man. Only two more episodes left now, and I'm definitely biting my fingernails.

Monday night:

I was very happy for the return of Heroes last night. A flashback episode. We see that Elle met Sylar over a year ago, before he really started killing people. She stopped him from committing suicide while working with Noah for the Company. We see how the series began with the addition of Arthur Petrelli and his incorporation with Linderman, Nathan and the court case. Peter's graduation party Arthur doesn't come to. We find out how Arthur got where he was, but not how he got involved with Pinehurst Biotechnical labs (or whatever it's called).

Gossip Girl was as wonderful as ever, this time turning more into the books than I imagined. Although we did see the addition of Aaron Rose (but no Mookie yet?) to the cast, so I shouldn't be surprised that Cyrus Rose made an appearance as well. Not exactly how I pictured him in the books. Blair does what she does best and goes behind her mother's back to try to sabotage her happiness (not intentionally, but just to prove she was wrong about Cyrus), but it backfires when Cyrus is two steps ahead of her. A grand appearance from Cyndi Lauper as a guest at Blair's birthday party. This season has been quite true to the latter books of the Gossip Girl novels. Blair kissing her Yale interviewer, Nate and Jenny (for like a NY-minute, just like in the books). But, watching the preview for next weeks episode, I'm really hoping we're not seeing the end of Nate Archibald. That would be quite tragic. He and Jenny should stay together. I did enjoy them together, in the novels and in the show. Chace Crawford is like 23, and Taylor Momsen is 15/16 I think. Is that legal?

For World Lit 2, I have to read some James Joyce and Virginia Woolf before next Tuesday. I think we're having a test next class, too. It's quite true, after checking my iCal.

I registered for my Spring 2009 classes today. I think I'm taking 6 classes. It's going to be fun. Here's my schedule for next semester:

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays:
American Government 9-9:53
Principles of Biology II (TBA)
Intro to Criminal Investigations 6pm-9pm

Tuesdays and Thursdays:
Film as Literature 9:30-10:50
Theatre Production 1 (1st 9 wks only) 12:20-12:50.

Online class:
New Testament Survey

I think it will be a lot of fun.

p&l
rachel

the times, they are a-changin'

2008-11-04T23:06:00.009-06:00

Election Day. I voted. I'm gonna save my sticker, cause I feel (at 11:06pm) that we're gonna have a historical moment on our hands. Gobama!

I'm watching True Blood. Just in case you were wondering what I was watching. I always say what I'm watching anyway.

Gossip Girl last night was tremendous, as they often are. Chuck refers to himself as a thoroughbred horse. Serena encounters Aaron Rose again (still no Mookie?). Blair finally gets into Yale for REAL. Nate and Jenny get a little kissy-kissy that makes Vanessa jealous. Dan writes that story on "Charlie Trout." The littlest Humphrey child goes vagabond after a very successful guerrilla fashion show during an award ceremony for Bart and Lilly (former van der Woodsen) Bass.

Oh, Josh Schwartz, I do enjoy your productions. He did create The O.C.; and I'm gonna keep saying these things cause I don't know if you people actually retain the knowledge I spit out here.

Alexander Skarsgard is awesome in True Blood. The ancient vampire, Eric. The once Viking, Eric. He's so empowering, but he's so asexual, but I bet women are drawn to his beauty. Alexander himself has been voted "sexiest man in Scandinavia" for 5 years straight.

I skipped bio lab on Monday, so I'm gonna have to ask what the lab was on and perhaps make it up. We have lecture tomorrow... more sexual reproduction, and genes and whatever. Punnet squares. Rr, rr, RR oh the possibilities. Damn, we have a worksheet we're supposed to do, and be able to do for our test, I think.

Today, I read that Erica Hahn won't be on Grey's Anatomy anymore. WTF is up with that? No more Erica and Callie? Callie and McSteamy are gonna hook up then. Cause it just works that way, with Erica gone anyway.

p&l rachel

election day tomorrow!

2008-11-03T15:37:00.004-06:00

I love, love, love the Yahoo Political Dashboard. It's fun. The graphs are all very neat and whatever. Check out Florida. That's the rate I want the rest of the red states to go.

Today I realized I still had green hair (dye/spray) stuff on my scalp. I really need to take a shower to get rid of it. I mean, it's not like I haven't showered twice already, plus washing my hair twice the day after Halloween, but apparently I missed something.

As for Halloween, it was productive, and fun. I didn't get any pictures - oh well. My computer has been acting up lately as well. I need to call the Apple people and ask them what it is I can do to get it fixed. Damn computers. (Although I do love mine) <3

Last night's television spotlight is on True Blood. There are only three episodes left, and the tension is growing sporadically. Questions are on everyone's minds: Who's the killer? Wtf is Sam Merlotte a dog? We can't wait for the next installment to find out why exactly Sam woke up naked on Sookie's bed. I mean, it's a little obvious, but ... something else could be awry.

As for the books, I haven't been able to get my hands on them yet. I owe the library $1.60, plus the first few books in the series are not even on the shelves. I'm sure they're on hold and once I get all that taken care of, I'll be like 50th in line for the first novel. I'd be better off going to Borders or whatever and getting them. I do have a Borders book card after all. Oh yes, and the author's name is CharLAINE Harris. Not Charlene. My b.

Dexter was spectacular as well. Miguel showing Dexter he wants to be a part of this vigiliante duo is really crazy. Dexter has a baby on the way! But who knows what Miguel will decide to do in the future. We're only 6 episodes into this season, with 6 more to go.

Desperate Housewives, oh, how truly I love thee. However, Lynette is really getting on my nerves lately. She jumps to waaaaay to many conclusions, even if they do appear to be wrongly viewed. Dave, Edie's husband, admitted that he had a brother who was killed in prison. I'm thinking that Mike Delfino probably killed Dave's brother in prison when Mike was serving time (5 years) for his first murder, of a crooked cop. We all know that Orson also served time (3 years) in prison, but Orson isn't one to kill, even if it is self defense. He did run Mike over that one time, which is why he went to prison in the first place, but .... come on. Orson isn't a killer. There aren't that many other people that Dave would want to hurt in the community of Wisteria Lane. It's mostly women, and we all know that women and men do not mix in the prison system. They have seperate prisons for that.

Anyway, besides Dave and his possible vendetta against Mike, Carlos and Gabbi are doing alright. Frances Conroy (best known as Ruth in Six Feet Under) made an appearance as a wealtlhy woman with an itch only Carlos can scratch, now that he's a masseur. She's ready to spend lots of cash on his hands and Gabbi's fashion advice. What is she up to?

Either way, all of these shows are proving to be very entertaining. I'm always ready for more scandal, and that's exactly what I'm looking forward to tonight with the newest episode of Gossip Girl. However, Heroes won't be returning until next week, which made me freak out a little when I remembered that today. I guess I'll give NBC an extra week to film more of my favorite TV show.

p&l
rachel

im drinking orange soda

2008-10-30T23:35:00.004-05:00

I have decided I want to read the Sookie Stackhouse series of books by Charlene Harris. I think that's her name. Something Harris. I tried to put some of them on hold at the library, but I have a fine ($1.60) and I haven't paid it yet. So, perhaps I'll do that sometime soon. I have a lot coming up in the next few days, I suppose.

For one, Halloween tomorrow. I'm not going to the library tomorrow. I have to take a nap and take my sister to Wal-Mart. And cook some food for the party at T's tomorrow night. It will be fun. I need to charge some batteries for my camera.

Buster is very sleepy right now. He could barely keep his eyes open.

Ugly Betty tonight was wonderful. Although, I really don't like Lindsay Lohan's character, and am personally glad that she is no longer going to be on the show. Well, I think she'll be in more episodes in the next weeks, but after that, she's ka-put. In the show, she really showed some zest. I don't really mean zest, but something less Betty-like and more Fey Sommers (season 1)-esque. However, she turns out to be as Betty as Betty can be in the end, proving to be true to her heart. *aw* Is the idea of the show that Betty has to have a moral attitude about life in NYC in a fashion magazine? C'mon.

Anyways, also, Grey's Anatomy was a wonderful episode. I feel bad for Yang, we thought she was gonna get a man this season. Finally, over Preston! He was a promising match for her though. What a shame. The reason is dumb anyway. Well, not really. The new trauma surgeon went to Iraq in the war, and he was one of 20 soldiers and 19 of his men died. Blah blah. War is bad.

I like to use the same adjectives so that neither episode had to compete on which adjective is greater than the other one. Cause there are degrees to wonderful and awesome , I guess. Or, I'd like to think there are.

Whatever.

Today, the weather got warmer. I barely needed my jacket. It got chilly when the sun went down though. Quite so.

It's too late to read right now, but I've been wanting to read Breaking Dawn all day. I haven't really had time. Which reminds me that I really need to upload the pictures from the wedding onto my computer. Jeez. I should make a list of "things to-do." Maybe not.

It just felt like so much to do.

p&l
rachel

like a bass out of hell

2008-10-28T22:17:00.005-05:00

I'm listening to/watching the latest episode of Heroes. It's a great episode.

I still have yet to see the new Desperate Housewives.

Anyway, the new episode of Heroes contained a well-welcomed-back Kristen Bell aka Elle Bishop in Heroesland. I was very happy to see her return. I knew it was only a matter of time before she came back after being fired. There are two very Veronica Mars-esque motifs:

1) Lyle (cheerleader's brother) says, "The bitch is back." right before the intro credits. That is actually the series final episode title.
2) Elle says, "...let's go see the wizard." The reference to the "wizard" from Wizard of Oz came up on two occasions in season one of V. Mars. Both in the very first episode of the series.

I love my knowledge of popular television.

Today in my World Lit 2 class we talked about Tartuffe, the play. I saw it once in high school, done by the competition class of theatre. I never tried out for the class, but I was asked to, so nah. Tartuffe, however, is a kinda terrible play. But it does have it's importance during the Enlightenment in France. It was even banned several times.

Oh yes! Last night's Gossip Girl. Let me just say one thing: mini-cooper. Oh, and what would the combo name be if Chuck and Blaire actually did get together? (combo name meaning "TomKat" "Bennifer" etc) My only guess would be: Bluck or Chaire. HA. Anyways....

Little Jenny Humphrey is a crazy in this episode and Willa Holland guest stars as Agnes the model for Eleanor Waldorf. Willa Holland, for those who don't know ... was Marissa Cooper's little sister on The O.C., Kaitlin Cooper (thus the name mini-cooper). Agnes gets Little J to quit her internship with Eleanor.

Also, Aaron (Aaron Rose, but not really the one from the book series) the artist is a "cutie" I guess one would say. He's very Conor Oberst....esque. He and Serena should hook up, but it won't last. Maybe Dan and Serena have another shot at romance next season?

I read recently that Dexter has been signed on to do antoher TWO seasons. Very exciting. Looks like it's one season that's not "jumping the shark," like another series that I love dearly: Heroes. Jumping the shark is when critics start to go badly. Whatever article I read today said that Heroes started getting bad in season two.

I know!? Who would want to get rid of Heroes? Did they say Lost was jumping the shark when people started saying that it was getting really crazy (mainly around season three)?

Who cares? Lost is still on for another two seasons after it's most recent season: 4. Still out on DVD, I think. I wonder when season 5 is going to premiere.

Sometimes I feel like when I'm writing my blog I sound like a Veronica Mars voice-over or Gossip Girl intro/outro. Whatever.

p&l
rachel

spice it up

2008-10-27T18:14:00.004-05:00

Here we are again: that dreaded hour after dinner/before Gossip Girl and Heroes. It's somehow tolerable.

I'm getting a cold, I think. It's been a pretty rough day thus far. I came home after class and slept until 5. And I got home around 1.

Halloween is just around the corner, and every one is just ready to dress up. I suppose that's the reason for the season. Pretending you're something/someone you're not for a night. Or weekend, depending on where you are.

Today, at school, I felt very Veronica Mars. I mean, I feel like that a lot. Just being blonde makes me prone to V.Mars-ness. Being small and petite, blonde, and carrying around my messenger bag makes me feel very V.Mars.

Last night's Dexter and True Blood were both amazing episodes. They're growing on me every minute. Dexter Morgan and Sookie Stackhouse are wonderful characters, and in these seasons (third and first, respectively) the characters just seem to (in Dexter's case) blossom into completely different people from when we were first introduced to them. Dexter is experiencing things he never thought was possible, like actual feelings. And Sookie had just had a lot of bad shit happen to her.

I learned today that chocolate makes more phlem. Which is why I can't eat the chocolate cake my parents brought home from the BBQ the other night. Quite sad it is. I love chocolate cake.

I had a bio lab test today, which I think I did pretty well on. It was a lot of questions about mitosis, which is not hard whatsoever. But with my luck, it will turn out badly.

I have a headache.

p&l
rachel

hiss

2008-10-22T19:05:00.000-05:00

This is what I would look like if I were a vampire.

p&l
rachel

all i have to say about today is

2008-10-22T13:33:00.003-05:00

MOTHER FUCK!

I got a fucking ZERO on my research paper. All because I didn't go to peer review. Who fucking wants to read a bunch of terrible papers from terrible students at a second-rate education (terrible) college?

NOT ME!

Which leads me to my decision of never, EVER EVER EVER wanting to teach at a junior college.

p&l
rachel

ps: I also got a 68 on my Bio test. But I did get a 96 on my World Civ 1 test. That's the only good news of the day.

And because I'm wallowing in my sadness of the research paper, I'm going to post it. Because I know it's worthy of a fucking 100, not a fucking zero. Disregard my MLA citations.

Bible: Fact or Fiction?

Questions always arise when talking about the Old Testament and its truth as a reference to ancient history. There is no definite answer to whether the first books of the Bible are historically accurate. Some scholars even question the authenticity of the Old Testament itself; there could possibly have been early first or second century BCE, to as late as fifth century, editors who had made changes for, then, Persian-rule benefit (Wilson 17). There is also question as to if some of the most prominent men in the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Jacob and Joseph, were even actual historical figures (Wilson 10-15). However, through all the archeological and geological findings, there have been a few breakthroughs that have shed little light on some of the most baffling questions of the Old Testament and ancient history. These breakthroughs give a great deal information on what may have actually happened during this era of ancient history.

To research a story, one must start at the beginning: Noah and the Flood. Estimated to be roughly 6000 BCE, Noah is chosen by God to build an ark, put selected animals and his family onto the ark, and there would be rain for forty days and forty nights. He built the ark, and there was indeed a flood (Gordon, Rendsburg 39-40). Also around 6000 BCE, marine geological scientists have found that what became the Black Sea was once a freshwater lake that flooded, breaking land barriers and covering a probable 60,000 square feet. The marine geologists, William Ryan and Walter Pitman of Columbia University, found mollusks, native only to freshwater, embedded in the sediment of the Black Sea. Also, their research showed that as the Last Ice Age was ending, the glaciers were melting, which caused an overflow of the Mediterranean Sea, and surrounding waterways (Wilson 20-21). Where the ark landed is another topic that has been theorized by many. In the Bible, it is said Noah and his ark landed on the Ararat Mountain, located in modern-day Turkey, 200 miles from the Black Sea. There is a Turkish story about a man named Nahmizuli who had an ark very similar to Noah; Nahmizuli is the Turkish form of Noah. This ark also landed on Mount Ararat. Most religious texts tell a story told of a divine Flood covering the lands (19). Some, as in the Epic of Gilgamesh, are almost identical to the depiction of the Flood in the Bible.

Genesis 8:6-10
“At the end of forty days Noah opened the porthole he had made in the ark and sent out the raven. This went off and few back and forth. Then he sent out the dove to see whether the waters were receding. The dove, finding nowhere to perch, returned to him in the ark, for there was water over the whole surface of the earth. After waiting seven more days he again sent out the dove. In the evening the dove came back to him and there was a new olive branch in its beak. So Noah realized the waters were receding.”

Epic of Gilgamesh
“When the seventh day dawned I loosed a dove and let her go. She flew away, but finding no resting place she returned. Then I loosed a swallow, and she few away but finding no resting place she returned. I loosed a raven, she saw that the waters had retreated, she ate, she flew around, she cawed and she did not come back (Lawall, Mack 18).”
These texts, and others from the ancient Near East, are similar in theme and verse, such as the Sumerian tale of Ziusudra and the Babylonian “Atrahasis Epic,” which both date around the 19th century (Gordon, Rendsburg 51; Wilson 20).

Another story from the Old Testament is that of Abraham and his family. The Bible cites Abraham as leaving the city of Ur, “of the Chaldeans,” in Mesopotamia, traveling to Harran, in modern-day Turkey. Keeping in mind the possibility of early Persian editors, there has been archeological evidence that Abraham may not have come from Ur as first though, but from Urfa, which lies directly north west of Harran. Many of Abraham’s ancestor’s names relate to ancient names of places in the region of modern-day Turkey (Wilson 22-23). When Abraham journeys to Canaan, he was asked by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac. The description of the way he prepares Isaac to be sacrificed, tied in awkward fetal position, is significantly close to the sacrifices of the Minoans on the island on Crete. The religion of the Minoans on Crete had a great resemblance to the religion of the original Canaanites who worshiped the bull-god El (23-24).

Skipping ahead, the story of the Exodus is significantly important in trying to make sense of the Bible’s historic accuracy. Estimated to have occurred around 1500 BCE, Moses led his people from Egypt after the Biblical Plagues convinced the unknown Pharaoh to let them go. There are two possible pharaohs that could have ruled during the plagues: Ahmose or Queen Hatshepsut (Callahan 127; Wilson 45-51). Historically, this period was not well recorded; however, there are few historical documents, written by third century Egyptian historian Manetho, about Hyskos invaders in Egypt (Wilson 37-38). These invaders are believed to be the Canaanites brought to Egypt by Joseph. After the Hyskos took over Egyptian rule, they forced the Egyptians to live in Upper Egypt. A period of time passed, and King Ahmose created a militia that overthrew the Hyskos, recapturing Avaris/Ramsesses, the once Hyskos capital (Callahan 127; Miller 318). Some Hyskos were unable to flee from Ahmose fast enough, and became slaves, perhaps the slaves of Moses’ Exodus. Manetho wrote that within fifty years of Ahmose’s initial rule, a great disaster befell the Nile Delta. Simultaneously, around that period of time, a huge volcanic eruption occurred on the island of Thera, some 600 miles North West of Egypt. It was a massive eruption that affected a large scale of the surrounding area, even destroying the entire Minoan civilization on the island of Crete. This eruption could have aided in the idea of the story of the Biblical Plagues. There is scientific evidence from other volcanic eruptions that show the first nine plagues can occur from simply from an eruption (Callahan 141; Wilson 48-49). The final plague is easy to assume as “divine anger” by any who still lived in the Nile Delta and worshiped the Canaanite/Hyskos gods. A text was found at Ugarit, imposing a similar offer, “A first-born, Baal, we shall sacrifice. A child we shall fulfill” (Wilson 49).

Even with all the archaeological and geological evidence that has been accounted, still remain and cannot be truly satisfied with answers that are not definite. In almost all religions, it is important to have some sort of written account of beliefs, something to base their faith upon. Those of Muslim faith have the Qur’an, Judaism has the Torah and Hinduism has the Rig Vedas, among other religions respectively. One may never know the truth behind the history of the Bible; however, the facts that scientists have today can surely tell those with questions that whomever wrote and edited the Old Testament knew about physical happenings of ancient times. It gives a great insight to what the times would have been like back in the various Biblical eras.

i'm a carpetbagger baby...

2008-10-21T22:35:00.007-05:00

I wish I had my own theme song, like Veronica Mars. I mean, I wish I had an intro too. Something flashy and catchy, perhaps written and performed by Jenny Lewis?

I took Buster outside earlier and there are people in the neighborhood that are making quite a ruckus somewhere. He barked, which was not acceptable.

I'm drinking a two day old Michelob Ultra (1 pint). It's been in the fridge, with some tin foil over the top... it's not too fresh though. Looking at it now, I thought there was less to drink than I thought. Le sigh.

I've been thinking about the dream again, and how I can put it down on paper(digital paper, that is). I need some input from X and L, since they were two of the main players in the dream.

Tomorrow I find out two test grades: Bio and World Civ 1. I'm ready to know these scores. I made an 80 on my French Revolution test which is much better than I thought it was going to be.

I don't really know what a carpetbagger is, so I guess I'm going to do some research. I was thinking about that earlier on my way to class this morning. Well, according to Wikipedia, this is what a carpetbagger is:

In United States history, carpetbaggers was the term southerners gave to northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction, between 1865 and 1877. They formed a coalition with freedmen (freed slaves), and scalawags (southern whites who supported Reconstruction) in the Republican Party. Together they politically controlled former Confederate states for varying periods, 1867–1877.

I can't get rid of the links, so whatever. The picture was made by the Ku Klux Klan as propaganda against the carpetbaggers, claiming they would lynch them if they found them out. Or whatever.

Soon, in World Civ 2, we will be learning about the Reconstruction, well, the Civil War too. Just a little bit about it though, since it's not American History. I'm not too interested in American history. I had a little bit of that in high school, now I want to know about the rest of the world.

My cousin from NYC that was down went home today. We went to the Palace Casino and had the buffet, and I lost 2 bucks on the penny slots. He ordered two shots of tequila for us, and we did the shots with some salt and lime, of course. The way it's supposed to be done.

I'm kinda ready to be living in Mobile again, but I know I'm not financially ready to do so. I wish I could live on campus and still have Buster around, but we all know that's impossible. No animals on campus and all that. Not even to visit. Such strict rules.

Well, I have seen all the television episodes for Sunday and Monday, but I'm not feeling in the mood to write about them just yet. I probably won't even get to it. But I will say, about Gossip Girl: Chuck needs to get over himself and accept his humanity.

Jenny Lewis really is an idol of mine. She writes such wonderful songs, and sings them very wonderfully too. Listening to her is like listening to angels sing. It's the voice I assume Kristen Bell to have, although I know what Kristen Bell's singing voice sounds like. That last sentence just sounds weird, but whatever.

I have a headache.

p&l
rachel

if you want to go where they chain down the sun, see fernando

2008-10-20T18:28:00.004-05:00

Ok, so my Bio teacher didn't give us back our tests today because she's absent minded. I'll get it bright and early on Wednesday though. How wonderful.

As for my ancient Greeks test, I believe I did wonderfully. I probably only missed one question. Ancient civilizations are a lot more interesting than what they grow into. (Thus my love for World Civ 1 and slight dislike for World Civ 2)

I probably won't be here tonight to watch Gossip Girl and Heroes, since I'll probably be at T's hanging out. Tomorrow night, I start my World Lit 2 class, where I'll be sitting in a classroom for 5-some odd hours. 5:30-10:30 pm are the times for the class. And one whole Saturday of that class. That's what I get for taking a "second term" class. Wtf are those anyway?

I got the new Jenny Lewis CD, Acid Tongue. I do enjoy it a lot, after only listening to it probably three or four times. I also downloaded the remainder of Rabbit Fur Coat that I didn't have. M brought me the new Jack's Mannequin, The Glass Passenger. Those two I haven't gotten to listen to a lot with my new found love of Acid Tongue. When I saw J.Lew and the Watson Twins in New Orleans over a year ago, she sang some songs from this album. It sure did take her a long time to come out with her solo CD. Not that I mind.

Oooh. Conor Oberst is going to be playing in NoLa on Nov. 20. I want to go, and hopefully M will drive, since my car is kaput.

"I went to a cobler to fix a hole in my shoe, he took one look at my face and said: I can fix that hole in you." I do love this song.

I'll report on all the TV shows I watched recently when I can write about them all.

I've been reading The Hotel New Hampshire, like I've mentioned a ton of times, and it is quite good. I remember the movie very well, and it's quite similiar to the book, and I'm looking forward to reading more of it. That's when you know you have a good book, when you look forward to reading more. Reading it does remind me of Jodie Foster though.

Hopefully this weekend I can go to Mobile (somehow) and see Malibu and Kasi. Kasi will be working a haunted house thing for the seminary school she's going to this semester. I'm very excited about seeing them, even though I saw Malibu in Nashville, it's been a while since I've seen Kasi.

"Lets build ourselves a fire." Oh J.Lew.

Buster is sleeping quite sweetly. Or at least he looks sweet.

Tomorrow in World Civ 2, we start the Industrial Revolution. We're also going to be covering Nationalism and Imperialism. So much this teacher covers, but at least he's interesting. And he promises to "have our backs if we'll let him."

I don't know how I can write endlessly about nothing inparticular.

p&l
rachel

test tomorrow on ancient greece

2008-10-19T23:24:00.004-05:00

Today is John Lithgow's birthday. So, I'm going to just give him a little tribute.

I do love his work. He was funny/good in The Twilight Zone movie. I also really enjoyed Third Rock From the Sun (pictured left).

I hear he plays a transvestite, Roberta Muldoon, in the movie-version of The World According to Garp, but I have not seen that movie, and I don't know if I really want to or not.

I'm currently watching True Blood, and I watched Dexter and Desperate Housewives earlier. I suppose I can report on that tomorrow sometime. Since I'll also be watching Gossip Girl and Heroes. I'll have to report on those as well.

Tomorrow I have a test on ancient Greece. I'm pretty sure I'm ready for it. I also get the grade back from the second biology test I took tomorrow. I am looking forward to it. I have to return this Guide to Anatomy and Physiology Lab book I accidentally purchased instead of a Guide to Biology Lab. I do hope they will allow me a trade.

Tuesday I start my World Lit 2 class. I'm excited about that as well. I don't know if I got a good grade on that or not, cause I don't really know if I grasped the right information about the French Revolution. Ugh. Tests are insane. At least my World Civ 2 teacher lets us do this extra credit work that we get to turn in with the test. The last two tests we took I made 88's. Both times. Who cares. B's will give me a B in the class. I made a 94 on my first World Civ 1 test, so hopefully after tomorrow I'll have another A and that will give me an A in the class for now.

I don't want to think about class right now.

p&l
rachel

wouldn't you love to be in a movie?

2008-10-16T23:47:00.004-05:00

I'm watching Factory Girl, but I'm not really paying attention. Doing other things online does seem to catch my attention more than this thing on the TV, but I'm listening. Sight isn't everything that tells a story. People listen to books on tapes/CDs whatever after all.

I missed tonight's Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty. And Eleventh Hour. So that means I have a lot of TV to watch tomorrow, which does excite me.

There was something I was going to write about in this blog, specifically, but now I can't think of it. I got carried away with Factory Girl and crap.

Tomorrow, I should be having sushi with my cousin from NY, and I'm very, very excited. I haven't seen him in a few years.

I want to go to France and make avante-guard movies. I wish I had someone cool like Edie Sedgwick or whatever her name is to be in them. Or someone as good that's probably not a hoe bag like Scarlett Johansson. She used to be cool, but now she makes me angry.

Perhaps the life and times of Edie Sedgwick(whatever) would be interesting to read about. Not see in some fictionalized retrospective bull.

While researching the French Revolution last night, I decided I want to come up with a semi-short story about a family during the 'Reign of Terror.' Led by Robespierre, people were guillotined for practically giving an official a bad look. By the end of a period that was a little over a year and a half, nearly 40,ooo people were dead in Paris alone. I think in one day, over 16,000 people suffered an execution. Anyway, the story would be about a family that's trying so hard to get out of France and into another country, where one of them will probably be from. I can't decide if they will be peasants or some kind of clergy or nobility. The stories would be completely different, depending on their social status, that's fo sho.

I think stories about drug addicted poor little rich kids are too cliche for this era of literature. Or maybe that's just how I feel about the way this movie is filmed. I'm sure that's how it seemed at that time, but I guess as Holden Caulfield would put it, it just seems a little "phony."

All of the tests I had to take this week are over. I have one more test on Monday, on ancient Greek civilization. Ancient civilizations are so much easier to comprehend, rather than the French Revolution, per say.

Buster slept in his pumpkin/jack-o-lantern t-shirt my mother got for him while we were in Nashville last night. It was quite lovely. Then, when I was showing him off to my friends over at T's house, he accidentally peed on it and now it must be washed. Right now he is sleeping very soundlessly next to me.

Damn that Bob Dylan for hurting Edie Sedgwick.

Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson are in a relationship. Apparently they have been since they starred in Jumper together a few years ago. I think I remember reading something about Rachel Bilson saying that she wanted to go elope with him. It makes me a little sad for Adam Brody, since they were like together for a long time. But I'm sure he's over her by now. I mean, he hasn't met me yet anyway. Har har. I'm funny.

Start wearing purple, wearing purple. Start wearing purple for me now..... all your sanity and wits they will all vanish - I promise! - It's just a - a matter of time.

I bought a purple shirt from Wet Seal a few weeks ago. I wore it for the first time yesterday? and it made me feel happy. I also got this winter-y purple shirt with a design on it which will probably make me happy too. I'm ready for it to get a little colder so I can start wearing my neat jackets. Which reminds me that I need to purchase a belt sometime soon. Maybe I'll go to the thrift store tomorrow and try and find a neat belt.

I wish I could have a romance with someone like Bob Dylan. A whirlwind romance, but it would never last. It's like a fortune cookie Duncan gives to Veronica in season 2 of the series that says: True love stories never have endings...

Very poetic.

p&l
rachel

blah.

2008-10-14T20:07:00.003-05:00

So, my brain is probably fried right now.

I've been studying all day for this bio test I have tomorrow. I don't know if I'm ready yet or not.

Anyway, I did finish my essay that's due tomorrow, and that makes me extremely happy. No more studying about the Old Testament. For now, at least.

Even though this was supposed to be the "fall holiday," I really need another break. All this stress is just ... crazy. It makes me very anxious about the future of school. The end of school. The rest of school.

The only thing that takes my mind off things like this are hot showers and solitaire.

And prime-time television, but there's nothing coming on tonight. Nothing I want to see, at least.

Thursday will be a good day for television: Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, and Eleventh Hour. Good stuff. I can't wait to see if Eleventh Hour is signed up for a full season and/or a second season. I hope people like it. Rufus Sewell is a great actor. Known for his villainous roles, like in A Knight's Tale or The Illusionist. My favorite movie of his is Dangerous Beauty (1998). It made me cry. I want to see it again.

This is a picture of the tiny holy land replica in Lucedale, MS. I want to go and see it for myself one day, but it looks very, very tiny.

p&l
rachel

when i do wrong, i am with god... she thought

2008-10-13T23:05:00.003-05:00

Ah, second post of the day. How long has it been since I've posted twice in one day?

Anyway, tonight's television has been ridiculous.

First, Gossip Girl proves to be as scandalous but rewarding as ever. This episode mostly taking place in New Haven, the grounds for Yale, Serena and Blair duke it out in the battle of the babes. Nate takes on the alias of Dan Humphrey. Bass turns his back on the elusive Skull and Bones of Yale. All of these things are very entertaining, and what else is entertaining is the blog The Daily Intel for New York Magazine. Its reality points tally is very funny.

Second, Heroes gives more questions than it provides answers. New-but-old characters are brought into the storyline... I will not name names. Peter gets violent with his family members. Mohinder gets a little crazy and spidery. Claire goes vigilante to a guy who creates vortexes and learns Sylar is working with her father, gasp. No blogs I know about for this show.

I'm currently watching the newest episode of Dexter, which I wrote on earlier today. I really do enjoy watching things more than once, it helps me really grasp what's going on. Kind of like what I realized about re-reading books. You really develop more of an insight into the book when you already know what happens and are seeing the events from a different point of view.

I feel like the last three paragraphs are all entries for some dictionary. The way they look, I mean. All kind of uniform and whatever. Very similar in length.

I think Buster has to go outside.

Oh yes, and the Twilight theatrical trailer. It's very good.

p&
rachel

i like crossword puzzles on yahoo

2008-10-13T18:04:00.004-05:00

An hour until the two shows I watch on Mondays: Gossip Girl and Heroes.

The hour (as it seems to come every Monday, just after dinner time) seems to drag on. I have to call this girl from my World Civ 2 class. I have her notes, from one day of class (on Napoleon), and we have a test on Thursday. Damn that French Revolution.

So, I watched Eleventh Hour, and it was decent. It wasn't amazing, but it has potential. I also love, love, love me some Rufus Sewell. Mmmhmmm. Oh, and the girl from Planet Terror, the doctor woman, she is in it. I enjoy her as well. She was hilarious in Planet Terror. Plus, her name is Rachel in the show. Why would I not watch it?

Last night I watched, as usual, Desperate Housewives, Dexter and True Blood. While D.H. was (very) uneventful, Dexter shows promise of its third season (Dexter the vigilante?), even with the coming of a bouncing baby Dex Jr. And True Blood. Oh dear Lord, don't get me started - Sookie Stackhouse is out of her mind, letting that vampire bite her (Although, as L said to me earlier, it was a little sexy).

But.... it was quite a wonderful episode (the white nightgown she wore while running to meet Bill was very Southern Belle of her), and there is no doubt I will watch it again and again until the next episode comes on next Sunday.

This hasn't been much of a "fall break." I've been going through ups and downs of this medicine, and I haven't been able to concentrate on studying at all. It's quite annoying. Today is the second day of illness caused by this change in medication. Maybe I should just stick with my regular meds and just have the tremors. It's not like I'm going to be a surgeon or anything.

I've been sleeping a lot, too. I slept until 2 in the afternoon today. I thought my mother was going to take me with her to Mobile this morning, but she did not. She doesn't have a great sense of direction, and I do... so she called me around 8 something, asking for my help.

Plus, I have a great memory on how to get places, where places are and basically the "lay of the land" in Mobile. Thus, she calls me.

My stomach hurts and it's not getting any better. And we're still 50 minutes from 7pm.

Le sigh.

I read an article about a Russian hockey player who was 19, and he died during a match in his homeland. He had a heart attack, apparently, but there really isn't much else that's known about how it happened. He wasn't bad looking either. It's always more tragic when pretty people die.

I've been trying to start The Hotel New Hampshire, but with my lack of concentration, I haven't been able to get past the first page. Of course, I can't get past the first paragraph of the French Revolution in my history book either. Yet again: Damn that French Revolution. It did cause some good things: such as influencing other countries to be independent, but America pretty much did that in 1776.... way before the French Revolution. Or just upon the start of it.

Ugh.......

My stomach just made a funny noise.

p&l
rachel

keira knightley

2008-10-11T22:35:00.003-05:00

Has nothing to do with this blog, but I'm watching Atonement, and I can't think of anything to put as a title.

James McAvoy is so hot. I wish he wasn't married. Not that it really matters.

Keira Knightley is in a lot of period pieces, and it makes me mad. She needs to branch out more.

I want to go to a dinner party in old England. But not really. I want some lovely cheeses. Some queso dip from El Saltillo would be good too. Haha, not that they really compare. Lovely cheeses and queso dip.

There is now a second El Saltillo open in Ocean Springs. Very strange, considering it's just a little mexican restaurant.

Blah. This little 13-year-old girl looks kinda boy-ish.

I can't veryily think of something to write about. I just felt like writing.

p&l
rachel

with new medication comes....

2008-10-09T23:07:00.004-05:00

The weirdest fucking dreams ever.

I have felt so detached from reality today after having the worst dream in the world. Like whatever happened in my dream actually happened to me and I felt so traumatized all day. Like I was supposed to go live my life normally after something so horrendous like that happened.

Well, it wasn't the worst, but it was pretty bad. And a lot of people died. Lets leave it at that.

Shall we?

Only a couple of people know what happened, and eventually other people will too. I'm going to write about it.... in time. I mean, fictional novel kind of writing.

Stephen King gets some of his ideas from fucked up dreams he has, but he's actually been hospitalized, right? Maybe I can think of it as a blessing. The dream. Only if other dreams like this don't follow, I don't have to call it that.

p&l
rachel

it's cran-tastic!

2008-10-08T18:25:00.004-05:00

Apparently this page has been up for almost an hour and I haven't typed anything yet.

Well, here goes:

I thought of several semi-neat things to talk about today, but now I can't think of anything I was going to write about.

Oh yes. I've been reading The World According to Garp by John Irving, as some of you may know. It has changed my life. I don't know. My perspective on people, writing and other things, I guess. It has rehashed my love for Irving's novels and I feel as though I must read more of him. I still haven't finished Breaking Dawn, which I'm a little ashamed of, but when you don't want a series to end, what else are you supposed to do?

I read in Garp that writers have a very selective memory, and I do believe this to be true, because I can remember things about totally random things, but then not remember exactly what a Golgi Body does for Biology. I should remember those kinds of things.

There is the option of re-reading it, but ... M has my copy of Twilight and has yet to finish it.

L recommended that I read The Cider House Rules, also by John Irving. I'm going to take her up on that, considering X is most likely coming down from Oxford this weekend and she can bring me L's copy.

Sometimes I feel like I'm talking about LC when I talk about L.

Next, perhaps I'll re-read A Widow for One Year and The Hotel New Hampshire. I would re-read Until I Find You, but it's quite large for a hardback book, and I don't want to carry that around with me on campus.

I'm feeling in a very Veronica Mars mood right now. I don't know why. I was reading some quotes from the show earlier. But I couldn't find the quote I was looking for. Oh well, I'll settle for something a little less Veronica-ie and just have something silly. i.e. the title of the blog.

Le sigh. I think I'm going to watch some Veronica Mars just to get it out of my system.

BTW: Kristen Bell has not been on any recent episodes of Heroes, which is making me a little sad, but I know she's gonna come back and kick some serious Company ass when she returns. Oh yeah. Either that, or try to hurt Sylar.

I think I read a theory on Heroes Wiki about Sylar and Elle having a baby though. I don't know what these people are thinking. Although, when Peter went to the future, Sylar did have a little boy there. Dum dum dum. That's supposed to be eerie music for those of you who didn't get it.

p&l
rachel

my hands smell like pot pie... or just flour

2008-10-07T22:45:00.003-05:00

Watching True Blood makes me want a burger and fries.

Cause Sookie works at a diner, not because of the vampires sucking blood and all that.

I need to fix the stuff on my paper before Friday. Dammit. I have homework that I haven't finished yet.

UGH!

Too many things to do.

I hate MLA format.

I have a headache now. I don't know what to do about it.

Anyway, I should probably do that homework or whatever. I can't believe I forgot all about it until just now. It's due tomorrow and all.

Buster is sleeping quite soundly and beautifully.

p&l
rachel

the wife forgave the mistress, for she only entertained....

2008-10-01T18:57:00.002-05:00

Ah... October. Cold-ish weather. Turning of the leaves. And so on.

I've been wanting to write something. But I feel so un-inspired.

'The Scouting Isle' really needs and ending. The previous mentioned is a short story I started in April that I have yet to finish.

So, in order to cure my writer's block, I've been doing a lot of reading, listening (to music). A lot of watching. People-watching, mostly. Lots of people sit around the soda machines by the library on campus. It still baffles me that JC has a Vitamin Water vending machine. Very strange, and quite... hip of them... I guess that's the word.

I've also been forgetting a lot of words recently. I've been thinking of getting one of those GRE vocabulary prep books. Gone are the days of Spelling Words that we have to define and get synonyms and antonyms for. Those did prove to be very educational, even if people didn't want to do them.

People never realize the importance of school until they're actually in college, or not in college and wondering what happened.

I made a 70 on my Biology test. wtf. I need to do better next time. I didn't study the right things last time, apparently, and tried to just remember what was in the notes. Now I know better.

I have to make up my World Civ 2 test tomorrow, the one I missed last Thursday when the family and I were on our way to Nashville.

Oh yes. Nashville.

I got to see my ladies. My lovely, lovely ladies. Malibu and Jfer.

Here we are in the hotel room my parents got for my sister and I. I was very happy that Malibu drove up from Birmingham to visit. We rock.

The wedding was lovely. It was on a plantation in Brentwood, which according to Jfer, who lives in Murfeesboro (TN), is the rich section of Nashville. Jack White lives there. Of the White Stripes. We saw his house. It is white.... with a bright red door and red smoke stacks. I assume they're his chimney.

Malibu and I went to see Choke, which was good until the ending. It disappointed me. Very much so. I suppose screenwriters have to make it their own story somehow.... bastards.

Once something dies, you can't make it live.

I've been sick ever since we returned from Nashville. I'm afraid to blow my nose too much cause I don't want it to get too red or get bruised from too much blowing.

A few days ago I had a fever of 101.5 degrees. Then I had a dream that I had a 104.something degree fever.

I've been having lots of weird dreams lately, but I can't remember them to write them down.

My neighbor's dog is barking again. He's always chained up next to the garage door to the outside, which is right next to my bedroom window. Very unfortunate for me.

Oh, at the wedding, there was a bluegrass band.

And I danced with the bride, who happens to be the cousin of mine who looks strangely similar to me. She gave me a fake ID last time I was in Nashville. It worked.

I think she had just spun me. She said "That dress was made to be spun in." I agree. I like to spin.

There were a lot of little children at the wedding. It was frightening.

They served very weird food. I don't know how to explain it, or what it was called. Just know it was gross. I didn't eat much of it. And what I did eat made me sick a little.

No one's sure how all of this got started, but we're gonna make 'em god damned certain how it's gonna end. Oh yeah, we will.

p&l
rachel

beaujolais wine

2008-09-24T23:00:00.004-05:00

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

2008-09-19T21:55:00.004-05:00

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

2008-09-14T02:23:00.006-05:00

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

2008-09-08T22:43:00.012-05:00

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

2008-09-07T00:45:00.004-05:00

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

2008-09-06T12:46:00.003-05:00

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

2008-09-05T23:49:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-05T01:27:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-03T14:53:00.003-05:00

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

2008-09-03T01:58:00.004-05:00

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

gustav. "it's go-go, not cry-cry."

2008-08-31T01:36:00.010-05:00

I'm watching Planet Terror again. It is unbelievably good. Cheesy, but great. I think it's the actors that make it so great. Watch the trailer:

Anyway... we packed belongings today... only the most important

Taping up windows, getting things off the floor.

Fear is looming over the Gulf Coast.

It reminds me of the last season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Everyone in Sunnydale has this feeling of doom coming or whatever, so they're all evacuating. Buffy and the potentials are living in the Summers' house still, and all the power goes out, obvoiusly according to the people at the power planet leaving Sunnydale as well.

So many places are boarded up... no one can get on the interstate anymore. And there's going to be this thing starting at 4am where these two highways will be one-way, to evacuate the most people. I think it's I-55 and something else close to the Louisiana-Mississippi border.

It's werid trying to figure out what's most important to you. I guess it's that eternal question: if you could bring only five things with you in a (blank situation), what would you bring?

I don't even think I could answer that question right now.

I've taken down a lot of the teeny-bopper posters I had on my walls, which I should have posted pictures of. It was pretty funny. I got them from my sister's J-14 magazines, and other teeny magazines. As I was saying, now that the posters are gone, my room looks a little more bare. Although my Miley Cyrus poster is still billowing in the wind of my fan. The blue sticky-tac for hanging posters just doesn't work well with magazine paper. The yellow puddy stuff we have is much better than this.

It's weird trying to figure these things out, I suppose, since last time, during Katrina, all of my belongings were in my dorm room, safe, in Mobile. Now, all my stuff is here... and I don't know if they'll be here, or salvageable, when this whole thing blows over.

I've been in kind of a state of emptiness all day. Trying to figure things out... trying not to worry about impending doom. Plus, I have a lot of studying to do... :( In my next World Civ 2 class, we're having a test. So soon, yes.... I'm not too happy about it. All about the Renaissance and the Reformation ages. I'll pretty much have to teach these things to myself. Reading the chapters and whatnot. Chapters 16 AND 17. Each one of the chapters has one of the subjects in it, and these chapters are. not. short. There are a lot of maps, pictures, reocrds and time lines though.... so maybe it won't be too bad when I go to study.

I probably should be doing that... reading the chatpers for the test.... doing the study guide.

It's late and I should sleep. Too many things on my mind though... who can sleep at a time like this?

p&l (hopefully I'll be able to write again soon....)
rachel

things fall apart

2008-08-27T23:24:00.004-05:00

My computer charger, my car and my phone are all damaged in one way or another.

Very tragic, this whole situation is.

I can only drive my car short, very short distances. So, I'm pretty much only driving to and from school, mostly.

I have my computer charger jacked up with some duct tape. It's rather ghetto, I might say.

I'm about to watch the Grindhouse movies. I don't know which one is coming first: Planet Terror or Death Proof. Personally, Planet Terror is my favorite of the two.

I just watched Fried Green Tomatoes. So great that movie is.

I haven't really posted anything in a long time. The best news I have thus far is that I finally got into school. I'm gonna get the Pell Grant. I have a very interesting school schedule.

I had my first day of classes today. I got up at 8am and left at 9 for the campus, my class, Biology w/ lab, starts at 9:30. Not only did I not find a parking spot until 9:40am, but I didn't find the actual building until 10:00. So, I went to the library and read Snuff until my next class, World Civilization I, at 12:00. What's weird is that the class lets out at 12:53. Exactly.

C'est bizzare.

Tomorrow, I have World Civilization II at 11:00am - 12:20pm. Another good thing is that I get to use the same book for both World Civ classes. Woohoo! I still don't have a Biology book though.

I'm getting kinda hungry, but I don't want to get up again. However, my drink is almost empty.

The coming attractions when Grindhouse is shown together are hilarious. Machete.

I've been watching Stephen King's The Stand on SurfTheChannel.com. I'm almost done with it, but it's been very good. I want to read the book now.

Right on. Planet Terror is coming on first.

I've been coming up with a time line of my own vampire novelization. I started thinking of it when I was watching Interview with the Vampire.

Rose McGowan is hot in a pin-up girl kind of way. I love this movie though. Zombie movies are pretty good. I do enjoy the directing talents of Robert Rodriguez, and acting talent of Freddy Rodriguez, no relation. Saiid from Lost is in this movie, too. British accent, very interesting. Although his character, Abby, is about to castrate this guy and put his balls in a jar-whatnot.

Bruce Willis. His death in this movie is very gross.

The jar of balls just broke on the concrete, spilling gonads all over.

Saiid just set off the gas of whatever it is that causes people to go crazy and kill people and tear their faces off.

p&l
rachel

i hope it does grow out soon, cause i look like a boy

2008-08-14T21:25:00.002-05:00

Littlest Babelah in the background, sleeping ever-so-silently....

I seriously look like a boy version of myself.

But I am myself.

p&l
rachel

pics of the new hurr cut... and the babelah

2008-08-14T18:32:00.000-05:00

i really want to be a sith lord

2008-08-12T23:34:00.005-05:00

I can't stop thinking about Star Wars. I think I dreamt of it last night. I'm currently watching Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I think I'm going to have to watch it again tomorrow, cause I'm not really paying attention.

I rented the Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga video game today at Blockbuster, which is where I also got Episode III. I've already completed Episodes I and II in the game. There are all six episodes on the game. You get to play as 100+ different characters. There are a lot of characters to unlock.

I don't know what else to report on. The anniversary party last night, for T and her man, was pretty fun. Met some people I didn't know.

I had Chinese for lunch today, which was pretty good, but they didn't have the green beans that I like that they usually have. Whatever. I enjoy Chinese food no matter what.

General Grievous is a really hardcore mofo. He was trained in the Jedi art of the lightsaber, and he is mostly machine. His original body died, but was made into a war droid with his original brain, nervous system and intneral organs. I'll find a picture to post:

Isn't that a scary dude? However, a Jedi is not allowed to feel fear.

I think if I were a Sith Lord, I would go on a spree trying to destroy the Jedi. But, if there were no Jedi, then there would be no Force, then there would be no dark side. So, if that's actually true, then I don't think I would go about destroying all of them.

I'm very hungry. Although my stomach does hurt in the nauseus way that it has been all day, I'm hungry. I don't know what I want, even though we have lots of food in the house. So, the best answer is just to not eat at all.

Obi-wan Kenobi just defeated General Grievous.

p&l
rachel

this is fact not fiction, for the first time in years

2008-08-11T20:15:00.010-05:00

FIRST OFF:
R.I.P. Bernie Mac and Issac Hayes. They shall be missed.

So I bought some new shoes today. Semi-new. I did buy them for a dollar at the Thrift Store, while I was out shopping this morning with T. Tomorrow is she and her husband's 3rd wedding anniversary. How lovely.

Here is they look like. I believe they look like moccasins. I'm very excited about them.

I must mention how comfortable these shoes are. And did I mention that I bought them for a freakin' dollar?! Quite a find, if you ask me. I also took some very beautiful pictures of Buster. I shall upload them too.

He has the most magnificent ears.

He is truly a wonderful howler. And beautiful beyond belief.
(Maybe more beautiful than Joli? But it cannot be possible since Joli was on this Earth first, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.)

Other than these pictures, I haven't really been up to much other than being sick. Terribly, terribly sick.

Hmm... something else is that I've gotten into Star Wars very deeply. My friend C and I made characters on the Star Wars Combine, which is kinda like an online RPG game for nerds like me. We've created our characters, made background stories for them, and have discussed where we want our characters to go. If you know nothing about Star Wars, then it's "okie day"(Jar Jar Binks says that a lot in Episode I: The Phantom Menace). However, my character, Belle Jolais, I want her to become a Sith, which for those of you who do not know, is what you would call the "dark side of the Force." I'm sure you people know what the Force is.

I've made a play list of songs that I want people to listen to. There's one song on here that L should listen to in particular. I heard it in my friend T's car and I immediately thought of L. HAHA. She should love it, being the white trash princess and everything..... The song I'm talking about is the Gretchen Wilson song, because I don't listen to Gretchen Wilson on a regular basis.

blog playlist

p&l
rachel

ShamWow! you'll be saying 'wow!' every time! (not sold in stores)

2008-08-03T23:09:00.008-05:00

Reading the Twilight saga makes me want to be in a relationship, but I know that truthfully, relationships aren't like the one in this series. I would know. I've never met a guy like Edward Cullen.

I've met an Edward, but he was nothing like the one in the series. :(P

It makes me look back at guys I've liked and dated within the past 3 years. I mean, those are the only ones that really count. High school was just training grounds. I wasn't the person I am now when I was in high school. I was in what I call my "awkward phases." I wasn't confident in the kind of person I was. Very insecure.

College really opened up my eyes. I knew in high school that people weren't all complete assholes. In college, I realized that everything didn't have to be so critical about appearances. It was more about the person you made yourself out to be. This sounds all so cliche. High school cliques and whatnot.

I don't think our high school had really "defined cliques." I was acquaintances with many people, although none were really good friends or whatever.

Anyway, I'm watching Dead Men Talking, a forensic crime show on the Biography channel. I love this show. It makes me want to go into criminal investigations. So does Veronica Mars.

I was in Wal-Mart today and I saw that they had Kinoki foot pads. I've seen commercials for them on TV on late-night-television, but now that it's being sold next to lighters and other items that aren't candy in the check out asile. Oh crazy. Only 20 bucks, I think I may do some investing. I don't know where I'm getting this kick on television products.

The past four or five days I've been sick. The first few days I was like sersiouly sick, losing whatnot every 30 minutes. Now I just have a cold, coughing and blowing of the nose, and a damn cold sore. But that happens when I get sick. Or when I go to the fucking dentist and they use latex gloves. (I am slightly allergic to latex) Bastards.

Here's a little something to listen to that I've been enjoying a lot lately.

Four Winds - Bright Eyes

p&l
rachel

ne me quitte pas

2008-07-24T00:01:00.006-05:00

Yet again, here I am, watching Buffy, but that's to be expected by now.

Buffy is dating Riley Finn, a member of the Initiative - the secret militia against the demonic forces in Sunnydale. Willow has just met Tara, the soon-to-be love of her life. Tara is one of my favorite characters.

I can't think of much to write on.

I did read this article about how the producers for the original X-Files show, they wanted to cast Pamela Anderson as Dana Scully. How odd would that have been if Gillian Anderson (Anderson v. Anderson) hadn't been Agent Scully? So, so bizarre that would be. It baffles me when I try to think about it. Moulder and Scully (Pam Anderson Scully), the wind in their hair, looking like a shampoo commercial. Baffles me, seriously.

M was supposed to come over with some wine tonight, but he totally bailed. Whatever.

You can totally tell Willow and Tara are into each other in a lovey dovey way. So cute.

I miss watching Grey's Anatomy. The characters are just so awesome. I'll be sad to see Izzie Stevens gone. :( Damn Katherine Heigl for wanting a film career. TV is so much better!

I mean, TV has to be more fun, if you're on a great show with a good cast and all that.

Buffy is getting very sensual with Riley Finn. It's very erotic for UPN. Or maybe the UPN was kinda like FX.

Giles is a great character. He's funny and British.

So many awesome people have been in TV shows. But there's an equal amount of awesome characters in movies too. Whatever.

p&l
rachel

I wonder....

2008-07-23T03:39:00.003-05:00

Perhaps... if I have a serious talk with my mother... maybe she'll consider letting me go back to USA in the fall? .... It may not be too late..... I'll just have to do all this stuff really fast. It's not like I haven't done that before though. All the classes are probably picked over though.... :/

My second semester of senior year in high school, M and I were going crazy one day because it was the last day to register for classes at the junior college. We got our transcripts, letters of recommendation and applications and whatever in all at the right time; however, there weren't any good classes either of us wanted to take. 'Twas all for not.

I still need to do the FAFSA, damn. And I really do kinda want this job working night shift at the Hard Rock Casino doing the phone-in room service worker. It pays good and there are full benefits and I can promote very easily from this position. T tells me that they're most likely to hire from within the casino before outside, but with this job the employee has to find a replacement for themselves. Or at least that's what T says. Her sister is in the position right now, and I believe I'm next in line.

Ugh, so many things to think about. What do I want to do?

Any thoughts on what might be more logical?

p&l
rachel

BTW

2008-07-20T15:53:00.006-05:00

It's not a very good picture (I took a picture of the television), but it is the digitized version of Kristen Bell from Assassin's Creed.

How life like.

Well, it looks a lot better in person on the television. Anyway, I believe K-Bell herself does the character's voice over too. At least it sounds a lot like her. It's gotta be her.

If I didn't have to bring Grey's Anatomy back to the library tomorrow I would be playing Assassin's Creed right now. Alas.

p&l
rachel

PS: I was watching Grey's Anatomy and I recognized a producer/writer's name and I looked it up on imdb.com and it turns out that Marti Noxon also produced and wrote for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. How wonderful.

some pics from a few nights ago

2008-07-20T13:25:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure what she's reading....
I don't know what we're watching here either.
Loose legged lezzie Lindsey! Whoops, I mean L.
Texting and Buster sniffing the computer.
M acting crazy.
Buster, but he's always beautiful.... K and I. I wasn't feeling too good, after drinking the night before, so I wasn't drinking. I drank some organic pomegranate tea L got for me. L drinking some shiraz. Being very bored and despondent. M drinking some shiraz like L.

p&l
rachel

a fond farewell to L from the OS

2008-07-20T12:49:00.007-05:00

So many things to talk about in this newest post. So many birthdays I must mention. Most important of all is that Kristen Bell had her birthday earlier this week.

Today is Sandra Oh's birthday. Also Josh Holloway. Matthew Fox had a birthday recently. Celebrities have birthdays too!

It's also Judy Greer's birthday, and if you don't know who she is, she's been in a lot of movies as the bitchy sidekick to the girl in romantic comedies. I think she was in Jawbreaker too. She was on Arrested Development.

I rented Assassin's Creed, the video game, last night, and I had too much fun playing it. I was up until 5:30am playing the game. But I feel just fine, I need no more sleep.

OH! There's a digitized Kristen Bell in the game. Very cool.

L just stopped by to get some CD's I made for her trip back to Oxford. I think I made like 8 CD's. She said she had listened to only Jewel and Joan Baez the whole way up here, so I gave her some diversity.

We all went out for margaritas the other night and we had a lot of fun. I love El Saltillo's queso dip. So delicious. K brought his mom and we found out that K's mom knew L's mom in high school. Well, I think we already knew that, but K's mom didn't. Haha.

Anyway, K is leaving for Louisville, KY tomorrow and I'm a little jealous that he's going to be having lots of stuff being bought for him from those sugar daddies of his. I enjoyed Louisville when I drove through it many years ago.

Now I'm watching Grey's Anatomy since there's nothing else to do on a Sunday on the Coast. My sister's gone to the river, my dad's being a bitch or whatever he is and my mother is going around the house, doing the house work, keeping busy so she doesn't have to fight with the wildebeest. How terrible is that? Well, it's terrible for all of us, cause we have to tip toe around him and what we say because we don't want to upset him. It's like this everyday now... it hasn't been like this ever. My father has a bad temper, but he just doesn't know how to lighten up. He laughs at comedies, but he still terrifies us when we don't know what to say around him or to him.

Whatever. New subject.

I wish L didn't have to leave so soon. I only ever get to see her for three or four days. She's by BFF, so naturally I want to hang out with her for more than that. But we had a great visit. Now that she's 21, we can go out and drink and do things like that.

Last night, M, L and I had sushi at the newest hibachi/sushi bar in Ocean Springs, out of like 5 or 6 in the small town I live in. It's crazy. It was delicious. I had a California roll and a Philidelphia roll. I also had a miso soup which was to die for, and two Sappharo beers that were more than refreshing. I do love sushi and Japanese beer.

Dr. Mark Sloane is hitting on Dr. Meredith Grey presently. I think he is. He's calling Dr. Derek Shepard a poisoned well. So many doctors.

p&l
rachel

m and k went to waffle house, and i'm here alone :(

2008-07-17T00:05:00.005-05:00

I read an article about the top 22 movies with the best plot twists. Now, I was just browsing over the IMDB.com's Top 250 Favorite Movies, and it so happens that a lot of the movies from the above mentioned article are in the top 50.

Leads me to wonder if the movies that people like have the most unique, terrifying and confusing conflicts, plot twists and endings. It just makes me curious. One day I'm sure I'll be able to conduct my own studies on stuff like this.

Either way, I only half enjoy movies that have the unusual plot twists. Now, on the other hand, I do love the work of Chuck Palahniuk and his talent for creating absurd images through words with plot twists like I've been talking about. One of the movies in the article, and on the top 250 favorite movie list, is Fight Club, but that's not a shocker there.

L got into town earlier tonight. M, K, L and I are supposed to go get margaritas tomorrow night and I'm very excited about that. However, K can't drink yet since he's not 21, so I'm guessing he'll be our DD. Too bad. Every time I type in M and K, I always think of Mary Kate Olsen and hope no one gets confused or whatever.

I'm watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and she is kicking some serious demon ass. She's fighting a very large, fat demon named Balthazar. I think he just died. Season three. The mayor wants to ascend into his demon form. He's been waiting for this for 100 years. He made a deal with demons and created Sunnydale as a playground for demons and vampires, knowingly over the Hellmouth. And now, in the show, nothing can harm him until he ascends. Which will be during graduation. The mayor sure does love making a scene.

I bought all of the His Dark Materials series from the thrift store for three bucks. It was awesome. Now, I have all the single books that I rented from the library and should probably take them back at some point. It's not that they're due back any time soon, but I don't like having excess things around that I have to be responsible for.

p&l

rachel

i've been thinking.....

2008-07-16T01:26:00.005-05:00

I've been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer season three, and it amazes me how many essays I could write about love and life lessons that can be taught during this series.

I mean, there are seven seasons, I'm sure some things could be learned during these episodes. Spike has just returned to Sunnydale. Who says you can't go home? Even though home isn't Sunnydale to Spike, even though Joss Whedon says that it is. His technical 'home' was somewhere in England where he was sired by the vampire that was later known as Darla, portrayed by Julie Benz, also known for her role in Dexter as Rita.

Spike got his freaking soul back just to win the love of Buffy, the SLAYER, of all people. A vampire changing his ways to win the love of a mortal, who is the slayer nonetheless. But Buffy does have soft spot for Spike, as do all who watch the inspiring cult classic.

The episode I'm watching now, Spike has kidnapped Willow to do a love spell for him to win Drusilla back. I'm only on season three as I said... and I also said that there are SEVEN seasons.

Whatever.

However, there are many common themes in Buffy that can be related to past literature. And Buffy is part of television history, being one of the most popular sci-fi teen-young adult shows in America.

The library only carries a number of seasons, so it's a slight upsetting that I can't keep watching from the beginning to the end. Unless I want to watch them online as I did for Desperate Housewives season four.

I guess it wouldn't be so bad.

p&l
rachel

i also...

2008-07-14T00:49:00.006-05:00

I also really need to make it a point to see Hellboy (2004) and Pan's Labyrinth.

Another thing: I'm a little upset that Rachel Weisz won't be in the newest edition to The Mummy series. I've recently become a Brendan Fraser fan, and I've always loved The Mummy (1999).

And Rachel Weisz is one of my favorite actresses, I'd have to say. Many movies she's done I've enjoyed, such as Constantine, The Fountain and The Shape of Things. She's to play the mother of the girl who is murdered, Susie Salmon, in the film The Lovely Bones*, coming out in October of 2009. And Sin City 2, which is scheduled for release sometime in 2010. *The link is to the wiki-page for the book the film is based on.*

HA! I've never seen this movie, but apparently Rachel Weisz played the part of Lauren Hynde in This Is Not an Exit: The Fictional World of Bret Easton Ellis. How wonderful. I want to see this now too. I doubt the local Blockbuster (and definintly not the Movie Gallery) would have this, but I can check that online! Woo!

Alas, Blockbuster doesn't carry the Bret Easton Ellis movie, they didn't even have it in their search engine. However, the Movie Gallery website had it, but I couldn't tell if it was available anywhere near me. We have free rentals at Blockbuster anyway. There are other things I need to watch anyway, as I said before. At the very beginning of the post actually.

When M, K and I were in Gulfport the other day, we were at TJ Maxx and they had these neat @ sign wall art things. Very neat they were. They also had very cute shot glasses, and these really tiny shot glasses, I'm guessing that's what they are, that had a rounded bottom so it would kind of roll around on the shelf. It was weird, and it seemed to be impratical to me.

p&l
rachel

PS: L!!! You best bring back my Heroes DVD's or I'll be very angry. If you don't bring them, I won't let you read Tempted. Hoe. But you know I love you.

i really want some sushi

2008-07-13T22:57:00.005-05:00

My male friends M and K have been talking about sushi for a while and now it's gotten me wanting some rice and fish goodness.

I still haven't been called in for jury duty. It's almost the middle of the month, right? So, I really wish they would call me in already. We drove by the federal court house in Gulfport yesterday. It's a pretty intimidating building. Many stories. Quite looming and ominous.... It should be fun. Metal detectors and men wielding firearms. And possibly wearing bullet proof vests. Or at least that's how I imagine it.

I've been watching Grey's Anatomy online. On this website K introduced me to. It's called Surf the Channel. Check it out. Although, some of the movies on there are a bit sketchy - as in probably illegal in some form or fashion. But who cares? You aren't downloading the movies, they're been broadcast from another website, technically.

I think K put The Simpsons Movie on. It's already on HBO or whatever now?

Buster had a bath today and he smells quite wonderful.

I wish something good would come on the television. I checked out all those DVD's and I should be watching them, but I don't want to be rude and kick K off the TV and into the living room just yet. MTV2 isn't my favorite station. Like at all. However, buster is looking quite beautiful. I think it's MTV's Cribs.

Superbad was on last night, and I wish I had watched it, but something important came up and I had to leave the house. I should find out when it comes on next and set it to Auto-tune. I love Michael Cera.

p&l
rachel

if only seth cohen were real..... i would forgive his neurosis.....

2008-07-08T21:27:00.006-05:00

I'm watching Season two of The O.C. and it's absolutely amazing. Just as I remember it being.

K and I are going to be watching Thank You For Smoking soon and I'm hoping it will be as good as everyone said it is. Adam Brody is in it, so it can't be too bad. *wink*

I also rented The O.C. season three, Veronica Mars season two, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer seasons 3-5. I didn't expect to get them all at once, but... it did happen and now I have a week to watch all of it. I might have to re-check some of these things out. I know how terrible it can be if you have so many things overdue, with a ten cent a day/per item charge.

I played Super Mario Galaxy for the first time today and it was a lot of fun. Some stages are harder than others, and my sister completed a stage I could not.

It sounds like there's a duck outside my window, but I think it's actually a frog. Or TOAD, as my father corrected me today. He said, "Toads live on land. Frogs live in the water." Whatev.

Thank You For Smoking is starting and my hopes are high।

Also, check out these etch-e-sketch drawings. Pretty sweet.

p&l

rachel

[[EDIT: Ok, sooooo Thank You For Smoking was pretty awesome. It makes me want to keep not smoking. And it makes me glad that I don't smoke cigarettes presently.]]

i hope they all go down

2008-07-01T18:57:00.004-05:00

Almost everyone who knows me knows that I absolutely loathe Starbucks. Franchise coffee shops make me sick.

Buy local. Fo sho.

I wish I could buy local rawhide bones for Buster. That would make him a more organic dog in my opinion. Ok, but the reason for my posting is that I read this article on Yahoo! News.

Apparently, Starbucks will be closing down 600 stores and let go of an estimated 12,000 employees, as a result of our country's terrible economy. Also, there was mention of Starbucks competition. My question is: What competition does Starbucks have? Is there another franchise coming in behind them and taking their overly caffeinated customers away from them?

Apparently, the consumer is not in the spending mood these days, the article reads.

If it were up to me, then I would burn them all down to the ground. Coffee should not be made into a franchise. People are paying four dollar whatever for a cup of espresso and milk, maybe some flavoring, and although both espresso and milk are expensive, it's not really very economical or money wise.

Whatever. People can consume whatever they want. But frivolous purchases are ridiculous to me.

p&l

rachel

happy bday idgie threadgoode!

2008-06-29T01:40:00.003-05:00

For those who have seen the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, I know it's a little much, but today is Mary Stuart Masterson's birthday. She is 42.

She is the blonde on the right. To the left is Mary-Louise Parker, best known for her role as Nancy Botwin in Showtime's hit series Weeds.

p&l

rachel

If you haven't seen Fried Green Tomatoes, you really should. Especially if you're from the South. Or have a best friend.

a weekend of movies

2008-06-29T00:20:00.007-05:00

My posts have been few but not very far between... There's not much to talk about as of recent, but jury duty starts next week, so there might be more to talk about in the days to come... However:

It hasn't really been a movie filled weekend, I've just seen three new movies that have recently come out on DVD:

1) The Other Boleyn Girl

2) Jumper

3) The Golden Compass

It's a mixture of genres, I think it's a pretty wide variety for only three movies.

Now, I've never read The Other Boleyn Girl, or the Jumper books, but I'm slightly interested in reading them. Especially the Jumper books. I've already read The Golden Compass and the other books for the His Dark Materials series.

All three movies were good, surprisingly. My favorite amongst the trio was The Golden Compass. Then Jumper. I did enjoy The Other Boleyn Girl, because Natalie Portman was a conniving, sneaky, betraying whore to her sister. I was doing some reading on the Boleyn sisters, and apparently Mary (played by Scarlett Johansson) was a whore too. In the film, she is portrayed as a moral, slightly uptight married lady who only wants to do what's best for her family. Even if they are forcing her to become the King's mistress.

Anne was properly portrayed, I believe to the best of my knowledge. I think, historically, she should be more hated than Marie Antoinette, but I don't know how equally they were hated in their own times. Anne Boleyn spent just as much money as Marie Antoinette did, maybe more. She forced the King to break from the Catholic Church, and get rid of his first wife, which probably started the trend of his serial marriages. Six wives. Oh Anne, she created a monster of herself when she was taken to Court.

Mary... I can't believe she could have been so chaste as they made her out to be. She went along with her father's wishes, as did her husband! I suppose a man can't say no to the King when he wants to sleep with his wife. Then, when she gave birth to their first child, a son - the heir, Anne stole the heart of the King, and Mary says that Anne should know that she, Mary, loves the King. Blah blah blah. I mean... shouldn't she love her husband first over all? Her husband eventually died of a sweating sickness in 1528, at the age of 28. King Henry VIII wasn't even the only king who she was mistress to. And apparently, she had two children with the king, not just one.

I wonder what The Other Boleyn Girl would be like if Wishbone ever got his paws on the novel.....

p&l

rachel

here and there

2008-06-25T01:35:00.005-05:00

Tonight's topic: Nip/Tuck

Nip/Tuck is a very innovative television show. I have the second season on DVD, and I'm almost done with it. The Carver is making himself known in Miami. The doctors are going to be doing their second pro-bono case on another Carver victim.

Christian slept with Kimber even though she was seeing Sean. Christian was dating the blind girl, Natasha - played by Rebecca Gayheart, but broke her heart because he thinks that he's supposed to be an asshole, so he constantly is an asshole. In all his relationships. Christian is getting tested for HIV because Gina just showed up saying she is positive for it.

Sean... I've always disliked him for his over-reacting temper. He's very high maintenance for a man. As is Christian. This show makes Miami seem so glamorous and glitzy. Like another Hollywood or something. As if there would be paparazzi waiting outside the clubs and restaurants for the wealthy and well-known of Miami to unveil themselves.

Beauty is a curse on the world. I kind of agree.

I wonder why Christian keeps going back to Kimber time after time during the first few seasons, when she proves to be crazy again and again. The Kimber Sex Doll.

Nip/Tuck is kind of off it's rocker when it comes to plot twists. How so? I mean... just look at some of the things that have been part of the show: Matt isn't Sean's biological son even though he raised him for 17 years; Sean has relations with the Kimber Sex Doll and Kimber in the same night; Matt dates his life coach who turns out to be a man and was sleeping with her adopted son, then gets the shit beat out of him by transexuals who pees on him; Julia, intoxicated and on pills, falls through a sliding glass door; Matt and Kimber doing/making meth together in a trailer; and so much more.

BTW: I found everything bagels at Wal-Mart today, which makes me very, very happy.

p&l

rachel

alas - 103rd post (go organic!)

2008-06-23T23:20:00.010-05:00

So, I'm three blogs behind the illusive 100th blog posting. Oh well. No celebration. No cake. I would like some cake though. I don't feel as though I wasted the 100th post on video games.

I have to admit, that when I earlier talked about my love for VitaminWater, I hadn't yet tasted my newest favorite flavor: power-c, the dragonfruit (c+taurine) beverage. It's my ultimate favorite. I bought a 32oz. bottle of it yesterday and I haven't opened it yet, which is painful. However, I still have 3 other bottles of it in the kitchen. Go mom and go wal-mart! Even if you didn't have any everything bagels. I might just have to go in there myself and do some searching.

I picked up Grey's Anatomy season 1 today at the library, and paid a $4.05 fine. So many things out and being overdue... not very penny-smart. Re-watching this show makes me realize that Meredith Grey, being the daughter of renowned surgeon Ellis Grey, follows in her mother's footsteps, saving patient after patient with her quick thinking intuition. She saved a beauty pageant contestant who had a small aneurysm that was causing her seizures. That was the first episode. All the patients she saves are quite last-minute as well. Like she gets there with the right answer, just-in-time. Although she feels like she has no clue at what she's doing - because all interns feel that way, I guess - she keeps proving herself wrong to her superiors and peers several times during the first season. Everyone is jealous of Meredith Grey, in a way. Envious, I suppose. Wanting some aspect of her life as their own.

Something that's odd about Grey's Anatomy is that it only has 9 episodes. Buffy the Vampire Slayer's first season only had 12 episodes. I guess it's not so uncommon, but I'm going to have to do some deeper digging on the subject of why there weren't the common numbers of 23 to 24 episodes per season. With this previous season's writer's strike, most seasons only had episodes numbered in the teens.

My sister painted Buster's nails pink. I'll soon take a picture and post it, but as of right now, I need new batteries for the CyberShot.

Yahoo! has been disappointing me lately. First, the Daily Games on their Games webpage isn't working on my computer anymore. I can no longer play Word Roundup, Hollywood Jumble, or the Daily Crossword with Hints! It's saddening because I don't own a lot of games for the Mac. Or any at all for that matter. And the dinosaur game that comes with the computer is lame and I didn't really understand how to play it. I always have the Solitaire website. It's free.

Second (on my reasons on my anger with Yahoo!), I read an article about that "lost" South American tribe many weeks ago, and tonight I find out that it was a hoax. The tribe is a real tribe; however, they weren't exactly lost, there are records on this tribe from 1910. The photographer had the tribe's best interests in mind though, he says he told the fib because he wanted to make people aware of the logging in that area of S. America and how it may affect the tribe's natural habitat. We have conservations for birds and other endangered animals like koalas and certain types of penguins, why not have conservation areas for the lost tribes of S. America. Wait - don't we have that in N. America already? I think they're called Indian Reservations.

A week from tonight, I'll have to go to bed early, get up early (6amish) and be in Gulfport at 7:45am. I'll be doing some things I haven't done in a while: eat breakfast (other than at Waffle House), see early morning goings on.... I'm gonna have to get a full stock of everything bagels if I'm going to be eating breakfast.

Whatever. I'm folding under pressure. If I don't show up, lets say I don't wake up (but I'll doubt that will happen since I'm living with my parents.). Well, if I don't show up I'm going to jail, so that sounds like a lose-lose situation to me.

Ah, and I only mentioned it in passing, in a not really serious kind of way, but I did want to talk to my friend W about living together in Oxford during the Spring semester. We should probably do some chatting about that. Also, my bff L is a hoebag.

I ate the final everything bagel today. It was delicious.

(Later 1:09am - I really want an everything bagel right now.)

p&l

rachel

dumbledore v. uncle sam

2008-06-21T01:05:00.005-05:00

I just saw this on The Harry Potter Alliance website.

I have to say, it's a pretty interesting way to get the newest legals to vote. Or maybe they're going a little overboard...? Who knows.

p&l

rachel

if you crave something a little salty and sweet:

2008-06-21T00:19:00.007-05:00

For the longest time, wal-mart didn't have the delicious, my favorite, everything bagel. This is quite unheard of in other stores. I don't know why this one particular wal-mart doesn't carry them....

HOWEVER:

I did find some wal-mart bakery bagels yesterday, and to my surprise, they were EVERYTHING BAGELS!!!! It's been months since I've had the glorious taste of a toasted bagel with a good thick layer of cream cheese. Now, I've had one and a half immaculately tasting bagels.

I think the flavor of an everything bagel with cream cheese is my favorite flavor as of right now. I don't think I could think of anything more delectable. I think I'm going to need a Thesaurus if I'm going to have to explain my love for these bagels much longer.

I truly hope that they will continue to carry these in the future. Or I'm just gonna have to start shopping for my bagels somewhere else.

p&l

rachel

I <3 video games

2008-06-19T23:39:00.002-05:00

These two games I really want to play again. They were really, really fun.

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria and Dragon Quest 8: The Cursed King. Very great games. They're both less than 20 bucks at GameStop, but I don't have that amount of funds right now. Ugh... maybe I can talk one of my parents into it.

p&l

rachel

the o.c. still reigns supreme

2008-06-19T21:44:00.005-05:00

Needless to say, The O.C. is a completely classic TV show. At least it is, in my opinion.

Apparently, I haven't been blogging as much as I should be, and I've noticed I haven't blogged either. There really isn't much to talk about.

Ah, I did finish Twilight, and I have to say.... it's worth the read. Although the dialogue is cliché at times, the story is intoxicating. Edward Cullen is a rare man, or well... vampire. I've also started the second novel, New Moon.

In other news, I think my father has quit his job. I don't know if he's going to go back or not, but I'm thinking this is pretty selfish on his behalf. He can't quit his job now, without a back up plan. Without something to fall back on. I mean... now that my mom has a job, we have a good flow of cash coming in, but if he's not planning on going back to work.... I don't know. All I do know, is that this cannot end well, in whatever way this plays out. Never mind.

My sister and I made brownies the other day. They have walnuts in them, and they're incredibly great. Especially with some milk.

Buster keeps scratching his right ear. The outside, not the inside. I wonder why. He doesn't have any bugs. There ain't no bugs on the bug.

Eh.

p&l

rachel

so many things to say....

2008-06-15T01:10:00.007-05:00

Currently, I'm watching the first four episodes of The O.C. I absolutely love this show.

I never really liked the Pilot when I first saw it, but I just watched it for the second time today and it was great. I don't know why I didn't like it before.

I also picked up the book Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer, today. I haven't finished the first chapter yet, but I will report on if it's worthy of being read.

Also, this evening I saw The Incredible Hulk. I absolutely love Edward Norton. He is one of my most favorite actors of all time. Especially his performance in Fight Club. That movie rocks almost as much as the book by Chuck Palahniuk. Which reminds me that I almost bought Snuff today, but it was more expensive than the paper-back version of Twilight. I talked my mom into buying it for me. :)

As for the Hulk movie, it was quite an epic vision of beauty. Tim Roth was fun as a crazy, power hungry military man. The romance between Liv Tyler and Edward Norton was very believable. If their on-screen chemistry would match their off screen chemistry, I'm sure they'd make a very nice couple. Except that Liv Tyler's married.

I may have to see it again, because when I saw it, I was sitting on the first row in the theatre. I had to look to the left and the right to see the whole screen. It was a tad bit difficult, and now my neck hurts on top of it all.

I've been reading this fan-written book called James Potter and the Hall of Elder's Crossing. I forget the man's name who wrote it, and I'm too lazy to open the file on my computer that I have of this book, complete with drawn pictures at the beginning of the chapters and a table of contents. The book is 405 pages as well. I found it online and there was a .pdf file that you can download to read. Of course, you need the newest version of Adobe Acrobat.

I have a headache. I think it's because of my sinus. Great.

p&l

rachel

2008-06-14T13:28:00.001-05:00

What is Mischa Barton wearing??!?!?!?! Always worst-dressed, that one.

p&l

rachel

i took a very short IQ test

2008-06-14T00:23:00.002-05:00

It says I'm above average intellect, but I think they're wrong, because I know I'm smarter than that.

Haha.

Free-IQTest.net - IQ Test

Everyone should take it. What's your score? It's four pages long and like five minutes to do.

p&l

rachel

PS: Don't get confused by the offers they have after you submit your email and zip code, just check your email for a link to your score. They're trying to trick people into signing up for shit they don't want. Go figure.

what is this 'twilight'?

2008-06-12T00:33:00.007-05:00

I've been hearing a lot about this book series, Twilight, written by Stehpenie Meyer.

I'm wondering what all the fuss is about.

Vampires, blood lust, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen's forbidden love. Those being the main characters. Now that there's a movie in progress, I think I should get down to the source of the matter. It sounds very "young adult" for my taste, but I'm interested. Some "teen fantasy" is kind of what the summer is asking for. A dark tale for a bright summer?

However: I'm broke and there's a huge wait list at the library and there are four books in the series. I think all the books are hardback and 400 pages long or something. It sounds like a challenge, but all I need to do is get my hands on the books. Somehow this must happen.....

I should do a 'summer reading recommendations' post, for those lucky few who actually get to grace the beaches this summer. One day I'll actually lay out again too, if it ever stops being so gosh-darn hot outside. Or storming.

I'll actually have to do some research for this summer reading post, so give me a little time. ;)

p&l

rachel

this is funny

2008-06-11T16:40:00.004-05:00

I read an article about judging men by what they eat/order while on a date.

Read it: HERE!!!!!

It was very funny and interesting, but of course, probably not true facts. It's just a little something that will make me, and hopefully others too, think a little deeper about what my date orders next time I go out with someone.

Whenever that will be, who knows. I don't. Mississippi is not prime dating ground. Especially if you want someone intelligent, which is what I look for. One of many things I look for. But... I'm not looking now, which is slightly depressing. I'm actually having a good time being single. It's fun to flirt. :)

p&l

rachel

octogenarian - a person whose age is in the eighties

2008-06-10T20:00:00.009-05:00

These two women are tying the knot soon in San Francisco, CA and will be the first to kick-off the gay marriage law that has been recently accepted in the state.

These women are named Del Martin,(right)87, and Phyllis Lyon, (left)84. They've been together for over five decades.

I know a lot of people don't agree with gay marriage, I know a few homos (who are my friends!) even who don't like the idea. However, I think that everyone should have an equal opportunity at happiness. If marriage would make someone happy, like some people do dream of their perfect wedding (gay or not), then they should be allowed to have that.

Marriage today isn't even usually about the spiritual connection that ties the two together and to God or whatever. I guess it's kind of a religious philosophy, but are there two kinds of marriage? One where you stand in front of God and a priest or whomever and blah blah, and another where it's just a civil service. Maybe I'm just babbling. Who knows.

Ugh. I'm not going into this any further. Who knows where my blog post will end up... or what topic it will be by the end of my rant.

p&l

rachel

ah, long lost blog....

2008-06-10T00:41:00.005-05:00

It feels like it's been a long time since I last blogged. But of course it really hasn't been.

Nothing much has happened since I last blogged either. Video games, Desperate Housewives, and house work. Also weekend things, I guess. There's a fair in the area right now, but I'm not going to a fair. No thanks, not again. I went with my family to the Crawfish Festival not too long ago and I was terribly miserable. But there was good food.

Kyle MacLachlan is a crazy man on this show.

I played pool tonight and I won a game of cut throat. But lost two.

Zach Young is a crazy character as well. So many crazy people living on Wisteria Lane. Susan Mayer crying in the embalming room of a funeral home. I think every one is crazy in their own way on this show. Maybe we're all crazy from time to time.

TV dramas usually have very diverse characters all pushed together, written to be friends, and they are all friends and get along great and whatever. Each of these characters represents someone that someone else, from the audience, can relate to, I imagine.

Wether awkward and klutzy, materialistic and proud, and whatever other character types there are, each one of these character will most likely have one similar character flaw: stubbornness. It's common knowledge that the typical scenario for someone, lets say John Locke from Lost, first off - the character is faced with a difficult situation and can't see how they're going to make the right decision. In the season 2 finale, John Locke decides that they were going to stop "pressing the button" in the hatch they found at the end of the first season. The character then makes the decision or whatever and feels that they've done the right thing. When things go wrong, the character then realizes that what they've done wasn't the right thing to do. Ah, like Susan Mayer again. At the end of season 3, she chooses Ian Hainsworth over Mike Defino. Anyone with eyes could tell that Susan was more in love with Mike than she was with Ian, but like I've been saying, Susan was being quite stubborn, the "most common character flaw."

To write a hit show, have lots of characters that are stubborn and make terrible decisions that unfold horribly, but then they have everything they want happen by the end of the season. Everything falling together and whatever, but then something completely unsettling happens right at the end of the season that keeps people wanting more. It's simple...

p&l

rachel

billy goat's gruff

2008-06-07T01:37:00.004-05:00

Today has been a pretty productive day. I:

Dusted the house
Did laundry (3 loads - not my record, but still a good bit of laundry)
Took my sister to and from the mall

That's all. Not much has really happened, I guess. I watched my friend M play Oblivion for a few hours and then we started watching Desperate Housewives. The last part of season 2, and now I'm watching the third episode of season 3.

Gabrielle just ran into an old flame.

I probably need to go to Blockbuster tomorrow. Blah. Maybe I can rent The Golden Compass, I've been wanting to view it. I read the book and I heard it's not supposed to be anything like the book because of whatever stupid controversy Christians want to complain about this time. First, Harry Potter and now The Golden Compass. I wonder if they'll even finish the trilogy, since that's what it is, in book format.

It's all a big load of crock, I think. Religious controversies in young adult literature. It's called FICTION after all, right? Shouldn't we be encouraging our children to use their imaginations? Encouraging them to expand their minds? Or at least open-minded people are like that. I liked the His Dark Materials trilogy and I wouldn't give a rat's ass if my kids watched it. Being afraid that a fictional movie will change their children's religious views is ridiculous, in my opinion. If that kids really believes in what their parents believe, then that's their own choice. Religion isn't something that should be forced upon someone. What am I talking about?

p&l

rachel

desperate housewives vs. the o.c.

2008-06-06T22:27:00.004-05:00

Is Mike Delfino the older version of Ryan Atwood? They sure do act alike. Maybe Ryan Atwood had to go into the Witness Protection Program. But what would Seth, Summer and Taylor do? Who knows. Maybe I'm just going crazy.

p&l

rachel

puppies for sale

2008-06-05T18:13:00.005-05:00

I need a smaller picture for my blog. Or something better that's not me. I don't know what I want.

Anyway, today I used the Gillette Alluring Avocado shaving cream and it was pretty amazing. I don't know why we girls buy these scented shaving gels when we obviously are going to end up putting other lotion on top of that. I just like avocado.

Other than that, it's been a pretty uneventful day. I did pick up the first two discs of Desperate Housewives season 3 today, which I'm excited about watching, but I'm waiting for a friend of mine to come over. I also went to Dollar World. Big woohoo.

I have to go to Wal-Mart with my mother now.

p&l

rachel

fat carol, this is a review-blog

2008-06-04T22:07:00.010-05:00

Today, I watched Untraceable (2008).

It was a pretty good movie, overall, but truly, it seemed very bland, I guess... I can't find the right words right now.

Diane Lane plays a FBI agent that specializes in online predators of all kinds. Her partner is played by Colin Hanks and is a very likable character.

The threat in the film is a person who kidnaps people and then sets them up on the Internet where when the more people who sign onto the website, the faster the kidnapped person dies. The deaths are creative and gruesome. I'm not a huge fan of gore, but this is slightly tolerable. Gore is never tasteful though. Ever.

As a FBI agent, Diane Lane is slightly unbelievable. She seems terrified when the threat is directly upon her, without any backup. I guess someone, anyone, would be upset in that sort of situation, but an FBI agent should always be on top of their game, right? I mean, Dana Scully from The X-Files never got truly frightened about her surroundings, or have I just not seen enough X-Files?

The ending of this movie is what makes me angry. It's very cliff-hanging, I guess. There's no ending for the characters, really. It's what makes me think that this film was the movie-version of a Faye Kellerman novel. Or someone to that extent.

p&l

rachel

quick update

2008-06-03T22:10:00.007-05:00

News Flash: I have jury duty. I am a juror. For a federal court case. For the whole month of July.

It might actually be fun to get dressed up and have my tattoos all showing and whatever, and going into this large federal courthouse.

Ha. I can't wait until June 30th, when I have to call for the first time about my jury duty. What a perfect way to learn more about the justice system from a first-hand experience. Ah, we'll see how interesting the cases actually are. I doubt I'll even be able to talk about it.

p&l

rachel

death cab for cutie is rockin

2008-06-02T22:31:00.008-05:00

I've downloaded the new album, Narrow Stairs, and it's freakin' amazing. Or at least what I've paid attention to was pretty awesome.

I had a haircut today, but you wouldn't know it because the woman did like a terribly short trim. Ugh, I'm a little mad I paid 13.95 + a 5.00 tip. Bitch.

I picked up the second half of Desperate Housewives season 2 today. Some things I already know are going to happen. I wonder what it is that makes these housewives so desperate?

I also just picked up season 1 of Ugly Betty today.

Susan Mayer (said "Myer") is my favorite desperate housewife. She's a children's book illustrator, but I think she writes them too, I think. She's been divorced once, that I've seen thus far, and is in love with Mike Delfino. I want to be a children's book writer/illustrator. It's got to be pretty fun, interesting and not to mention probably easy.

Edie Britt is going crazy on this girl, but then she got attacked by a whole herd of waitresses. Quite classic, if you ask me.

Some things are unfolding in front of me on the show.

Pretty scandalous things.

I think I'm hungry, and I want some ravioli, but I don't want to go through all the work right now at 11pm just to have Buster all in my face trying to eat my food. I wish I had a table in here, or a real desk. Nah, I just want food too much. Whatever. I just want food.

I took this picture just because I was bored:

Desperate Housewives covers a lot of very controversial topics: other people spanking other people's children, sex addicts anonymous, the perfect housewife with a gay son(?), and some other things but I can't really think of them right now. One of these days I'll come up with a real list or something like that. One day I'm going to really need to start talking about actual things about books and television and movies and whatever. Maybe I could get this blog off the ground. Get other people to read it.

I had some cookies, btw. Nutter Butter. They were grrrrrreat.

p&l

rachel

time is of the essence

2008-06-01T23:17:00.006-05:00

I've seen the first half of the second season of Desperate Housewives. It's quite exciting. I can't wait to find out what happens. Then I'll have to get season 3 and then hopefully watch season 4 online.

I think Ida Greenberg is a good character on D.H. She's the local drunk until fate intervenes one night and her bottle breaks because it's hit by a bullet.

There's a dog barking on the TV and Buster is not even flinching. He had another swimming day today with my family. I stayed at home and slept all day, having another sinus headache. I really need to clean my room tomorrow. It must be done.

I don't understand why most shows don't go with the short intro sequence like Grey's Anatomy or Heroes. On the D.H. DVDs there are some episodes where it has a long intro and then other episodes that have short intros. It's pretty confusing and strange.

Ah, but I am enjoying a nice Vitamin Water. XXX flavor. Acai-blueberry-pomegranate combo. Triple my antioxidants. I love it.

I've started watching season 2 again until I can go to Blockbuster tomorrow and get the next two discs. It will be great.

p&l

rachel

desperate housewives character profile #1

2008-06-01T00:38:00.004-05:00

Name - Julie Mayer

Who is she? - Daughter of Susan Mayer

Age - 14 (Season One), 18 (Season 4)

Resident of Wisteria Lane

Julie Mayer is a very interesting character. She and her mother Susan are quite the duo, with their quick wit and honest-but-secretive relationship. Her father, Karl Mayer, left them about a year before the series begins. She loves to sing. To Susan, she was the picture-perfect child with her straight-A's and for always being honest to her mother. But being the teenager that she is, Julie does keep a few secrets from Susan, which does surprise Susan when she finds Julie making out with Zach Young, who Susan was certainly not fond of.

(I haven't seen all the seasons of Desperate Housewives yet, but I'm working on it currently with Season Two. The links go to wikipedia pages, because I like those character descriptions better.)

blah

2008-05-29T23:41:00.005-05:00

Ah, Desperate Housewives. This show is quite interesting, even if I'm watching it for the second time. The first season.

Gabrielle is supposed to hide all her belongings because she doesn't want the government to take it.

I think Susan and Bree are my favorite housewives. It's difficult to say who my one favorite is though, really.

I really do enjoy this show. Masiy Gibbons just revealded to Bree Van dee Kamp that she was with her husband at the time of his heart attack.

Ugh, I can't really think of anything else to write about tonight, but it's been a pretty entertaining evening.

p&l

rachel