Monday Night Update

November has been the month of craziness for me, but I realized it's been nearly three weeks since I last blogged, so here's an update in bullet point form, complete with visual aids, for you.

• I have had to write two complete papers, a composition, and an outline this month. Woe.
• On the other hand, the last weekend I spent entirely in Charlottesville was the 5th through the 7th. I went to DC for a day with a group from Brown to see a production of Hair at the Kennedy Center on the 14th, and last weekend I went to Richmond on a short retreat with Wesley.
• I have finally finished a book (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)! And I watched the film adaptation in Swedish. It made me feel cultured.
• I have started reading The Hunger Games, because Mark of Mark Reads Harry Potter fame selected it for his next project. So far it's interesting, although I totally called Katniss's sister being picked instead of her. I'm only one chapter in as of this writing - we'll see how this changes during my Thanksgiving travels!
• NaNoWriMo is a big time failure for me. I've maybe written 500 words. Yeah, sorry, just haven't had time. Maybe I'll get more done during winter break.
• I'll be going to South Carolina in March. I'm pretty excited; it'll be a Wesley mission trip and we're driving through North Carolina to get there, so I'll get to see two states I've never been to before. Score!
• Oh, and this happened:

   

Deathly Hallows: Part 1 review is also happening, but I need to see the movie again before I write it. I had a great time at the midnight showing, though!

Happy Turkey Day!

Entertainment 2010: October 1 - October 30

Entertainment 2010: October Update


Books: New Reads
None


Books: Rereads
Persuasion by Jane Austen


Movies: First Viewings
The Social Network
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
The Joy Luck Club
How to Train Your Dragon


Movies: Repeat Viewings
Lady and the Tramp
The Sound of Music (the first act, anyway)
Up
A Bug's Life

Faith

I am

• a Christian
• a believer in life after death in some capacity
• accepting of evolution, other scientific facts
• certain that these are not contradictory stances
• willing to question
• deserving of respect

I am not

• simple
• stupid
• weak-minded
• gullible
• in need of a crutch

Life Sucks and Then You Die

Congressman Tom Perriello lost his reelection bid. I suppose it was incredibly optimistic of me to even hope we had a chance, after the healthcare vote (because people in the 5th district who don't live in Charlottesville are crazy and don't recognize a good thing when they've got it), but I honestly thought that his willingness to act according to his principles and be honest with his constituents would appeal to moderates and even some conservatives. I guess a little sense in American politics is too much to ask for.


I hate - HATE - that this election will be seen as a repudiation of President Obama's policies. People must really have short memories, or they would remember how awful things were under Bush. Look, economic recovery takes time. And I know, American people, that you're used to getting your way, right away, when you want it, and acting like spoiled children when you don't, but politics doesn't work that way. It is an inherently slow process. And you know what? That's a good thing. And if you think that Republicans are somehow going to get you your jobs faster, you're delusional. They're in the pocket of corporate America, and they certainly don't have the interests of the lower and middle classes at heart. This is the party of tax cuts for the rich and cutting unemployment and welfare benefits for the poor. As much as they claim to care about the little guy, they do absolutely nothing that will help him out.


The thing is, though, if you're willing to buy the Republicans' bullshit, you deserve the ineffective and deadlocked government you will get, with a Republican House (and Speaker Boehner, gag me) and a Democratic Senate, with a Democratic president that will most assuredly veto any remotely conservative legislation. Absolutely nothing will get done in the next two years, and it's your own damn fault, gullible American public. It's called patience. Try it sometime.


I am so unbelievably frustrated right now. Eff this.

Twenty

Thank you, my dear roomie!

Sanity Stories

I'm planning on writing a more extensive recap of my experiences at The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, but to finish off my October project, here are some of the more interesting snippets of the day.

• When we were waiting for a train at the West Falls Church Metro station, some man came up behind me and put his arms around me, thinking I was his significant other. Obviously the mistake was cleared up very quickly, but as my friends pointed out, I was a lot shorter than his actual girlfriend/wife. Which begs the question: was he under the impression I was perhaps the woman he was having an affair with? I shall never know.
• It was Mary Lacy's birthday. When we finally got onto the Metro, our car filled up quickly. We decided it would be a good idea to start singing happy birthday to Mary Lacy in the middle of a packed Metro car - and all the complete strangers around us joined in! We were all full of the excited rally-going spirit, I guess. It was cool.
• When we walked onto the mall, we were handed pamphlets by vegans and peaceful Muslims.
• The one line of the Stewart/Colbert song I heard quite clearly? "Straight men who like Glee."
• We heard that UVa football had won their game as we got back to West Falls Church and started climbing the stairs of the parking garage. We burst out into "The Good Old Song," to the bewilderment of the people using the elevator beside us.

More to come soon. In the meantime, we can dwell on the fact that my 20th birthday begins in less than 5 hours (sort of; I wasn't born until about 3:30 in the afternoon in Kansas City, but November 1 is my birthday all day). And November is NaNo month. Let's see how I do!

Final tally for the October Project: 25/31 days.

I <3 MUSLIN!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow

It's only a day away!


I'm staying at Chez Mary Lacy in NoVa. Her parents are gracious hosts, the food is excellent, and the house very pretty. Tomorrow is rally day! I'm enjoying a little Phineas and Ferb before bed and then am anticipating an excellent and fun-filled day.


Time to restore sanity and keep fear alive!