Memoirs of an Injured Blogger

It's 1:33 p.m. on a Monday. My school classes are in session right now. And I'm NOT THERE.
Words can't express to you how incredibly weird this is to me. I'm the "perfect attendance" kid. I haven't missed a day in three years, and before that I hadn't missed in about four (excluding my trip to Africa). So this is a little weird.
Yesterday I bent over to do something and my back started hurting. Like, really bad. So bad I ended up coming home from the library EARLY! (To fully realize what a travesty this is, see here.) I have no clue what I did... it's not like I'm overly athletic or anything like that. But whatever I did, it hurts ridiculously bad to move from about my lower back down or put much weight at all on my right leg. (Seriously. I couldn't put on my own socks this morning.) So I went to school for the first four classes (because I really can't afford to miss either of my AP classes) and then came home. I've done all my homework. I'm not going to the chiropractor for another couple hours. (I'm kinda scared of the chiropractor. It sounds scary. I've been assured, however, that she's not going to stick me with needles, so hopefully I'll survive.) I'm supposed to be off my back, which means sitting or laying down.

So I'll blog. Hi friends. :)

COOL GOD THOUGHTS:
1. Another snippet of Dad's John study: the best translation of John 14:2 is "In my Father's house are many rooms," not "many mansions." It's all one house! And it's GOD'S HOUSE! God's like, "Hey, come stay with Me. In My house." DUDE!!! That's exciting.
2. I had a cool idea last night. I'm going to start writing a Bible verse on my hand every week about something that I need to work on. In Sharpie. This is this week's:



"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
My prayer life has gotten a lot better, but I still need to step it up. I tend to pray every night and then whenever I need something, but I almost never pray any other time. I love how the "pray" part of this verse is sandwiched in between "rejoice" and "give thanks." So this will remind me to pray for the good things!
The idea is it won't come off until the latter part of the week, and by the time it starts wearing off whatever it is I'm working on will be more instinctive and I won't need the reminder so much. And the next week I move to something else! So... yeah!

LIFE IN GENERAL:
1. Take a real good look at this, America...



Because this is your Melissa for the NEXT THIRTY-ONE DAYS!! Yeeehhsss, it's that time of year again, ladies and gentlemen! NO! MAKEUP! MARCH!
Ok, it's not as exciting as I'm making it sound. It's actually a little exasperating at times. But you know what? I'm beautiful. (gasp.) Without makeup. (Double gasp.) Whether you think so or not! Hahaha! I WIN, America!
So yeah. No makeup. I'll probably talk more about that later.
2. I have an article due tomorrow for Come Fill Your Cup... and I think I'm gonna do it on No Makeup March. Yup. One track mind.
3. My back. That's eventful. But I already talked about that.
4. Saturday I had a mommy daughter day with my momma. I love her. :)
I wish I could relate to you just how fun it is to hang out with my mom. She's one of my best friends. She's just one of those people where there's no awkward silences. You're always talking, and any silences are comfortable silences. You know, a best friend. :)
... So it's obviously not about what we bought. But we bought some cool stuff. And that's much easier to blog about with clarity.
This is my charm bracelet:



I've had it since about June (my dear friend Bri gave it to me) and we've been adding charms since. My mom has one too, so it's kind of our "thing."
From left to right:
-A laptop, because I write and blog profusely
-a "Sisters" bead from Bri. :)
-A piece of sweet potato pie, because my mom calls me Sweet Potato. (Yes, Mom, I did just broadcast that to the world. Never say I don't love you.)
-A pretty bead I just liked because it looked like a crown (new Saturday)
-A music note, because I'm ADDICTED to my music (the little heart says "Music fills my heart") (also new Saturday)
-A "Friends" bead, also from Bri
-And an "m". For obvious reasons. (Also new Saturday).
Yeah. I'm a fan of my charm bracelet. :)
We also went to Panera (awweessoommeee!) and Borders (which is CLOSING!!) and Penney's, where I got a really cute outfit. But I'm not currently wearing it, and I'm too lazy-I-mean-in-pain to get up and change that. So no picture on this one.
5. I love my friends. I have the best friends ever. Sometimes I need a reality check to really realize just how blessed I am, and my latest reality check told me that my friends are awesome. So I love you all. :)

A SMALL TASTE OF WHAT GOES ON IN MY MIND....
Okay. Bear with me here.
I don't believe in aliens. That is to say, I don't believe in intelligent life forms on other planets. If there were life forms on other planets, Jesus would have had to come to die for them all on every planet, and we know He didn't do that.
HOWEVER.
I think unintelligent life forms are completely plausible.
By unintelligent life, I mean animals. But space animals. I mean, really! There could be space monsters running around in space and we just haven't found any yet. Still don't think we should be putting even CLOSE to as much tax money as we are into "extraterrestrial research", but I kind of really hope we find space beasts.
Sigh. This is what happens when I watch Star Trek.

COMMENTING ON THE ACTION...
The Oscars give me much more hope for the artistic taste of our culture than the Grammies do. That being said... I still don't have that much hope. In what world is a flick about a psycho-schizophrenic ballerina going up against a John Wayne remake for Best Picture? Sigh. (Note: The only best picture nominee I've actually seen was Toy Story 3. But the mere fact that Toy Story 3 was up for Best Picture brings me hope.)
I didn't actually watch the Grammies, and I didn't see really any of the movies, so I don't actually have much more to say on the matter. Toy Story won Best Animated Picture and Best Original Song (for a great song... Randy Newman just can't really go wrong on Toy Story songs). Alice in Wonderland won Best Costumes (for good reason... the costuming was incredible.) I know Inception didn't get much acclaim, which surprises me seeing how many people raved about it. (I wouldn't know, as I still haven't seen it... someone's supposed to lend it to me soon.) But honestly, if we're gonna be real...
This whole section was just an excuse to show you this video.



Ahahahaha! I haven't even seen Inception and that's hilarious. I like how Ken looks just a little bit like Leonardo DiCaprio. Enough that it intensely amuses me. They've got the same hair.
Oh goodness! This may be even better...



Bahahahaha. Oh dear. I need to get off YouTube. Anyways..

COMING SOON...
I'm trying out for the Jeopardy Teen Tournament tomorrow. It's an online test. Cross your fingers for me! I tried out last year and didn't make it... which is obnoxious, because the show is SO STINKIN' EASY. I could dominate. Provided I passed the personality test, which is iffy. (Yeah, they make you take a personality test. If you're not likeable enough you don't get on Jeopardy. How stupid.) But yeah. Think of me tomorrow at seven!


That's really all I have, lovelies. Thanks for keeping me entertained for a while. Now off to the chiropractor... Sigh. Much love.

<3

Author's note: The chiropractor helped a TON. I feel much, much better. I'm sure the prayers helped more than the chiropractor did! :)

The Geekiest Love Poem I Have Ever Read

This is not the nerdiest poem I have ever read, but it's by far the geekiest. I stumbled upon it. And fell in love with it.
Another thing you should know about me is that I love Mario. Especially MarioKart. I can bring it in MarioKart. The rest of my Mario prowess is not so great. But I still love it.
So this poem brings me great joy and elation. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you "Peach" by Gabriel Gadfly.

If a little mushroom guy
told me you were in
another castle
...I'd go to another castle
and another
and another
until I found you.

You are a smiling star
that makes me feel
invincible,
and in any other poem
a sentiment like that
could choke an ox,
but in this one,
it's just awesome.

When I'm standing
next to you
you could tell me
the bushes and the clouds
are the same,
and I wouldn't bat an eye.

When I kiss you
I feel like I just picked up
one of those feathers
that turns into a cape
that lets me fly
way up into the sky
but if I get too far away
just shoot me down
a little bit
gently
not with one of those
angry bullet guys
but maybe with
a playful teasing jest
at my stature
or my mustache
and I'll come right back down.

You're the flag
at the top of my flagpole.

I guess what I'm saying is this:
if you got kidnapped
by some insane
fire-breathing turtle
dragon king,
he better watch his back,
cuz it's-a me, Mario,
and you're my peach,
princess.


Hehehe. This brings me joy. And much love. :)

<3

Stuff My Friends Say

"Friendship is being stupid together."
Don't believe me? Listen to my friends and I talk. I keep a note on Facebook of all the wonderful things people say, and I decided it was time to show the world how awesome we are.


Me:"Where did my childhood go?"
Aimee: "I ate it."

Me: "Karma!"
Aimee: "Truckma!"

Aimee: "I do believe I smell tots. Of the tater variety."
Holly: "Well I should hope we're not eating tots of the children variety!"

"It's like if you got murdered by pirates and we watched Pirates of the Caribbean at your funeral!" -Aimee, on the mosque at Ground Zero

Rachel: "What happens when Timon and Pumbaa die? Who eats them?"
Aimee: "Simba. It's like the Lion King 3: Simba Gets Hungry."

*over text (the day I got to Tennessee over the summer)*
Holly: "I'm glad you made it there safely."
Me: "Me too. It's always good to make it to your vacation destination alive, it makes the trip so much more enjoyable."
Holly: "Yeah I know. I hate it when I finally get to my vacation and I'm dead."

Alice (in New Moon): "Bella, I've never met someone so prone to life-threatening idiocy."
Holly: "I have. Ryan [last name]." (That's her brother).

"Ooohhhh! Dread like dreaded not dread like dreadlocks!" -Holly, on The Princess Bride's Dread Pirate Roberts

*In Bible class*
Teacher: "So how did the Canaanites worship? What would church be like with the Canaanites?"
Holly: "...Liberal?"

"That's cold milk, man." -Kayla

"It was a gentle nom of love!" -Laesha

"My fooooot eez a wehhhrm." -Madie

"One of my toes is Catholic. Just one. The rest of them are trying to convert him." -Natalie

"It is the one booger that has escaped our nostril of cleanliness!" -Rachel

"What? That doesn't make any sense! The lion doesn't sleep, the lion WREAKS HAVOC! 'In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion wreaks havoc tonight...'" -Rachel

"If our friendship were a zebra, you'd be the black stripes to my white body! or the white stripes to my black body... or you know what i mean... either way we'd make the GREATEST MONOCHROMATIC animal EVER!" -Rachel, posting on my Facebook wall (which triggered this post)

"Eat a plum, be a cannibal for a moment." -Taryn


Oh. My friends. I love them so. Hope this made you laugh, 'cause I cracked up. Much love. :)

<3

A Pathetic Excuse for a Blogpost

Hello Bloggerverse.
I wish I had the energy to blog. I really do. I could talk about my weekend or A Walk to Remember or the fact that I'm still trying to get my mom to give blood with me or my irritation over the school musical or my discovery of OneRepublic's second album or a bazillion other things. However, I'm exhausted, I'm a little depressed for no good reason, and I think I might be getting sick (PLEASE pray that I'm not... I really don't have time for that). So until I can rant about all those things... have a video. I found this on YouTube today and freaked out. I love this song and I love acoustic versions. So this is the bomb. :)



Mmm... yes. Lovely.
Alright. I'm going to go sleep. Thanks for letting me waste four minutes and thirty-six seconds of your time. Much love.

<3

A Week in Retrospect

In the immortal words of Little Bill, "Hello, friend." :D

It's been a long week, despite the fact that I'm now going into a four day weekend. (Joy! Rapture!) Some weeks are easier to get through than others, but this was a hard one. My brain is fried. I don't have the energy to write anything that sounds good. So I'ma gonna write lists.

COOL GOD THOUGHTS:
1. Alright, so on Monday, my locker was jammed. And I mean, JAMMED. That thing was not going to open. I was going to be late for class. I was so incredibly frustrated. I'd kicked the locker three times already and it just wasn't going to budge.
So I prayed about it. And the very next time I tried, my locker opened without a hitch. There are people dying and people being born and people with all kinds of issues all over the world praying to God, and He still has the time to deal with my stupid locker problem. That amazes me.
2. In Matthew 26, Jesus is getting ready to go to the cross, and when Judas kisses him to betray him, He says, "Friend, do what you have come for" (Matthew 26:50). Friend. He's sending Him to His death, and He calls him friend! That's incredible to me.
3. In John 11, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Two cool thoughts about that (courtesy of my daddy): first, He waited four days after Lazarus' death to bring him back. The Jewish culture by this point believed that the spirit lingered around the body for THREE days after one's death trying to get back into the body (not inspired, obviously, but it's in the Mishna.) So Jesus waited FOUR days to make sure no one could think that it was just the spirit getting back into the body. Cool. Secondly, verse 44 of that chapter says "The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings." It's not until after he's out of the tomb that Jesus tells the people to untie him! So he had to FLOAT out of the tomb. Sweetness.

CURRENT EVENTS:
1. The Grammies upset me. Justin Bieber was nominated? Really? Lady Gaga won best album?? Really? was Modern music. It makes me weep. Bitterly. However, there is hope. Because Mumford and Sons performed with my boys THE AVETT BROTHERS!! (Who immediately jumped to the number 2 album on iTunes, and are still in the top ten.) At last the world catches on. And I have the distinction of saying I caught on before that happened. :) Anyways, they were amazing. I love how the best performance on the entire awards show came from a group that wasn't nominated. *shakes head*
2. I don't watch TV that much. I watch Food Network, Boy Meets World, That Girl (on DVD), and Jeopardy. So, needless to say, I was pleased to witness the historical moment in television that was the Jeopardy IBM Challenge. You have to understand that I've been watching Jeopardy for YEARS. I saw the entire Ken Jennings run (except for the day he lost... and yes, I'm still a little bitter about that). So seeing a COMPUTER beat Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, by a ridiculously large margin, was... wow. I'm torn between appreciating the progress of science and fearing the digression in our quality of life once the robots take over. It's a good thing Ken Jenning's facial expressions provided some comic relief.

SCHOOL:
1. On Wednesday I had a big physics test. I got an 89 on it. In AP, that's a big deal for me. Small victories. They make me happy. :)
2. Also on Wednesday, I had to perform a fight scene in Acting. We've been doing stage combat for the last week or so, and that was our combination. It works well in large public settings too. I "slapped" Aimee in the break room at the church building on Wednesday night and confused everyone. Great fun.
3. We're FINALLY done talking about Huckleberry Finn. That being said, my rant on the censorship of the n-word: I would never use that word. I get that it's offensive to a lot of people. But if it offends you, don't read it! Don't tamper with a classic like that. First, Twain uses that word to strengthen his satire; he's not using it to degrade or offend. Secondly, if you take it out, you lose a piece of the history the book represents. As is, it's realistic and true to the time. Take that away and the novel loses a ton. That's my thought. *steps off soapbox*
4. Registered for classes: AP Biology, AP English, AP Latin, AP Calculus (the only one I'm not excited about... but I have to take it), Government/Econ, and Concert Choir. (Concert Choir is audition, so we'll see if I make it! Be crossing your fingers for me!)

MISCELLANEOUS:
1. I found Tuck Everlasting at Sam's Club. I've been looking for that movie FOREVER (well, for the last year). It may be one of the only movies that I like better than the book. In the book, the heroine is about twelve, but in the movie she's older, so there's romance. And I'm one of the biggest saps on the planet. Anyways, good movie.
2. I didn't have enough present injustices to make this a whole category, but I definitely have one. Gnomeo and Juliet. Need I say more? Yes. I need say more. Shakespeare is rolling over in his grave. Screaming. Angrily. (On a side note, fall play next year is Romeo and Juliet. Ha.)
2. This song has been stuck in my head all week:



Ah. I love Adam Young.
And this one....



(I think I've posted that exact video before but it just don't get any better than that. I can't believe that sounds even better live than it does on the CD.)

And this one... because it's cute and catchy. And is going to be the backdrop for the script me and Aimee are going to write for Script Frenzy.



And since I'm on YouTube, here's a hilarious video I found quite a while ago and just didn't ever bother to share with you.



Yeeeaaahhhh, I'm even nerdier than you thought, ain't I?

Sigh. As my mom would say, "I guess I don't know much." Thanks for keepin' up with me. Much love.

<3

Move Over, Romeo and Juliet...

Hi. It's Valentine's Day. In case you didn't know.

Romeo and Juliet. Probably the best known play in history. People from all over the world still write letters to Shakespeare's famous heroine in Verona asking her for romantic advice.

Because she got married to some guy she barely knew (who an hour ago was desperately lovesick over some other girl) and then ended up dead. Yeah. Definitely an authority on the subject. *shakes head*

Bottom line, I don't think Romeo and Juliet are among the best couples of all time. So I'm gonna tell you my favorites. 'Cause I'm a sap who has nothing better to do on Valentine's Day. :)

JANE AND ROCHESTER in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.
This is one of my favorite books of all time. (Seeing a trend?... I'm just a smidgen biased.) Quick summary for you non-literary types (spoilers!): Jane is hired as a governess for Rochester's ward, and they fall in love (even though Jane is convinced he can never love her because of the difference in their social standings). However, during their wedding it is revealed that Rochester is already married to an insane woman that he keeps locked in a room upstairs. (It's a lot better than it sounds, I promise.) Anyways, despite her deep love for Rochester Jane knows that she cannot stay with him, so she leaves his manor, utterly destitute. She ends up staying with a minister who eventually proposes to her, but in her heart she is still in love with Rochester, so she refuses. After hearing Rochester's voice calling for help in a dream, she returns to his manor only to make sure he is alright. She discovers that his lunatic wife has set fire to the house and died in the process. Rochester has lost just about everything, and can't even see anymore, but he still loves Jane, and now that his wife is dead they can be together. Yay. Happy. :)
But some of the quotes in the book are just incredible.

When Jane thinks she is falling in love with Rochester, but considers him out of her league:
"I had not intended to love him; the reader knows I had wrought hard to extirpate from my soul the germs of love there detected; and now, at the first renewed view of him, they spontaneously revived, great and strong! He made me love him without looking at me."

When Rochester is about to propose to Jane:
"I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you—especially when you are near me, as now: it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame."

After Jane leaves Rochester:
"Perhaps you think I had forgotten Mr. Rochester amid these changes of place and fortune. Not for a moment. His idea was still with me, because it was not a vapor sunshine could disperse, nor a sand-traced effigy storms could wash away; it was a name graven on a tablet, fated to last as long as the marble it inscribed."
Oh, to write as beautifully as Charlotte Bronte. In a culture where people would appreciate it. Sigh.




CHARLIE BROWN AND THE LITTLE RED-HAIRED GIRL.
I hesitate to call them a couple, because, alas, poor sweet Charlie Brown is constantly eluded by the love of his life. However, I love the way Charles Schultz can always write the human heart, and Charlie Brown's pursuit of the Little Red-Haired Girl does it AWESOMELY. And hilariously.

Take the way love blinds people to all faults (and even normal quirks):
"She nibbles on her pencil! SHE IS HUMAN!"

... Or the stupid things we do for love...
“If I stand here, I can see the Little Red Haired girl when she comes out of her house... Of course, if she sees me peeking around this tree, she'll think I'm the dumbest person in the world... But if I don't peek around the tree, I'll never see her... Which means I probably AM the dumbest person in the world... which explains why I'm standing in a batch of poison oak.”

...Or the unhappiness love can bring when it's not returned:
"There's nothing like unrequited love to take all the flavor out of a peanut butter sandwich."

But what's so adorable is that Charlie Brown never gives up, no matter how many times he convinces himself she's going to laugh in his face. There is just no one in the world for Charlie Brown but that Little Red-Haired Girl.
Sigh. I love Charlie Brown. I would be his Valentine. :)



ANN MARIE AND DONALD HOLLINGER from That Girl.
This is one of my favorite TV shows EVER, even though it went off the air in the late 1970s. Ann is your classic "America's sweetheart": pure, sweet, and innocent. And Donald is the perfect gentleman. I would give you quotes... but I don't have the time to go watch my seasons looking for the one of thinking of, and nothing's on Google (apparently I'm the only person on the planet who still knows about this show) so I guess I won't. Come watch it with me sometime. Haha. But for now, take my word for it. They're precious.



PETER PARKER AND MARY JANE WATSON.
I love Spiderman. I mean, LOVE. And the reason I love Spiderman so much is that it's a chick flick disguised as a superhero movie. Take it from the very beginning: "This, like any story worth telling, is all about a girl." Peter's eternal undying love for Mary Jane is the whole reason he becomes Spiderman in the first place. (That and Uncle Ben dying. But Uncle Ben wouldn't have died if he hadn't been trying to get a car to impress MJ.)

When they're talking in the front yard:
Peter: "I cried like a baby when you played Cinderella!"
MJ: "Peter, that was first grade."

When she comes to visit Aunt Mae in the hospital:
"The great thing about MJ is that when you're looking in her eyes, and she's looking back in yours, everything is... not quite normal. Because you feel stronger, and weaker. Excited, and at the same time, terrified. The truth is, you don't really know what you feel, but you know what kind of man you want to be. It's as if you've reached the unreachable. And you weren't ready for it."

When she FINALLY figures out it's HIM she's in love with:
Mary Jane: "I know you think we can't be together, but can't you respect me enough to let me make my own decision? I know there'll be risks, but I want to face them with you. It's wrong that we should be only half alive... half of ourselves. I love you. So here I am… standing in your doorway. I have ALWAYS been standing in your doorway. Isn't it about time somebody saved your life?"
(long pause)
MJ: "Well? Say something."
Peter: "Thank you, Mary Jane Watson."
Wonderful. :)
NOTE: All of my Spiderman love goes to the first and second film installments and the comics. As far as I'm concerned, Spiderman 3 does not exist.


CORY MATTHEWS AND TOPANGA LAWRENCE from Boy Meets World.
Recipe for a great love story: The guy never gives up. Charlie Brown never gives up. Peter Parker never gives up. Cory never gives up. Prime example...
Topanga goes out with another guy to make him jealous:
Cory: "It's a strange feeling."
Shawn: "Knowing it's over?"
Cory: "No. Being the only guy in the world who knows it's not."

She's a jerk to him, he's a jerk to her, but they always fix it. They're undeniably human. They're beautifully imperfect, but beautiful nonetheless. And then they get married and live happily ever after! Yay. :)

Probably my favorite Boy Meets World quote of all time: "I would rather break my ankle into fifty thousand pieces than cause you any pain." -Cory Matthews



BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Does this even need an explanation? I don't think so. Best Disney couple of all time. Hands down.



And... *drum roll please*
WESTLEY AND BUTTERCUP from The Princess Bride.
I don't think there's a more classic couple. Forget Romeo and Juliet. Westley and Buttercup overcome pirates, betrothals, shrieking eels, an R.O.U.S., torture, and DEATH. Romeo and Juliet just die. Wimps.
Plus, some of the best quotes of all time are in Princess Bride.

"As you wish."

"This is true love. Do you think this happens every day?"

"You can't hurt me. Westley and I are joined by the bonds of love, and you cannot track that--not with a thousand bloodhounds, and you cannot break it--not with a thousand swords."

So very romantic, yes?


Alright, my lovelies. Time to be serious. They always say the best love story is your own... so don't wait until Valentine's Day to show somebody you love them, okay? Romantically or otherwise. Today should be extra. :)

Have a wonderful, beautiful Valentine's Day, my friends. Much love. <3

Chapter 11

Yay for blog posts that take absolutely no time on my part at present. Hehe. I have up to Chapter 14 written right now... I just gotta pace myself with the posting. But as I have nothing else to post today, here ya go. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“That’s impossible,” she said, looking up at the Sergeant with wide, unbelieving eyes.
“I wish it were,” he replied. “I truly wish it were.” He sat down once again, folding his hands in front of him. He didn’t appear nearly so threatening as he had before.
“Your grandmother was discovered. National agents knew she had the Journal, and they’d go to any lengths to either confiscate it or destroy it completely. Even bomb their own city.”
“The Diviner would never—“
“Your Diviner is a sad, psychotic man who likes nothing better than complete power,” he said. Before she could reply, he held up a hand, motioning for her to let him finish. “But we’re not here to talk about the Diviner, Miss Conrad.”
She wanted to reply with everything she knew about the Diviner, to defend his honor and therefore her country’s, but she was too curious. She wanted to know what had really happened to Nana.
“Sadie knew her time was running short three days ago, when you came to her house. She knew the book had no chance of remaining safe if it stayed with her, so she gave it to you, if my records are correct.”
“No, she…” Piper trailed off. But she realized in an instant that she had. She hadn’t even offered it outright… Piper had seen it in the attic, taken it back to the house with her. The journal. Piper had fallen asleep reading an Apocalypse Journal.
He looked at her in a cross between sadness and disappointment. “And as you don’t seem to have it with you, it doesn’t appear that the Journal made it out of the fires.”
She shook her head slowly, still ingesting the wonder of it all. An Apocalypse journal had been in her hands, and she’d left it on the bedside table as she rushed out of her burning house.
“Why didn’t they just take Nana?” she asked after a few minutes. “If it really was the Nationals, if they were just going for Nana, why…”
“Your grandmother was an eccentric person in the eyes of the community, to say the least, but she was also well liked, a prominent member of society. Her arrest or execution might have caused a public outrage, especially considering her age. It was easier on the government to simply sacrifice the whole city. After all, there are millions of others just like it. They saw Iretum as expendable, and they knew your grandmother couldn’t leave because of the forcefields. And, what with the war going on, it was an effective way to incite the people against us even more. They, of course, publicized the bombing as a Memorist attack.”
Piper hated how much sense it made. It couldn’t be, it just couldn’t. Somehow he had to be lying…
But she knew deep down that he wasn’t.
“Why didn’t she tell us? We could have tried to get out.”
“You’d have been killed instantly by the forcefield if you’d attempted an escape. There was no way out. She knew if anyone would survive to carry the Journal, it would be you. Your brother wasn’t old enough, and your mother was too loyal to the Nation to try to flee.”
There was a long pause.
“So she is gone?” she finally said. The Sergeant nodded speechlessly. She wiped tears out of her eyes with two of her fingers. “I knew she was, I knew as soon as I left that she’d be gone, but part of me hoped…”
He shook his head again. “We lost all contact with her about an hour before the attack. We sent scouts to look through the rubble for any sign of her, but none was found. As far as we know there were no survivors at all, except for you.”
“Even in the station?”
“The unfortunate thing about copper is that it melts,” he said. He didn’t need to say anymore. She remembered the dripping metal of the building and the thoughts she’d had… she’d just hoped they’d been wrong.
“So,” she said after a long pause, “what does this mean for me?”
“It means we’re not going to kill you.”
She had a sneaking suspicion that Patrick had known about Nana all along.
“Does that mean you can trust me?”
“That means we don’t distrust you. Patrick obviously trusts you, but he’s a young man. And you’re a very pretty girl.”
She blushed, too embarrassed to form a reply. Luckily for her, the Sergeant continued, sparing her the trouble of responding.
“Your grandmother trusted you as well, but you are her granddaughter. It’s natural. However, the fact that you never tried to harm Patrick in any way and haven’t made any effort to escape tells us you could be on our side.”
“I’m on nobody’s side,” she mused.
He sighed. “We’re going to have to incarcerate you, Miss Conrad.”
“What?” She stood up. “No, you can’t do that, I have to try to find Branson and make sure—“
“I went over this with you, Miss Conrad. We have as many reasons not to trust you as we do to trust you. I don’t think you can fully realize what an unusual case you are, what a strange predicament you’ve put us in. We can’t allow you to leave, Miss Conrad. We have to keep an eye on you at all times.”
“No!” She ran to the closed door and wrenched her wrist around the handle. It didn’t move. The door was locked.
“We don’t mistreat our prisoners. You’ll be given three full meals a day and even a change of clothes, if you so desire.”
She could feel tears welling in her eyes, but she shoved them back into her tear ducts and swallowed deeply. “I have to go. You don’t understand. I swear, if you just let me go I won’t tell anybody anything about you or your base or even that I met Patrick. I’ll pretend none of it ever happened if you just let me go.”
“I can’t do that, Miss Conrad. You have to consider your own safety as well. If you’ve even been seen with Private Blue, the Nation has your face in its databases. You are likely in far more danger out in the world than you are here. Here you are perfectly safe, and perhaps a little bored. That is all.”
“My dad’s a general, they wouldn’t hurt me!” She tugged on the door handle again, as if she thought it would do any good.
“Sadie’s son was the same general, if you’ll remember. Your government seemed to have no qualms about killing her for treason, did they?” His voice grew bitter and even a little annoyed.
“Stop, just stop it!” She clamped her hands over her ears in a panic. She had to get out, she just had to…
The Sergeant pressed a blue button on his desk and held it down as he spoke. “Guards, please show Miss Conrad her room.”
The once locked door swung open as two burly men rushed in to grab her arms.
“Hey!” she heard Patrick’s deep voice exclaim. “Hey, what d’you think you’re doing?”
“Step aside, Blue,” the Sergeant said calmly. Patrick, however, was in a panic, and didn’t show any intention of following orders.
“You said she’d be fine! You said you weren’t going to hurt her!”
Piper tugged against the grip of the guards, but to no avail. She didn’t move an inch beneath their stony grasp.
“She’s going to be fine, Blue. Step aside.” The Sergeant gave him a harsh, piercing look that would have terrified Piper had it been directed straight at her.
“Where are you taking her? What’re you going to do to her? What—“
“Private Blue, if you don’t step aside, so help me—“
“Just leave it, Patrick.” She looked him straight in the eye and tried to give him the reassurance she couldn’t give herself. She could feel her voice quieting and softening as she spoke, until it almost felt like cotton in her throat. “It’s going to be fine. It’s not worth this, okay?”
He met her gaze and softened, slowly backing up and stepping out of the guards’ way. She rolled her eyes in a mixture between relief and exasperation. The boy was ridiculous. She began to wonder if she had anything to do with his behavior at all; perhaps he just harbored a penchant for putting himself in life-threatening situations. She watched him walk stiffly over to the Sergeant and give him their odd salute. The commander nodded and directed the boy toward his office. He looked back at her in caution, and she merely gave him a nod, trying to be braver than she had in the past. He walked into the office and the door closed with a clang. She wondered if it had locked behind him.

Album Review-- Churchill's "Happy/Sad"

This is gold. Buy it. Okay, I'm done.
Haha. Just kidding.

I don't remember ever having heavily anticipated an album before. The only one that comes to mind is Paramore's brand new eyes, and I wasn't quite a full blown Paramore fan at the time that came out. I wasn't just DYING to have that CD.

I was just dying to have this CD. For real.

For a breakout album, this is INCREDIBLE. I don't know that there is a single song on the album I don't like. I'm on my ninth go-round and I bought it less than forty-eight hours ago. I got started on Churchill a couple of months ago with their EP (available on iTunes, also amazing) and became an instant addict. If Lady Antebellum's epic harmonies and the Avett Brother's lyrics smushed together and were simultaneously sprinkled with joy and happiness, the result would be Churchill. I can't wait to see these guys succeed. Keep an eye on 'em, everyone. They're gonna hit the big time.

I'm gonna go straight into track reviews or this is gonna take forever with my ranting. Haha.

1. "In My Hands"-- I could write a paragraph just about Tim Bruns' beautiful voice. Oh man. I... I can't come up with a description. It's just perfect. I also love the guitar on this song. It's a unique melody. Lovely. Good album opener.

2. "Miles"-- They released this as a single a while back and I bought it. And I bought it again on this album. And it was worth the two dollars I paid for it. This is where the mandolin kicks in. Yes. Mandolin. The Avetts got me stuck on banjoes and now mandolins. Why don't I live in the South? Anyways, this is an indescribably beautiful song about how love is a journey. The way the momentum builds is incredible. Favorite quote: "You know I'm a dreamer with some lazy hands, wrapped up in futures and my worn out plans. But maybe someday I'll come through in a fire." Isn't that gorgeous? (This is an intensely quotable band. And you know me and quotes.)

3. "Burn It Down" -- The harmonies in this are beautiful. Now I get to rant about Bethany Kelly's fantastic voice. She's got this uniquely sweet quality to her voice that, again, I can't really explain. But it's incredible. If voices can be soulmates, hers and Tim's most definitely are. They sound so beautiful together.

4. "Loud" -- I hadn't seen this side of Churchill from the five songs on the EP. I like it. Tim's voice has more of an edge in this song and the guitar is edgy too. It sounds outlaw-ish. :) But you get to the chorus and Tim's voice just swells and you still have the inescapable Churchill beauty.

5. "Stubborn Love" -- This may be my favorite song on the album. It's adorable. It's so classic-- the whole "I love you even though we're totally and completely incompatible" thing. Again, the mandolin is just sugary sweet (haha. That sounds like I think the mandolin is a fruit or something), and the voices are beautiful. This song just makes you happy inside for no good reason. "I know you know I'm not me without you..."

6. "Think It Over" -- If I have a least favorite song on this album, it's probably this one. It's not that it's not a good song, but it just seems a little non-descript to me. Tim's voice is still beautiful. The guitar is still pretty. The lyrics are good. Yeah. That's kinda all.

7. "We Used to Be Happy" -- This may be the saddest song I've ever heard. I'm glad Bethany has the lead on this song, because her voice has just the right wistfulness and grace for it. There's just nothing about this that's not perfect. "I overheard you on the phone with your mother, you said 'I'm so tired of being alone'..."

8. "Thank God" -- This is a great song. (Are you sick of hearing that yet?) First, I'm happy that the first lyrics are "And I thank God that I'm alive." Glad they know how to use the phrase "Thank God". This holds a special place in my heart because of all the references to God and His plans for your life, but at the same time it's a love song. Good stuff. And when Tim sings "You know me too well, you know me better than I know myself..." he could be talking about the girl, or about God. I like the double entendre.

9. "The President" -- This song... reminds me of Spiderman. Haha. There's a lyric that says "Every politician knows the value of a well-placed lie/ So if you asked what it's like to be me I'd say it's an easy life." And at the beginning of Spiderman Peter Parker says "If somebody told you I was just your average guy, not a care in the world, somebody lied." I think I just have Spiderman on the brain. But that's what I thought of. Anyways, the song. It's good. The whole time the melody just feels like it's teetering on the edge of something and if you knock it the wrong way it's all gonna fall apart. And that's basically how the speaker is feeling. Way cool.

10. "The Only One" -- If "Stubborn Love" isn't my absolute favorite, this one is. It's jam-packed full of delightfully gorgeous and yet simple metaphors. My favorites are "I was a county jail holding you part time, trying to lock you up" and "I was a junkyard dog tied to a truck tire, hopin' you'd setting me free." Bethany and Tim's harmonies are beautiful, the mandolin is beautiful, the drums are perfect, the whole song is just wonderful. It has the combined effect of making you want to cry and making you want to sing all at the same time.

11. "Happy Sad" -- This is wonderful, especially as an album closer. If they could roll all the emotions of the whole album into one song, it would be this song. Which is probably why they called it "Happy Sad." I are smart. But for real, this is wonderful. The idea is basically life's hard, but you have to take it all together and hold on for the good. "I'm not giving up... no, happy and sad are not enough..." Perfect lyrics. Perfect voices. Perfect mandolin. Yes. Lovely. Lovely lovely lovely.

In conclusion, BUY IT. Buy the whole thing. Become an addict. Feed the success these people deserve! Haha.

Thanks for reading, friends. I know these aren't my best written pieces, but I try to make them interesting. Much love, bloggers. Happy listening. :)

<3

From the Mouths of Muppets

There are precious few "pop culture" phenomena that I consider myself to be a major fan of. One is Charlie Brown. Another is the Muppets.

The Muppet Movie is one of my favorite movies of all time. I've had a hankering to watch it all week, but thanks to my term paper, I haven't had time. I guess blogging about it will have to suffice for now. I love a good lame joke-- and the Muppet Movie's chock full of them-- but what makes the Muppets truly wonderful (much like Charlie Brown) is the profound, beautiful wisdom tucked in between the hilarity. Something about the combination of corny and classic just strikes a chord with me.

I don't really have much more to say on the subject... the song's I'm posting speak for themselves. Here we go-- "The Rainbow Connection." Perhaps the most beautiful song of all time.



Yeah. That's gorgeous.

However, if that's not the most beautiful song of all time... this most definitely is. It just about brings me to tears.
I think here Gonzo perfectly illustrates the human condition. We're all longing for something. We all want to feel loved, to feel special, to feel like we're part of something more important than ourselves. And I've never heard more beautiful words to convey that idea. Ironic that a little blue weirdo from outer space would be the smartest of the bunch. :)




Yup. That's all for now.
Peace. Love. Muppets. :)

<3

The Cost of Living

At the end of World War I, the Treaty of Versailles' War Guilt Clause held Germany wholly and solely responsible for the war. (I personally think that alone was wrong. But that's not my point today.) As a result, Germany racked up an incomprehensible amount of debt. In fact, they just finished paying it off last October. The negotiators of the treaty (a group which, of course, did not involve Germany) painstakingly determined the value Germany owed for the damage done, going so far as to demand retribution for each individual fatality.

They put a price point on a human life.

These values were determined by the amount of revenue each represented country brought to the world economy. Therefore, an American life cost Germany more than any other nationality.

When we heard that in history class over a week ago, it really rattled me. I've been trying to figure out how to word this post since then, and I still don't think I'm doing it right. There just kind of aren't words for me. I tried to look the values up on Google and I couldn't find them. I'm not sure I want to know. How much is a life worth? A thousand dollars? Ten thousand? Fifty thousand?

By demanding this retribution the negotiators managed to cheapen a human life. Because the whole idea of debt is that once it's paid off, it's okay. The deal's done. Almost like they thought you could buy another person for the price of the old one. But it's even worse than that. They weren't concerned with the person. They were concerned with his work, his money. And a job can easily be refilled. A revenue spot in society can be replaced.

Did they really have the audacity to say that an American life was worth more than an Italian life? Than a British life?

I don't know. I want to say something floweringly profound, but I don't have anything. All I can say is... I would hope that if I were to get shot, no one would be able to pay my friends or family a sum of money to make it okay.

What's your life worth?

<3

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From the Princess Bride

This isn't mine. I'm a fan of "The Princess Bride" on facebook and they posted this. It was written by R. J. Keller. And being in love with the movie, I couldn't help but repost. :D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love requires absolute devotion.
“As you wish.”

But sometimes a little bit of healthy cynicism is a good thing.
“Hold it, hold it. What is this? Are you trying to trick me? Is this a kissing book?”

Patience is a virtue.
“You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles.”

Be sure to get a detailed job description.
“You never said anything about killing anyone.”

Always keep a holocaust cloak handy.
“Oh, what I wouldn’t give for a holocaust cloak.”

Scientists must be watched closely. Very closely.
“As you know, the concept of the suction pump is centuries old. Really that’s all this is except that instead of sucking water, I’m sucking life.”

Keep vaccinations up to date.
“I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder.”

Learn to delegate.
“You know how much I love watching you work, but I’ve got my country’s 500th anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder and Guilder to frame for it. I’m swamped!”

Sometimes you find a richer reward when unexpected events change your plans.
“When I hired Vizzini to have her murdered on our engagement day, I thought that was clever. But it’s going to be so much more moving when I strangle her on our wedding night.

If a psychotic, six-fingered man slaughters your father, commit a very clever, very cool line to memory that you can whip out at a moment’s notice in the event you run into him along your travels. Practice it on every new acquaintance.
“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

But the most important lesson I learned, even though I knew it before I saw The Princess Bride, was the joy a good book can bring:
“When I was your age, television was called books. And this is a special book. It was the book my father used to read to me when I was sick, and I used to read it to your father. And today I’m gonna read it to you.
Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yeah. I love the Princess Bride. :)

<3

Happy Birthday Langston Hughes

Hem hem hem... in honor of the occasion I am posting a poem. Or two. Or five.
In case you didn't know, Hughes was a poet of the Harlem Renaissance. He was one of the first widely recognized black poets. Writing in the 1920s through the 1960s, he was greatly influenced by the introduction of jazz poetry and you can here jazz-like beats in some of his poems.
And I like Langston Hughes. That's important too. :)

Quiet Girl
I would liken you
To a night without stars
Were it not for your eyes.
I would liken you
To sleep without dreams
Were it not for your songs.

Isn't that beautiful?

The Dream Keeper
Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamer,
Bring me all your
Heart melodies
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
Away from the too-rough fingers
Of the world.

Just gorgeous.

Acceptance
God in His infinite wisdom
Did not make me very wise-
So when my actions are stupid
They hardly take God by surprise.

Haha. Too true.

Juke Box Love Song
I could take the Harlem night
and wrap around you,
Take the neon lights and make a crown,
Take the Lenox Avenue busses,
Taxis, subways,
And for your love song tone their rumble down.
Take Harlem's heartbeat,
Make a drumbeat,
Put it on a record, let it whirl,
And while we listen to it play,
Dance with you till day--
Dance with you, my sweet brown Harlem girl.


See? It's so great I can't even think of any good comments. He's just wonderful.

Silence
I catch the pattern
Of your silence
Before you speak.
I do not need
To hear a word.
In your silence
Every tone I seek
Is heard.

Poets have an incredible way of not only putting things into words, but putting them into beautiful words.

Question
When the old junk man Death
Comes to gather up our bodies
And toss them into the sack of oblivion,
I wonder if he will find
The corpse of a white multi-millionaire
Worth more pennies of eternity,
Than the black torso of
A Negro cotton-picker.

Wow. Isn't that such an incredibly powerful image?

Yup, this is what I do on my day off of school... look up poems. Haha. That's really all I have to say. Happy birthday my poet friend. :)

<3