From the person who got NOTHING done tonight

Advanced Global Personality Test Results Extraversion |||||||||||| 50% Stability || 10% Orderliness |||||||||||||||||| 73% Empathy |||||||||||||||||| 76% Interdependence |||||||||||||| 56% Intellectual |||||||||||||||| 63% Mystical |||||||||||| 43% Artistic |||||||||||| 50% Religious |||||||||||| 43% Hedonism |||||||||||||| 56% Materialism |||||||||||||||||| 76% Narcissism |||||| 20% Adventurousness |||| 16% Work ethic |||||||||||||||| 63% Self absorbed |||||||||||| 50% Conflict seeking || 10% Need to dominate |||||||||| 36% Romantic |||||||||||||||| 63% Avoidant |||||| 23% Anti-authority |||||||||||| 43% Wealth |||||| 20% Dependency |||||||||||||||| 70% Change averse |||||||||| 36% Cautiousness |||||||||||||||| 63% Individuality |||||||||| 36% Sexuality |||||| 23% Peter pan complex |||||| 20% Physical security |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Food indulgent |||||||||||||||| 63% Histrionic |||||| 23% Paranoia |||||||||||| 50% Vanity |||||| 20% Hypersensitivity |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Female cliche |||||||||||||||| 70%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Procrastination...for fun and non-profit

Your Hippie Chick Name is: Vega

Get your own Hippie Chick Name

Isn't Vega a planetary system or something?

pretty good You scored 17 American Logic Points!

Wow, you actually look around every once in a while. Congratulations.

Not very smart according to that.

English Genius You scored 92% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 93% Advanced, and 88% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go! Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it! For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

But pretty much a geek when you think about that.

And now for two Star Wars related things because I'm watching RoTJ as promised:

A worthwhile cause, as far as stupid causes go.

Strangely exciting...woohoo, more Star Wars

And your Star Wars quote for the evening:

Could you tell Luke, is that who you could tell?

How good does it feel

Man, I am so glad tomorrow is Friday. This week hasn't been inherently stressful for me, but it's the first full week I've worked in a while (I know, I suck, but still). Also, there's been a LOT of down time as the kids test, which I have put to mostly good use with the paper correcting in anticipation of all things Quarter Closing on Tuesday, but still. I've been hungrier this week because I haven't been as active. Went to the gym Monday and Wednesday though, so go me.

A friend of mine had her second baby yesterday. I feel bad that I didn't call her the night before. I am a horrible friend, I think. I don't call or make contact with people as often as I should. But there's the 5 year old in me who asks why THEY don't make contact with me, so is it really my fault? I know, that just sounds whiney. It's just how I feel right now.

Tomorrow is the Fool's Day. I am wondering what kind of horrors my students will inflict upon me. They already stole my stapler on Monday or Tuesday, so I can't imagine they'll be NICE about things tomorrow. I swear to God, these sophomores may just well be my undoing.

Not much else to report on. The Star Wars website I frequent is down for repairs, and I'm grumpy about that. Maybe I'll go watch Return of the Jedi to make myself feel better.

Strange result for me

You scored as Winter. You are WINTER. You're more introspective, thinking deeply, feeling deeply. You love nothing better than to enjoy one on one time with those who are important to you. You are cautious, and sometimes second guess yourself. Dreams, though you have them, are a luxury, because life is not a plaything.

What Season Are You?
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Boozin' Bunny

If the Easter Bunny missed your house, or left you the wrong stuff...we apologize. Those of you who know my parents understand how hospitable they can be. 

Who are these kids? And why do they keep handing me papers?

So tomorrow begins the hell known as CAPT testing. Remember taking the SATs and how stupid the proctor sounded? Now I get to be that stupid-sounding proctor. Woo-hoo. I'm all for standardization of instructions, but do they have to sound so brain dead? A valid question, I feel.

So Easter was very Easter-like, the bunny brought me two spring-colored shirts and some Hershey Hugs. I did NOT get any Cadburry Cream Eggs, however, and I feel I must rectify this situation asap. How can you have Easter without the Cream Eggs? Yet another valid question.

Okay, so the outside reading project is on take 2 for most of my students. You would be amazed at how many of them "forgot" about it and are now complaining they have a weak to read an entire book and do a project. If you wanted to see my sympathetic face, it wasn't going to be today.

Target sent me a gift card thing in the mail and informed me that "Darth Vader will be waiting at a Target near you." It's a $1-off coupon for any Star Wars figurine on April 2. But my hopes were very high for a few moments there.

Here's to a weird-ass week!

More drive home poetry

A compass like Sparrow's
spins out of control;
his pointed to treasure (cursed)
my destination--unclear

Feeling like a half-full soda bottle
surrounded by adolescent knees;
prayed over and cursed for landings
not of my own accord

Got a broken drive (sex)
frustrating my normal technician;
don't want to change shops
but need something else

Looking for my brightest star
but I don't need Neverland;
just a place to call home
without any doubts.

When good marshmallows go bad.

Found this at http://tacomablaze.blogspot.com/ and found it too funny not to share. 

Ah, irony

Okay, so with my 90-minute delay, I got a chance to peruse the paper. Apparently, there was some hullabaloo with the "American Idol" voting so they had to re-vote last night. This is a direct quote from one of the show's message board:

I voted last night for two hours and I will not be home tonight to do it again. I HAVE A LIFE.

Just roll that around for a little bit.

Snow or no?

Okay, it's spring. So why are they predicting 5-8 inches of snow for tonight into tomorrow? Is this fair? Is this just? Is this at all remotely what I want out of my life at the end of March?

Yeah, I guess it doesn't really matter what I want, does it?

I went to work today like a good oompa-loompa, only to find out my seniors were horrible to the sub. So when they started complaining about her, I said "You guys were horrible, what were you thinking?" and wouldn't let the discussion continue. Bad practice? Quite possibly. Will I live with it? Yupper.

I re-read the beginning of a Star Wars story I wrote last year (or was it the year before? Anyway...) and am wondering why I was trying so hard to re-write it. It really is...well, good. I found a typo in it, but other than that, I was pretty pleased with the material. Maybe I should just go with it and add on to what is there already. Not that writing fanfiction is a productive use of one's writing skills, but the fear of failure is lessened because you know no one will ever expect you to publish the thing, so as long as you're happy with it and the characters remain relatively true to themselves, what IS the problem?

That's all the wisdom my stuffy head can muster. Cheers!

Sick Day #2

At least this time I didn't pass out in the living room. My sleep was in 2 hour intervals last night, punctuated by hour breaks of sweaty stuffiness. Got up when alarm went off, felt a little weird, then tried to make breakfast and had to have an immediate sit-down otherwise the passing-out-thing would have happened again. I was still planning to go in b/c I had left my desk in disarray and no one would've been able to find anything. Then asked Mom (she had the day off re: Dad's doctor's visit) if she would drive me to work so I could leave plans. She says yes. So I call in sick, then Mom and I take the 40 minute round-trip to work so I can leave hellions something to do in my absence. Am pissed because today was my best schedule and I missed it. Also missed CAPT-informational meeting that was after school today. Was informed by mentor not to come in tomorrow if I still feel icky, but tomorrow is PD and they would frown on me not showing up for that. So right now I'm looking for something like renewed energy, and possible less stuffiness--I can deal with the fever.

I spent several hours sleeping through/watching all sorts of stuff on Ancient Egypt; I think Dendera would be proud.

At least the weather is nice, eh?

Highs and Lows

Low--Monday morning, work, ug

High(ish)--Evil Seniors not quite so evil

Low--Illness returns avec vengance

Low(er)--Other seniors really stupid

High(ish)--Two upperclassmen showed up for detention, a miracle

Low--drive home sucks

High--Daunte Culpepper jersey (a medium!) arrives and fits

Low--Dad can only eat jello (fun & exciting medical procedure tomorrow) and is cranky

High--Cleo very entertaining while I attempted to put away groceries

Low--Work tomorrow, still sick

High--1/2 day on Wednesday, no school Friday

Ostara!

Happy Spring everybody! The snow storm we were supposed to get up here has decided to just be rain instead, so those of us who are ready for an end to the winter dulldroms have high hopes for the coming weeks.

I think I'm coming down with a cold...stuffy nose, itchy throat, all that fun stuff. I also have no desire to do any of the correcting/planning I intended on doing today. I've got some time before the bf wakes up, so I can do it, it's just a matter of actually wanting to. Which I don't. What's my motivation, I ask?

I just completely blanked on what I wanted to blog about. As I was typing that last sentence, whatever it was flew out of my head and seems to have slipped through the un-opened window into nature, where I suppose it...

Oh! I remember. In my shopping excursion yesterday, I bought myself a new outfit for the bf's bday dinner. The skirt was a size 8. 8! I haven't been an 8 since high school! My joy knew no bounds at that. I also bought my replacement strappy black sandles because my other two pairs finally met their maker around September. Now I really want to go shopping down at the outlets, though, because I want new clothes! I'm such a girl when it comes to clothes. *shrugs* Whatever.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Bad Gift Givers Annonymous

So I am now the proud owner of Harry Potter's wand. That's right, envy me for my cool yet useless movie memorobilia.

I, however, gave a really crappy gift (mainly because he had it already which my source did not inform me of). And now today is Tusc's birthday, and what I've got for him is probably going to be a flop. So I have to go shopping today and find something MUCH better. Anyone know what to get the man who has EVERYTHING? Please call me.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

1/64 Irish is enough, right?

You know, I didn't have a bad day. For the most part, my students were on-task and well-behaved. Yet strangely, I have a killer headache. I've been thinking a lot about work lately and wondering what it is that I'm still not doing right. There should be a little more gelling at this point; a routine established in September and not deviated from for 6 months really should be pretty ingrained at this point, no?

Anyhew.

I have still MORE correcting to do. It just never ends. I also lost a pen today and I'm really pissed. I have no black pens at school now. I need to go out and buy some tomorrow. Yes, I know I could have the school supply them, but it would be next August before I got them.

In about two weeks they have to tell me if they're keeping me on until next year. I am nervous. I feel vaguely sick. I am very tired. I want to cry. I want it to be the weekend. My mother said I should call in sick tomorrow, but I can't justify it.

A strange request

After watching The Phantom Menace last night, and the following reminiscing about Star Wars theatre-viewings, I had an idea for what I think might be an interesting article. What I need now, however, is anecdotal information from various women about how Star Wars has affected their lives. I'm looking specifically at relationships created/strengthened/ruined by the movies, and other such stuff, but any information will suffice. Working titles include Divine Secrets of the Star Wars Sisterhood or The Softer Side of Sith. Anyway, that's what I've got for now. More correcting and planning now required.

Sometimes, the carbs are just necessary.

I can eat low-carb pasta, and low-carb bread, but there is something really wrong with my low-carb hot cocoa. It's gross, but I have a 4 more packets left to drink. Perhaps I should start spiking it with something. Any suggestions?

After getting out of work 35 minutes late, I listened to my bf and went to the gym for 35 minutes, then came home and blew said gym visit w/pizza and beer for dinner. Or rather, did I just counter-act the gym visit, bringing me back to square one? Anyway. After that, though I did not want to correct papers, I popped in good ol' The Empire Strikes Back and cruised through a class and a half of papers. I still have to finish correcting the tests I gave the kids on To Kill a Mockingbird but what I'm reading so far isn't too terrible. Perhaps tomorrow night I will watch Return of the Jedi while correcting. OR I might try the "modified Star Wars viewing" and watch Ep 1, then Ep 2 and finish off with Ep 6. Not like any of you care. But Star Wars is back on the brain.

Tomorrow I'm going to review CAPT answers with those who took the last practice and give the last practice to the other class. My cup runneth over with excitement. This is one of the reasons I actually wouldn't mind teaching only upper classmen; you don't have to worry about this FREAKING test anymore. Gah.

Anyway, quiz results as I go off to watch 24. Mmm...Kiefer...


You Are Sango: You're a very serious person and you
expect other people to take you just as
seriously as you take yourself. You may not be
unthinkingly passionate, but you would do
almost anything for someone you loved.
Sometimes you're too stiff for other people,
but you've learned to choose your friends
wisely so that it's not a major problem.


Which Female Inuyasha Character Are You?
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You like the ones that understand you.


What kind of guy are you most attracted to? (CUTE anime pics)
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PS--Goddesses, are we going to Europe yay or nay?

This is to what Procrastination leads.

Talk about your split personalities. These two lovely gentlemen are currently adorning my computer desk. Vader came with some cheapo plastic key chain. Anakin is supposed to hang on your Xmas tree. What does it say that Anakin is bigger than Vader? Hmm... 

Correcting Interlude

FOLLOW THE FLIPPING DIRECTIONS!

How hard is that? I mean, if someone gave you a set of written directions on how to get from one place to another, you wouldn't skip around. No, you would start at step 1 and move on to step 30, not skipping and not deviating. Why then, when I give my students a clear outline on how to do something, do they feel the need to deviate and/or ignore it entirely?

Leia's about to get terminated. And my DVD player froze. Again. WTF??

Second random thing--they now have lava red Star Wars poptarts. You bet your ass I got some.

Sunday Afternoon

Well, the weekend is winding down. I've enjoyed much good food this weekend, too much, really, and now I must force myself to do work that I've been avoiding all week. Perhaps it was my inner-college student rebelling against the lack-of-week-off in March, but I didn't do any correcting this week. I still performed my job successfully, but anything I brought home at night just ended up right back in my bag and made the trek back to school. Not this week though. This week I am going to be grading and planning like a fool. I have to read a 162-page book so that I may teach said book to my freshmen, and come up with new and exciting ways to get my seniors to read. As you can imagine, the latter is going to be a bit of a challenge.

Anyway, having not slept well the past two nights, I'm hoping my energy maintains so that I don't nap today and further f-up my sleep cycle.

Hope everyone had a splendiferous weekend! I'm off to watch some form of Star Wars and grade essay tests.

Embracing the Nerd--Part 2

1. Did you grow up with SW? Official SW introduction was early, but as the walking-talking teddy bears were scary, I did not appreciate the magnificence until I was 12 or 13.
2. Do you think it had some sort of effect on your life? Um, look at my blog name. I'd say yes.
3. Can you speak the dialogue along with the characters? Who can't?
4. Who was your favorite SW character as a child? Vader
5. Who is your favorite SW character now? Anakin/Vader
6. With what SW character do you most identify? I don't really identify with any of them. Odd, no?
7. What is your favorite quote from each of the original movies? ANH-"He was probably afraid you'd follow old Obi-Wan on some damn-fool idealistic crusade." ESB-"You are in command now, Admiral Piett." RotJ-"Tell your sister, you were right."
8. What is your favorite quote from Episodes I and II? TPM-"What's that got to do with anything?" AotC-"He's holding me back!"
9. Favorite scene in the original trilogy, without which SW would simply not be SW for you: (Amanda's right, how unfair to pick just one?) Probably the scene where Vader is choking poor Ozzel across space.
10. Favorite scene from Episode I and II: Just one scene for the two movies? After Yoda fights, when he picks up his cane and hobbles away. Classic.
11. If you could be one SW character for a day, who would you be and why? Padme. Why? Because I'd get to sleep with Anakin. Really, isn't that reason enough?
12. Would you have taken Luke’s hand off if it had been you fighting him at Cloud City? I probably would've taken off his whole freakin' head. Luke annoys me sometimes.
13. Would you have passed Yoda’s welcoming test on Dagobah? I'd like to think so. I might have been a little suspcious about his house, but since he was the only form of sentient life I'd scene, I wouldn't anger him.
14. Would you have taken Vader’s hand on the bridge on Cloud City? Probably. Not because I felt like joining the Dark Side, so much as I didn't want to plummet to my death and also I'm a sentimental fool.
15. Would you have accepted the Emperor’s offer of a place at his side? No, because that would make my father, you know, dead, and that's not cool.
16. Would you have let Luke leave Endor to face Vader alone? No, I would've called Han and we'd either have beaten the desert boy into submission or had him agree to take us with him.
17. Ewoks: cuddly teddy bears, or tasty midnight snack? As mentioned above--formerly, scary things; currently, cute little teddy bears.





Which flock do you follow?

this quiz was made by alanna

Trailer

Because for some reason, my friend Amanda's blog won't allow me to post, I shall muse here on the subject of the Ep III trailer.

Now, as most of you know, I have liked the prequels as a whole. You cannot tell me they suck. Well, I mean, you can, and I totally agree with your right to your opinion, but you're not going to change my mind. So if you just want to tell me I'm insane and wrong, then find some place else to post.

That said, I liked the trailer. Really, I liked it a lot. I didn't mind the dialogue, I didn't mind the action. I'm just REALLY excited for this movie to come out. My only sort of...whatever about both of the trailers we've seen so far is this--why are we only seeing Natalie Portman from the boobs up? We know Padme is pregnant in the movie, otherwise where would L&L come from. Anyhew. In case anyone wants my hypothesis, I don't think Anakin is interested in power so much as someone letting him do things his way--which is EXACTLY what the Emperor is offering. And when the council won't let him be a Master, that's just saying "Yeah, you might be the Chosen One, but you're still a pansy ass kid." Anakin wants to make something of himself, and doesn't like the rules holding him back. (Lest we forget the wrench-throwing scene of Ep II).

May 19th, where art thou?

Because quizzes are way cooler than information

Poseidon


?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
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You are a water angel! Very proud and powerful you
always make people feel great about themselves
and you seem to radiate happiness! You rock!


Which natural angel are you? (awe-inspiring pics!)
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You are a Ballerina. You are the classic princess
between all, you have an opinion about almost
everything, your friends respect you and see
you as a role model cuz you are always in your
way up. Your ideal man is someone who respects
the successful and intelligent woman you are.


What kind of dancers are you? (Girls only)
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Embracing my inner nerd

1. If you could use The Force, would you choose to be a Jedi or a Dark Jedi?
I don't think I would CHOOSE the Dark Side, per se, but I think I'd end up there. Not for anything exciting or noteworthy, either, like mass murder, but for continually blowing things up that pissed me off. Not people, things.

2. What color lightsabre would you choose?
Gotta be a traditionalist and say blue. 'Cause...yeah, no real reason.

3. Would you ever want a double-bladed sabre like Darth Maul’s?
N'ah. 'Cause I'd hurt myself or someone else.

4. To whom would you want to be apprenticed as a Padawan Learner?
Anakin. Too yummy not to follow.

5. If Yoda had told you that you didn’t need your weapons in the cave on Dagobah, would you still have taken them with you?
I probably wouldn't have taken the lightsabre...a blaster would have been sufficient. Because if there's anything really nasty in there, I don't want to be within arm's length.

6. What weakness would the Emperor exploit in an effort to turn you to the Dark Side?
Lack of patience and my desire to help others as quickly as possible.

7. Were you a Dark Jedi, what would you take as your name? Lady...no idea. I'm very bad at naming myself. Good thing my parents did that job.

Murder-Most-Non-Existant

There was an article in The Hartford Courant this morning about King Tut. Apparently, someone finally gave archaeologists permission to CT-scan the dude. They have come to the conclusion that the 19-year-old, 5'6", well-fed king with a slight under-bite was not violently murdered. The "blow" to the back of his skull is more likely from embalming and the break in his neck probably from when his mask was removed when the tomb was discovered. They're thinking poison, maybe, but it'll be difficult to prove this late in the game.

Also, there was a review of The Perfect Wife, which is about Laura Bush. Apparently, she's much smarter than her husband and, IMHO, aligns more with what a lot of women really thing, but is "perfect" because she keeps her mouth shut. You know, some people didn't like Hillary Clinton, but at least she spoke her mind.

I have a 90-minute delay today, but I couldn't fall back asleep after "The Call." So I guess I'll, I dunno...do something.

Well, this is a time waster, but fun!

Describe yourself using one band and song titles from that band
Created by naw5689 and taken 21181 times on bzoink!
Choose a band/artist and answer only in song TITLES by that band:	Barenaked Ladies
Are you male or female:	Jane
Describe yourself:	I'll be that girl
How do some people feel about you:	Leave
How do you feel about yourself:	Too Little, Too Late
Describe your ex girlfriend/boyfriend:	Second Best
Describe your current girlfriend/boyfriend:	The Humor of the Situation
Describe where you want to be:	The Old Apartment
Describe what you want to be:	Some Fantastic (Ivory & Ivory)
Describe how you live:	Blame It On Me
Describe how you love:	When I Fall
Share a few words of wisdom	Everything Old Is New Again
Create a Survey | Search Surveys | Go to bzoink!

Scene from the Untitled Story

When the rain started, she was too far removed to take any notice. Though somewhere, deep within herself, a memory sparked to life. One of music and twilight. Even as she laced the sheets together, Phalin’s mind wandered from distant to recent past, collaging a story that defied explanation but seemed perfectly coherent.
She stopped for a moment, listening for creaking floorboards or coughing guards. In the wee hours of the morning, even Nichodemus’ most loyal men felt the need to sleep. Phalin was, after all, but one woman, and in her month-long captivity, she had never once tried to escape.
She tried to concentrate on the ropes, remembering knots her father had taught her. But the music kept playing in her ears, reminding her of Tasnee’s wedding reception. The silks, perfumed heavily, had draped across the courtyard balconies, giving the party a thicker, slightly drugged quality. Their mother had slipped off behind the fabrics more than once, hiding the tears that came forth everytime Tasnee and Raghnall kissed.
Over in the corner, Raghnall’s younger brother had stood, hand wrapped around a beer mug, pouting in a most unregal manner. He nodded to those who walked by, but Phalin had not seen the man eat anything or speak to anyone since the ceremony. He had held her hand loosely during Amara’s Circle, never making eye contact.
Her finger slipped, grazing an unexpected pin, and she cursed loudly, coming back to the lifeless bedroom and encroaching rain. Red blood dribbled onto the white sheets, spreading out into a vine pattern. Outside the door, she heard the guard shift his weight, but he let out a snore and nothing else.
Index finger pressed tightly between her tongue and upper pallete, Phalin ignored the iron taste in her mouth as, one handed, she lugged the bed sheets and other linens towards the balcony doors. The cloth reminded her of the saddle and horse feed she and Xerian had unloaded in the stables that afternoon. Her muscles, still sore from the sudden bout of physical activity, fell into the earlier rhythm, tugging and piling her escape route.
Watching the rain outside, contemplating how best to open the door without alerting all of Nichodemus’ forces, her mind wandered backwards, once again, to the wedding reception, and the crying skies that had mimicked her mother’s sorrow. Servants and guests alike dashed about the court yard, looking for a dry place under a tiny awning. Phalin had ended up next to Cairbre, whose sullen look had changed to positively irate.
But in the memory, as the rain let up, the man next to her was no longer Cairbre, but Xerian. He kept his eyes on her, scanning the crowd. She was no longer safe at home, but surrounded by Nichodemus’ lackeys, who continued to move closer, not allowing her a moment to breathe. Xerian put his arm around her waste, pulling her away from the crowd, taking her into an alcove that did not exist at home.
A knock on her prison door sent a shiver up her present-day spine. The linens still piled in the corner, she paniced. There was no time to put everything back on her bed, and no time to completer he plan at the moment. Pressing the cloth between her free arm and her body, she carried-rolled-pulled the ball to her bed and kicked it until most was hidden safely underneath.
Finger still in her mouth, Phalin walked to the door and opened it slowly. Xerian stood tall, resting into the doorframe casually. His blue eyes fell to the sleeping guard on the floor and he almost smiled. Gesturing towards the room beyond, Xerian let himself into her chambers, leaving her to close the door without waking the guard.
“What do you want?” she asked when she thought it safe to speak, hoping the bleeding of her finger had stopped. Luckily, it had.
“I came to tell you,” he said quietly, “that if you’re going to attempt an escape, make sure to close your curtains or work under minimal light. I could see your entire attempt.”
Phalin’s face went red and her stomach turned angrily. She was going to be killed before the hour was gone, dragged into Nichodemus’ bed chamber for a beheading. She cursed herself.
Xerian began to look around the room, and Phalin made no move to stop him. It only took him a few moments to discover the ball of sheets, which he kicked out into the middle of the room. Seeing the blood, he gave a little nod.
“We’ll have to untie the knots. When I’ve been gone for about fifteen minutes, wake the guard and say that you need new linens. The stain will be enough of a reason.” His face was serious, and betrayal floated behind his eyes. “That’s a lucky slice you have on your finger."

*******

Okay, the line I just came up with was "My chai latte is phitzing at me." Enjoy!

On Writing (sorry Mr. King)

If anyone finds a muse around who doesn't make you think you suck every time you write, could you perhaps pass him/her this way? I've got this strong urge to write, and have had it since yesterday, but everything I put down lacks something. My writing, I think, is becoming more and more directionless. Or, perhaps, now that I write with a destination in mind, I'm having trouble getting there.

I'm trying to pinpoint the problems and I can't seem to. Unless it has something to do with all my brain power being funneled to work, but I doubt that. I did my BEST writing while I was actually in school; couldn't write for crap over the summer. Although I did have a good go at it the second summer I worked at Pratt, but that was more from being trapped somewhere for 8 hours with both no distractions and no work to accomplish. I know, envy my summer work experience.

Now though, there's nothing. I wonder if perhaps I need to start something new, because I am having the hardest time with all of my already-created pieces. Maybe I need to shoot for something shorter, something quick and dirty. Poems don't really appease the need, but they come to me more quickly than prose does. I have two great titles for stories with no stories actually existing. Perhaps I need to sit down with one of my million writing books and just start at the beginning, exercise 1, and see what happens. The worst is that it sucks and, to paraphrase Anne Lamott, I hope I don't die before I can change it. Or I like it and I want to share it with everybody.

I think I'll do that. I think I'll start a file in my computer just for these little exercises. Much like the body (I did go to the gym today, FYI), the writer's brain must be worked regularly. Someone make it a point of asking me daily if I've done any of either.

Here, a weird ass thing:

Rainbow of Icons by FreezingInTheSno
Your name
Favorite Color
Birthday
Your Pink Icon
Your Blue Icon
Your Yellow Icon
Your Green Icon
Your Red Icon
Your Purple Icon
Your Orange Icon
Quiz created with MemeGen!

More Catholic questions

Okay, so apparently there was a special position in the Italian Catholic Church for the prostitute assigned to the local priest; he was her only client and she was paid by the Church.

Anyone know about this?

FYI--Some day, I'm going to name a story "The Church's Whore."

Quiz results

You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the
tongue of the ancient Romans is a real
anachronism. With its profusion of different
cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a
language; it is a whole different way of
thinking about things.

You are very classy, meaning that you value the
classics. You value old things, good things
which have stood the test of time. You value
things which have been proven worthy and
valuable, even if no one else these days sees
them that way. Your life is touched by a
certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are
even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain
fascination with the grotesque and the profane.
Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad
transplant. Your problem is that Latin has
been obsolete for a long time.


What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Point to Ponder

The following quote was in The Hartford Courant, embedded in an article by a Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer (female) in response to that moron from Harvard about why women don't succeed like men do:

I'd like to propose this simple scenario: One gender gained the power position and has been really reluctant to share the space.

Discuss or not, but that is this Sunday's pearl of wisdom from everyone's favorite left-leaning newspaper.

A poll

Does imitation bacon count as meat for a) Catholics during Lent and b) vegetarians?

Please answer in the comment field.

TGIFF

Yes, the double-F is intentional. Fill in your own adjective.

I have this horrible muscle tension where my shoulder blends into my back on the right side of my body. It's like a reached for something wrong, but the pain won't go away. I probably should have gone to the gym to stretch it out, but as I thought I was going to drop into a coma when I got home, I decided instead to just forgo the gym for the entire week. I believe that is some kind of recent record on my part.

So far, my seniors seem to be enjoying Night, which makes me mildly happy. I'm subjecting my poor freshmen to CAPT stuff, but I promised the another novel after this so hopefully they'll play along just enough. I had some kids give me some stuff to grade today, but because of the way my schedule went, it didn't make it onto their progress reports. I'll probably call parents to let them know that the work did get in, and what the current grade is. After I call all the parents of kids who really ARE failing. Two very different groups.

We had a yay-for-me moment today at a department meeting, which involved a CAPT exercise I'm doing with my freshmen. Seriously, my co-workers applauded me. This was mostly because our VP was in the room, but still. Yay. It didn't change my outlook on this asinine (I love that word) week, but gave it a little up-turn at the end.

I'm in a bit of a conundrum. My co-workers are all going out next Friday for drinks and maybe dinner. Not sure on that. Anyway, one of the other English teachers has threatened to spread nasty rumors about anyone who doesn't show up, especially me because I missed the last 2 gatherings (for Christmas I was sick, for the other I was going to the Goddess Conference). Said teacher also promised to buy me my first drink however. Now, why is this a problem? B/c the boyfriend and I will be celebrating 5 years on Friday. Not that I'm looking for suggestions, but it's a weird thing to be figuring out.

TGIFF.

No! Don't let them read about controversy!

List of the top 110 banned books (of all time). Bold the ones you've read. Italicize the ones you've read part of. Underline the ones you specifically want to read (at least some of). Read more. Convince others to read some.

I don't know if I should be disturbed by the number of them I haven't read but want to or what.


#1 The Bible
#2 Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
#3 Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
#4 The Koran
#5 Arabian Nights
#6 Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
#7 Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
#8 Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
#9 Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
#10 Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
#11 The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
#12 Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
#13 Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
#14 Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
#15 Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
#16 Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
#17 Dracula by Bram Stoker
#18 Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin
#19 Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
#20 Essays by Michel de Montaigne
#21 Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
#22 History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
#23 Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
#24 Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
#25 Ulysses by James Joyce
#26 Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
#27 Animal Farm by George Orwell
#28 Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
#29 Candide by Voltaire
#30 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
#31 Analects by Confucius
#32 Dubliners by James Joyce
#33 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
#34 Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
#35 Red and the Black by Stendhal
#36 Das Capital by Karl Marx
#37 Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire
#38 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
#39 Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence
#40 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
#41 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
#42 Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchel
#43 Jungle by Upton Sinclair
#44 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
#45 Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
#46 Lord of the Flies by William Golding
#47 Diary by Samuel Pepys
#48 Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
#49 Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
#50 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
#51 Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
#52 Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant
#53 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
#54 Praise of Folly by Desiderius Erasmus
#55 Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
#56 Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
#57 Color Purple by Alice Walker
#59 Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke
#60 Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
#61 Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
#62 One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
#63 East of Eden by John Steinbeck
#64 Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
#65 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
#66 Confessions by Jean Jacques Rousseau
#67 Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francois Rabelais
#68 Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
#69 The Talmud
#70 Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau
#71 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
#72 Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
#73 American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
#74 Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
#75 Separate Peace by John Knowles
#76 Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
#77 Red Pony by John Steinbeck
#78 Popol Vuh
#79 Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith
#80 Satyricon by Petronius
#81 James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
#82 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
#83 Black Boy by Richard Wright
#84 Spirit of the Laws by Charles de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu
#85 Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
#86 Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
#87 Metaphysics by Aristotle
#88 Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
#89 Institutes of the Christian Religion by Jean Calvin
#90 Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
#91 Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
#92 Sanctuary by William Faulkner
#93 As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
#94 Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
#95 Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
#96 Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
#97 General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
#98 Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
#99 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Alexander Brown
#100 Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
#101 Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines
#102 Emile Jean by Jacques Rousseau
#103 Nana by Emile Zola
#104 Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
#105 Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
#106 Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
#107 Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
#108 Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck
#109 Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
#110 Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

I suck

The link below sums up my feelings toward much of my life at the moment, with the exception of perhaps my boyfriend, my cats and some friends.

Sadness