Apparently, amoung the geekiest of the geek: the Magic: the Gathering players, the LAN partiers, and the d20 rollers, there is a general consensus over what is acceptable to enjoy and what it is not. For some reason, these people, who might, on a regular basis, be scoffed for their favourite activities and pastimes, find it more than okay to mock those geeks who either do not match their caliber of geekdom or enjoy things that they don't, or like what may be considered passé. I find this unfair. If you like Star Wars, I won't mock you, but don't mock me for reading manga. If you like arguing the relative merits of Dune versus Star Trek, I won't criticize, so don't criticize me for playing EverQuest. I won't scoff at your lack of knowledge in the realm of Tolkien, so don't scoff at me if I don't know every nuance of Magic. If I want to play Pokémon, I can. You all loved it when you were ten. Don't deny it. Don't mock me. Don't criticize. Don't scoff. If it was fun when we were ten, why can't it be fun now?
(As an aside, my examples are entirely random and I like basically everything included in this little rant.)
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The problem with having a blog, or rather the problem with updating a blog, is that whenever something interesting enough to blog about happens, I don't feel like blogging. It's only when I'm really bored (and therefore have nothing going on, ergo nothing to say) that I feel like posting.
In this case, I had a really bizarre dream that felt more like a sci-fi action movie than one of my usual dreams, and I really wanted to write about it. But now that I'm looking at the screen, I don't feel like writing very much at all. In fact, now that it's been a few hours since I woke up, I barely even remember the details of the sci-fi parts, not to mention the plot. It's mostly just the tone that I've got now, and that's hard to express to you without details.
In this case, I had a really bizarre dream that felt more like a sci-fi action movie than one of my usual dreams, and I really wanted to write about it. But now that I'm looking at the screen, I don't feel like writing very much at all. In fact, now that it's been a few hours since I woke up, I barely even remember the details of the sci-fi parts, not to mention the plot. It's mostly just the tone that I've got now, and that's hard to express to you without details.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Motivation
It's difficult to find the motivation to do the work I really have to do. I know, intellectually, that this work needs to get done if I want to pass these classes, and I have to pass these classes if I want to keep my scholarship, and I have to keep my scholarship if I want to stay here, and I definitely want to stay at here. Unfortunately, that intellectual knowledge doesn't translate to actually sitting down and doing work.
Hopefully, I'll start sitting down with a friend who has a similar problem, and hopefully by each of us forcing each other to do our homework, we'll each get our stuff together and get it done. I don't want to fail out of school in the first semester of freshman year.
Hopefully, I'll start sitting down with a friend who has a similar problem, and hopefully by each of us forcing each other to do our homework, we'll each get our stuff together and get it done. I don't want to fail out of school in the first semester of freshman year.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Update
It's been a while since I last posted. Not quite since January, as the post below might indicate, because I deleted my teen-angst style posts that are better suited to livejournal (where I actually started archiving them this afternoon).
Hopefully this journal will get back to what it was at the beginning, and if you look in the archives you can find some interesting (in my opinion, which may be admittedly biased) creative essays about random things I find intriguing.
Nothing of that sort just yet, though. Too mentally exhausted after the insanely daunting task of cleaning my room to contemplate it.
Hopefully this journal will get back to what it was at the beginning, and if you look in the archives you can find some interesting (in my opinion, which may be admittedly biased) creative essays about random things I find intriguing.
Nothing of that sort just yet, though. Too mentally exhausted after the insanely daunting task of cleaning my room to contemplate it.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Metal
Guess what I just got? Metal! In my mouth! Yes, braces. Yes, braces when I'm about to turn 18. Why does life hate me?
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
To the people who've affected me:
Thank you all for being there for me when I needed you, whether you know it or not, whether you read this blog or not.
Lisa and Roni: Thank you both for teaching and supporting.
Machon: Thanks for being my best friends, even if we hadn't been close before. I know I can go to any one of you for anything and you'd take me in, no questions asked, even if we've only had one or two real conversations.
Bunk 13: I want to apologize for being disconnected half the time. Being a counselor was exhausting, and I'm afraid my attention to you girls suffered because of it. You deserved much more of me, because you made me smile as often as you made me want to pull out my hair. Thank you for putting your trust in me, for listening to my poems, for dealing with my inconsistencies.
Rachel W: Thank you for pulling me aside that day early in the session to tell me I was doing a good job. That meant so, so much to me. Probably more than you know.
Mike: Thank you for being my friend. I don't think you know this, but becoming friends with you was a turning point in my life. You were the first friend I made by myself. Every other friendship I've had has started off either through another person, or when I was very young. Having your friendship meant, to me, that I was someone with a personality worth hanging out with beyond inside jokes. Thank you.
Shelly: Thank you for being my best friend; for leaning on me when you needed someone to lean on, and for being there when I needed you. Thank you for counseling me through god-knows-what issues I've had. Thank you for laughing with me. Thank you for writing. Thank you for being amazing.
Dave: Thank you for the very, very good ego boost when I most needed it. You have no idea how little self-confidence I've had. Thank you for our ridiculously open conversations. Thank you for giving me the hugs I need to make it through the terrifying place and time high school can be.
Nuno: Thank you for relying on me, and for knowing you can come to me with anything. I'm so sorry I can't be there, helping you, but you know that any time you're in the US you can come to me for anything. Thank you for being one of the closest friends I've ever had. You probably know more about me than anyone, save Shelly.
Jordan: Thank you for keeping me company, for sharing my interests in this insane group of people we call thespians. Thank you for so many other, innumerable things. Hopefully I'll be able to name them in full someday; for now I'll have to leave it at 'thank you.'
Chris: Thank you for being courageous.
Thespians & S.crew: Thank you for providing the niche in which I'm able to exist. Thank you for late nights and hard work that save me from going other places and provide me with some semblance of a social life. Thank you for allowing me to indulge in my craziness, and for tolerating it.
And with that, I believe I've come full-circle. I know I didn't name a lot of people specifically, but you mean so much to me nonetheless.
To all of you that I skipped, or included within categories: I love you all. You have provided so much support for me, and for that I am eternally grateful.
So thank you, merci, gracias, danke, grazie, arigatou, obrigado, chypta, and toda raba. I love you all.
Lisa and Roni: Thank you both for teaching and supporting.
Machon: Thanks for being my best friends, even if we hadn't been close before. I know I can go to any one of you for anything and you'd take me in, no questions asked, even if we've only had one or two real conversations.
Bunk 13: I want to apologize for being disconnected half the time. Being a counselor was exhausting, and I'm afraid my attention to you girls suffered because of it. You deserved much more of me, because you made me smile as often as you made me want to pull out my hair. Thank you for putting your trust in me, for listening to my poems, for dealing with my inconsistencies.
Rachel W: Thank you for pulling me aside that day early in the session to tell me I was doing a good job. That meant so, so much to me. Probably more than you know.
Mike: Thank you for being my friend. I don't think you know this, but becoming friends with you was a turning point in my life. You were the first friend I made by myself. Every other friendship I've had has started off either through another person, or when I was very young. Having your friendship meant, to me, that I was someone with a personality worth hanging out with beyond inside jokes. Thank you.
Shelly: Thank you for being my best friend; for leaning on me when you needed someone to lean on, and for being there when I needed you. Thank you for counseling me through god-knows-what issues I've had. Thank you for laughing with me. Thank you for writing. Thank you for being amazing.
Dave: Thank you for the very, very good ego boost when I most needed it. You have no idea how little self-confidence I've had. Thank you for our ridiculously open conversations. Thank you for giving me the hugs I need to make it through the terrifying place and time high school can be.
Nuno: Thank you for relying on me, and for knowing you can come to me with anything. I'm so sorry I can't be there, helping you, but you know that any time you're in the US you can come to me for anything. Thank you for being one of the closest friends I've ever had. You probably know more about me than anyone, save Shelly.
Jordan: Thank you for keeping me company, for sharing my interests in this insane group of people we call thespians. Thank you for so many other, innumerable things. Hopefully I'll be able to name them in full someday; for now I'll have to leave it at 'thank you.'
Chris: Thank you for being courageous.
Thespians & S.crew: Thank you for providing the niche in which I'm able to exist. Thank you for late nights and hard work that save me from going other places and provide me with some semblance of a social life. Thank you for allowing me to indulge in my craziness, and for tolerating it.
And with that, I believe I've come full-circle. I know I didn't name a lot of people specifically, but you mean so much to me nonetheless.
To all of you that I skipped, or included within categories: I love you all. You have provided so much support for me, and for that I am eternally grateful.
So thank you, merci, gracias, danke, grazie, arigatou, obrigado, chypta, and toda raba. I love you all.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Chinese Food On Christmas
So true!
We brought in on Christmas, since my family's huge and we didn't want to pile into a car. Then, on Christmas Day, I saw Sweeny Todd. Scary. Don't get me started. We were going to have hamburgers (and veggie burgers) that evening, but Beth couldn't contemplate handling ground meat.
Good times.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Is there anybody out there?
Hello...?
...Hellooo?
Anybody there?
Seriously, I've given this link to three of my closest friends. Someone of the three must actually care.
...I hope?
...Hellooo?
Anybody there?
Seriously, I've given this link to three of my closest friends. Someone of the three must actually care.
...I hope?
Friday, December 7, 2007
Frightening yet fascinating
Frankel showed this in Economics this morning. It's pretty freaky.
Humanity is spiraling, but I'm not sure in which direction we're heading, up or down.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Volunteering and 'Dancing with the Faculty'
An interesting fundraiser, if I do say so myself.
Each school was represented by a pair of teachers (or administrators, or guidance counselors, etc). Our district has two high schools, two middle schools, and seven elementary schools. HSE had the only actual couple (the Magnianis; a health teacher and a guidance counselor), and one of the elementaries had a couple comprised of two girls, which was interesting to say the least. Especially when you're standing next to a fellow techie who's muttering 'dyke' every three seconds throughout their second song, when one of them was wearing a men's-style suit. Well, he gave me someone to hit.
My job was ridiculously easy. I basically just sat next to a projector screen for about twenty minutes, then put the cover back on at the end. During intermission, I did the same thing, only I didn't have to stay sitting next to it. For the rest of the time, I sat with Russ in the lighting booth.
The auditorium was literally packed. That's never, ever happened, especially not for a fundraiser. The only other time I've ever seen a packed house is for a graduation ceremony. Oh, quick run down of our auditorium: orchestra section, plus huge balcony section, equals about 1600 seats. That's a whole lot of people. They told Jim (techie guru employed by the district to run lights and sound on a regular basis) that they weren't going to sell the balcony, so the sound setup was shit. It was glaringly loud in the front by the pit, and muffled to the point of people complaining in the balcony (so Jim and Alex, the student running the board, were given hell, I'm sure).
The next day, I got to go help with stage crew. Jim had a bunch of us come in and help fix up the lights for the music concerts in two weeks. We moved some instruments to the lecture hall, and got to do stuff on the catwalk. If you ever have a fear of heights, come hang out on the catwalk above our auditorium sometime.
Best killers of any fears (or awakeners, depending on your disposition):
But most importantly we started cleaning up 601! (Our shop) The giant, badly made cubes that have been used maybe twice and are just taking up space (they're three feet cubed) were dismantled so they're three feet square and six inches in the other direction. That, in and of itself, is a whole lot of progress if you ask me.
Anyway. Backtracking a bit, for my real rant of the day:
I had a lot of trouble convincing my dad to let me go on Friday night. He wanted me to go to services at Temple. I go every single week I'm with him, unless I've got a play or something religious. And the plays he gives me hell for, most of the time. I had to beg, three times, for him to allow me to go and volunteer this weekend.
I'm turning 18 in two months! Most teenagers my age or even younger just tell their parents "good bye, I'm leaving" on a Friday night, and their parents are lucky if they're not going to a party to drink and get high! I had to beg my father for permission to go volunteer.
Does anyone else see what's wrong with that?
Each school was represented by a pair of teachers (or administrators, or guidance counselors, etc). Our district has two high schools, two middle schools, and seven elementary schools. HSE had the only actual couple (the Magnianis; a health teacher and a guidance counselor), and one of the elementaries had a couple comprised of two girls, which was interesting to say the least. Especially when you're standing next to a fellow techie who's muttering 'dyke' every three seconds throughout their second song, when one of them was wearing a men's-style suit. Well, he gave me someone to hit.
My job was ridiculously easy. I basically just sat next to a projector screen for about twenty minutes, then put the cover back on at the end. During intermission, I did the same thing, only I didn't have to stay sitting next to it. For the rest of the time, I sat with Russ in the lighting booth.
The auditorium was literally packed. That's never, ever happened, especially not for a fundraiser. The only other time I've ever seen a packed house is for a graduation ceremony. Oh, quick run down of our auditorium: orchestra section, plus huge balcony section, equals about 1600 seats. That's a whole lot of people. They told Jim (techie guru employed by the district to run lights and sound on a regular basis) that they weren't going to sell the balcony, so the sound setup was shit. It was glaringly loud in the front by the pit, and muffled to the point of people complaining in the balcony (so Jim and Alex, the student running the board, were given hell, I'm sure).
The next day, I got to go help with stage crew. Jim had a bunch of us come in and help fix up the lights for the music concerts in two weeks. We moved some instruments to the lecture hall, and got to do stuff on the catwalk. If you ever have a fear of heights, come hang out on the catwalk above our auditorium sometime.
Best killers of any fears (or awakeners, depending on your disposition):
- Moving around quickly on the left side of the further half
- Trying to get from the top of the ladder from the further half to the grating connected to the projector room without someone to grab your hand as you leap
But most importantly we started cleaning up 601! (Our shop) The giant, badly made cubes that have been used maybe twice and are just taking up space (they're three feet cubed) were dismantled so they're three feet square and six inches in the other direction. That, in and of itself, is a whole lot of progress if you ask me.
Anyway. Backtracking a bit, for my real rant of the day:
I had a lot of trouble convincing my dad to let me go on Friday night. He wanted me to go to services at Temple. I go every single week I'm with him, unless I've got a play or something religious. And the plays he gives me hell for, most of the time. I had to beg, three times, for him to allow me to go and volunteer this weekend.
I'm turning 18 in two months! Most teenagers my age or even younger just tell their parents "good bye, I'm leaving" on a Friday night, and their parents are lucky if they're not going to a party to drink and get high! I had to beg my father for permission to go volunteer.
Does anyone else see what's wrong with that?
Thursday, November 22, 2007
The day in which we attempt to give thanks for what we have
Happy Turkey day, Americans!
This year, instead of going to Gladys's high school English teacher's house in Staten Island with the teacher's family, we spent the day (my brothers, my mom, and Beth) having a 'game day', in which we have played a multitude of board games, watched Gabe kill lots of people in Assassin's Creed, and ate a Boston Market dinner. We're still here for a good chunk of time, before going back to dad's for eighteen hours or so, then coming back here for the week. (Don't get me started on the amount of car trips this is requiring.)
It's been fun, though Gabe's occasionally a poor sport. Lots of sales tomorrow which I will not be attending, since I'll be at my dad's, and not with my mom and Beth for Black Friday.
I need Hannukah gift tips/requests for basically everybody, by the way. So feel free to contribute.
This year, instead of going to Gladys's high school English teacher's house in Staten Island with the teacher's family, we spent the day (my brothers, my mom, and Beth) having a 'game day', in which we have played a multitude of board games, watched Gabe kill lots of people in Assassin's Creed, and ate a Boston Market dinner. We're still here for a good chunk of time, before going back to dad's for eighteen hours or so, then coming back here for the week. (Don't get me started on the amount of car trips this is requiring.)
It's been fun, though Gabe's occasionally a poor sport. Lots of sales tomorrow which I will not be attending, since I'll be at my dad's, and not with my mom and Beth for Black Friday.
I need Hannukah gift tips/requests for basically everybody, by the way. So feel free to contribute.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Conclave re-cap
My mom and I drove up in her car, because she doesn't go on the bus and I don't like to. We arrived at least half an hour before any of the buses, because even though we left at almost-one and hit a bunch of really irritating traffic, we know all the short cuts (our record drive is about two hours).
Arrived at about 3:40, and I ecstatically jumped out of the car, grabbed a bag, and headed in towards Manor House. With Manor House came...Elana! Elana's a very good friend and sometimes Teva (nature program) director. Hugs all around, and then the much-missed smell of Manor House, which I certainly hope is not lost with all of this planned renovation.
I ran around a bit in an empty Manor House (unheard of!). I kept expecting to run into a whole cadre of Machon (CITs) sitting in the Great Room (which we called the Living Room this weekend), but of course I didn't, which was very sad.
When the first buses arrived, I jubilantly volunteered to be the one to lead the eight and ninth graders up to bunks eight, nine, and ten, where they were staying. It was cold. Very, very cold. And I did it at least four times, because I'm a dork and a loser. But a loser who loves Eisner!
Bunk eight, where the boys were staying, was very difficult. I kept looking at the wall, expecting to see a massively huge Israeli flag and a creepy stalker, but thankfully it has been several months since he returned to Israel, and with luck will not return.
Weekend, as a whole, was very very enjoyable after this point.
Sarah and her brother were on kitchen staff for the weekend, and it was fun to hang out with her a bit.
Saw this very cool documentary called Mechina: a preparation, and I shall be joining the facebook group for it as soon as I get home. The film was about six kids around our age getting ready for the army in Israel, and it really brought the human side of Israel to a lot of the kids in Hebrew school.
We (meaning just the seniors) led Havdallah (the Saturday night service that separates Shabbat from the rest of the week). My reading, which was supposed to be about how great Hebrew High is and how much it has affected us, basically consisted of: "I have this song stuck in my head, and because I am uber-Jew it is in Hebrew. The first line is 'Ani v'atah n'shaneh et ha'olam', which means 'You and I will change the world'. What we do here does that. We also have fun." Good times.
After that, we participated in and then led a program (when I say we I mean the eleventh and twelfth graders). The first was a heated debate, and I'll go into it another time. Suffice it to say that one particular senior is kind of a bitch and I really don't like her in any context, as she radiates an aura of hatred wherever she goes and whatever she says. The second was about development of hope and Israeli music. Don't ask, I don't know. We played HaTikva ('The Hope'; Israel's national anthem), then a song by Rick Recht called 'The Hope' (Video here, and tell me if you can figure out the venue without looking), followed by Tikva by Subliminal and the Shadow, an Israeli rap duet. Good videos, I'd recommend the songs.
And I never thought I'd miss Louie, but our song leader was awful. He was conservative, so we didn't know any of the same melodies, and he didn't precisely make an effort to sing things our way, even the songs we all knew.
While in the Beit Am (theater-type building), I found a Grease playbill from this summer. 'Twas hilarious.
Another discovery: In the library, in one of the locked cases, is a binder that looked very familiar, and, peering closer, I discovered that it is, indeed, a Machon binder; it's Robbie's, in fact. I couldn't get the case opened, though, so I couldn't look closer.
I've got lots of pictures, but those will have to come later, as I don't have a connecting cable for my camera on me at the moment. Speaking of, my mom and I went up to Lookout Point.
Oh, and Danny was there at the end of the weekend, which was nice.
And now I've written more than I have for any other post to date, so I'll stop.
Arrived at about 3:40, and I ecstatically jumped out of the car, grabbed a bag, and headed in towards Manor House. With Manor House came...Elana! Elana's a very good friend and sometimes Teva (nature program) director. Hugs all around, and then the much-missed smell of Manor House, which I certainly hope is not lost with all of this planned renovation.
I ran around a bit in an empty Manor House (unheard of!). I kept expecting to run into a whole cadre of Machon (CITs) sitting in the Great Room (which we called the Living Room this weekend), but of course I didn't, which was very sad.
When the first buses arrived, I jubilantly volunteered to be the one to lead the eight and ninth graders up to bunks eight, nine, and ten, where they were staying. It was cold. Very, very cold. And I did it at least four times, because I'm a dork and a loser. But a loser who loves Eisner!
Bunk eight, where the boys were staying, was very difficult. I kept looking at the wall, expecting to see a massively huge Israeli flag and a creepy stalker, but thankfully it has been several months since he returned to Israel, and with luck will not return.
Weekend, as a whole, was very very enjoyable after this point.
Sarah and her brother were on kitchen staff for the weekend, and it was fun to hang out with her a bit.
Saw this very cool documentary called Mechina: a preparation, and I shall be joining the facebook group for it as soon as I get home. The film was about six kids around our age getting ready for the army in Israel, and it really brought the human side of Israel to a lot of the kids in Hebrew school.
We (meaning just the seniors) led Havdallah (the Saturday night service that separates Shabbat from the rest of the week). My reading, which was supposed to be about how great Hebrew High is and how much it has affected us, basically consisted of: "I have this song stuck in my head, and because I am uber-Jew it is in Hebrew. The first line is 'Ani v'atah n'shaneh et ha'olam', which means 'You and I will change the world'. What we do here does that. We also have fun." Good times.
After that, we participated in and then led a program (when I say we I mean the eleventh and twelfth graders). The first was a heated debate, and I'll go into it another time. Suffice it to say that one particular senior is kind of a bitch and I really don't like her in any context, as she radiates an aura of hatred wherever she goes and whatever she says. The second was about development of hope and Israeli music. Don't ask, I don't know. We played HaTikva ('The Hope'; Israel's national anthem), then a song by Rick Recht called 'The Hope' (Video here, and tell me if you can figure out the venue without looking), followed by Tikva by Subliminal and the Shadow, an Israeli rap duet. Good videos, I'd recommend the songs.
And I never thought I'd miss Louie, but our song leader was awful. He was conservative, so we didn't know any of the same melodies, and he didn't precisely make an effort to sing things our way, even the songs we all knew.
While in the Beit Am (theater-type building), I found a Grease playbill from this summer. 'Twas hilarious.
Another discovery: In the library, in one of the locked cases, is a binder that looked very familiar, and, peering closer, I discovered that it is, indeed, a Machon binder; it's Robbie's, in fact. I couldn't get the case opened, though, so I couldn't look closer.
I've got lots of pictures, but those will have to come later, as I don't have a connecting cable for my camera on me at the moment. Speaking of, my mom and I went up to Lookout Point.
Oh, and Danny was there at the end of the weekend, which was nice.
And now I've written more than I have for any other post to date, so I'll stop.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Slow
I'm apparently slowing down my posting (which Jordan will probably be grateful for). And it's going to get even slower over the weekend, as I'll be at EISNER CAMP for a Hebrew school retreat. No internet access. So if I don't get back to anyone right away, that's why.
Peace!
Peace!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Cheating
Last week, I spent the entirety of a badminton game in gym class arguing about cheating. My doubles partner and I are both reasonably intellegent people, if I do say so myself, and our opponents were, shall we say, not. They were attempting to convince us that we were really mean because we wouldn't give them answers on tests. The girl we were facing kept on tossing around the phrase "share the wealth!"
What?
What?
Roleplay
I miss roleplaying. I miss having time for it, and I definitely miss Corruption. That, I think, was the worst casualty of the original Unbinded dying. Of course Corruption was already pretty much comatose by the time Ogu shut down the forums. But still. I've got the file on my (broken) computer, so if I recover the files I'll have it. Hopefully Ogu still has the Unbinded files and can send them to me again.
Another new EverQuestII expansion comes out today, and I'm still not back on the servers. I sort of want to re-up my account, but I don't have the time, the money, or the working computer to run it properly. Well, I have the money, but I owe my mom too much, and I need to save for a computer. So it's a bit circular.
I miss the guild, and I definitely miss roleplaying. I'm going to fall even further behind, since they're bumping the level cap up to 80 with this expansion, and I'm still at 50-something, maybe even just 50. I've got the cash to buy proper armor and weapons, which will be nice, considering the fact that I just moved up a tier and most of my stuff is quite a bit behind.
My mount makes me want to shoot myself some times, though, since it's only a 10% run speed, and as a human paladin I'm not all that quick to begin with. All of my groupmates always have much faster mounts and other speed increases. I'm onto my carpet quest, though, and Muqali's home so he'll probably help me out, since he's really nice. I need to be powerleveled, really, but I'd settle for being dragged through the carpet quest.
Back to roleplay. I'm trying to get into Laik's new roleplay on the new Unbinded, Staring at the Sun, but I'm confused. And I'd be happy to get into Frecyo's Shattered Sea thing, but that's even more confusing.
And on top of all that, I've still got work to do.
Dammit.
Another new EverQuestII expansion comes out today, and I'm still not back on the servers. I sort of want to re-up my account, but I don't have the time, the money, or the working computer to run it properly. Well, I have the money, but I owe my mom too much, and I need to save for a computer. So it's a bit circular.
I miss the guild, and I definitely miss roleplaying. I'm going to fall even further behind, since they're bumping the level cap up to 80 with this expansion, and I'm still at 50-something, maybe even just 50. I've got the cash to buy proper armor and weapons, which will be nice, considering the fact that I just moved up a tier and most of my stuff is quite a bit behind.
My mount makes me want to shoot myself some times, though, since it's only a 10% run speed, and as a human paladin I'm not all that quick to begin with. All of my groupmates always have much faster mounts and other speed increases. I'm onto my carpet quest, though, and Muqali's home so he'll probably help me out, since he's really nice. I need to be powerleveled, really, but I'd settle for being dragged through the carpet quest.
Back to roleplay. I'm trying to get into Laik's new roleplay on the new Unbinded, Staring at the Sun, but I'm confused. And I'd be happy to get into Frecyo's Shattered Sea thing, but that's even more confusing.
And on top of all that, I've still got work to do.
Dammit.
Rabbits
Fluffy, adorable animals, right? Everybody loves them, and only a few people love them for their nutritional assets.
But oh my god, those that do eat them: Gross. Really, really gross. And mean. Really, really mean.
We were just watching Michael Moore's first documentary, Roger and Me, in economics, and there's this woman in it who sells rabbits for food and pets to try to make ends meet. And you know me, I'm all for people having enough money to feed their families, but I shudder at bashing a bunny's head in, tying it to a tree, and skinning it, all in front of a camera. Way to make me nauseated.
But oh my god, those that do eat them: Gross. Really, really gross. And mean. Really, really mean.
We were just watching Michael Moore's first documentary, Roger and Me, in economics, and there's this woman in it who sells rabbits for food and pets to try to make ends meet. And you know me, I'm all for people having enough money to feed their families, but I shudder at bashing a bunny's head in, tying it to a tree, and skinning it, all in front of a camera. Way to make me nauseated.
Monday, November 12, 2007
On a national level
Today is Veterans Day.
I was debating whether or not I was going to acknowledge it, but I've decided that I should.
I am, though I was not always, a patriotic American.
My patriotism might not lead me to agree with the present administration, or with a lot of what some prominent individuals say, but I do love my country and what it was founded on.
I respect the sacrifice of every veteran and every soldier, even if I don't necessarily agree with the war they fought in. They fought, they died or they survived, all for their country.
My salutes to you, members of the armed forces.
Clark
Well, I had fun.
I also had no time to work on my Hebrew, but whatever. Could've gone to a Hebrew class, but then I probably wouldn't have gotten home until about now.
Clark's very nice, although the city of Worcester, which it's very firmly embedded in, is not so nice. The Provost isn't a very good speaker, but what he had to say was interesting. The astronomy class that I sat in on was a bit of a joke, as I knew everything they had to say about quasars, dark matter, and dark energy. Either that or Mr. A, Brett, and I all have very in-depth discussion.
But speaking of the astronomy class! There are four people from camp that attend Clark, and one friend from NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth). Of course, I was avidly trying to reach Jeremy, the NFTY-ite, the entire time, but he never picked up his phone.
In the astronomy class, I spent the whole time staring at the back of the head of this one guy who looked so familiar. After the class ended, he stood up, stretched, and turned around, and I immediately went "Aaron!" He looked up, and we went, "Woah, small world. Hi." He showed me to the building I was meeting my dad in and offered to answer any questions, as he's a tour guide.
Then I spoke to the Hillel director, and while talking to him, he pointed out the window and said, "Oh, there's Dan." Dan and I worked together on the Bonim (entering fourth and fifth grade) show, Peter Pan, this summer. I face-palmed a little, on the inside, and continued the conversation, as I couldn't just walk out. When I looked up again to go find him, he disappeared, and I was very sad. But then he was ten inches away, giving me a hug. Fantastic.
The Hillel director couldn't remember the name of the last Eisner-ite, though he thought she was Israeli. I, for the life of me, could not recall a single Israeli at Eisner who attends American Uni, so I was a little confused, but that's okay.
Later in the conversation, I saw someone very, very familiar walk by. Someone Eisner-y, and...Israeli. Only not. I thought she was Israeli at camp, and I was embarrassed by my assumptions there, so I blocked it. I called to her retreating back, "Yael!" She turned around slowly, and we both went, "Well. I'm confused. Hi. Random."
Good times.
Of course, Clark has more positive attributes than merely the presence of three Eisner-ites that I ran into, another Eisner-ite and a NFTY-ite. But I don't particularly feel like detailing them now, since I've already run longer than most of my other posts.
I also had no time to work on my Hebrew, but whatever. Could've gone to a Hebrew class, but then I probably wouldn't have gotten home until about now.
Clark's very nice, although the city of Worcester, which it's very firmly embedded in, is not so nice. The Provost isn't a very good speaker, but what he had to say was interesting. The astronomy class that I sat in on was a bit of a joke, as I knew everything they had to say about quasars, dark matter, and dark energy. Either that or Mr. A, Brett, and I all have very in-depth discussion.
But speaking of the astronomy class! There are four people from camp that attend Clark, and one friend from NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth). Of course, I was avidly trying to reach Jeremy, the NFTY-ite, the entire time, but he never picked up his phone.
In the astronomy class, I spent the whole time staring at the back of the head of this one guy who looked so familiar. After the class ended, he stood up, stretched, and turned around, and I immediately went "Aaron!" He looked up, and we went, "Woah, small world. Hi." He showed me to the building I was meeting my dad in and offered to answer any questions, as he's a tour guide.
Then I spoke to the Hillel director, and while talking to him, he pointed out the window and said, "Oh, there's Dan." Dan and I worked together on the Bonim (entering fourth and fifth grade) show, Peter Pan, this summer. I face-palmed a little, on the inside, and continued the conversation, as I couldn't just walk out. When I looked up again to go find him, he disappeared, and I was very sad. But then he was ten inches away, giving me a hug. Fantastic.
The Hillel director couldn't remember the name of the last Eisner-ite, though he thought she was Israeli. I, for the life of me, could not recall a single Israeli at Eisner who attends American Uni, so I was a little confused, but that's okay.
Later in the conversation, I saw someone very, very familiar walk by. Someone Eisner-y, and...Israeli. Only not. I thought she was Israeli at camp, and I was embarrassed by my assumptions there, so I blocked it. I called to her retreating back, "Yael!" She turned around slowly, and we both went, "Well. I'm confused. Hi. Random."
Good times.
Of course, Clark has more positive attributes than merely the presence of three Eisner-ites that I ran into, another Eisner-ite and a NFTY-ite. But I don't particularly feel like detailing them now, since I've already run longer than most of my other posts.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
College Search
Hampshire supplement is eating my brain. They want so much. Five out of their seven questions could be essay topics in and of themselves. Grah. Clark wants a little, too, but it's not due for a while, since I'm applying regular decision.
Speaking of Clark, I'm going to visit tomorrow for an open house, and I'm leaving at FOUR IN THE MORNING. Shoot me now. At least we're just making it a day, and not staying over and the like.
I'm bringing a little backpack of stuff, and the contents are as follows:
Speaking of Clark, I'm going to visit tomorrow for an open house, and I'm leaving at FOUR IN THE MORNING. Shoot me now. At least we're just making it a day, and not staying over and the like.
I'm bringing a little backpack of stuff, and the contents are as follows:
- One notebook, for note-taking purposes
- My folder on Clark and the like
- A whole mess of pens and highlighters, for above purposes
- My self-made Hebrew dictionary (a notebook in which I write down Hebrew words in an effort to teach myself the language)
- My real Hebrew dictionary (as in the printed kind - - the pages are yellow, in case you were wondering)
- My Hebrew workbook from the ten minutes I was enrolled in the Independent Study class Freshman year
- My itty-bitty book of Psalms, which is retaking it's position of being taken with me everywhere
- If I can find my Tanach, it's going to be added as well
Bubbles
One of my more vivid memories from first-year Ofarim (the unit entering sixth grade at Eisner) is blowing soap bubbles in the bathroom of the new Chadar (dining hall).
We would spend endless minutes after we were done with meals in the new bathroom, with its row of sinks and soap dispensers, along with loads of mirrors and lots of space. Dev and I had perfected the art of creating exactly the right consistency of lather for prime bubble-blowing, and we'd be able to create bubbles the size of our hands; the size of two hands, even. We learned our chemistry from observing the fact that a decently lathered hand, if using a slow, gentle approach, could poke at someone else's bubble without bursting it.
I was just taking a shower, and I completely zoned out and started trying to blow bubbles again. Either my soap was the wrong kind or I've lost the art.
We would spend endless minutes after we were done with meals in the new bathroom, with its row of sinks and soap dispensers, along with loads of mirrors and lots of space. Dev and I had perfected the art of creating exactly the right consistency of lather for prime bubble-blowing, and we'd be able to create bubbles the size of our hands; the size of two hands, even. We learned our chemistry from observing the fact that a decently lathered hand, if using a slow, gentle approach, could poke at someone else's bubble without bursting it.
I was just taking a shower, and I completely zoned out and started trying to blow bubbles again. Either my soap was the wrong kind or I've lost the art.
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