Chronicles of a Silly Witch: Sunny Day

Momo, the witch had woken that morning to find the sky that was normally cloudy, clear and sunny.  She laid in bed staring out the window at the sight that had become so strange to her but yet so beautiful.  It was there that the brilliant idea hit her.  She jumped off her loft bed onto the mattress below and with another bounce she was on the floor.  After getting dressed she grabbed a blanket, the book she had to read for school, and a pitcher of lemon-aide and headed outside.  Finding a nice place under a tree that was in full bloom, she spread out her blanket and laid down on it.  There she laid reading until her friend the anthropologist came out with the same idea.  Laying down next to Momo the both read the book they needed to read for homework.  The sun had moved the shade of the tree a foot when they both could not take it anymore and threw their books into the air and laid there, half in the shade, half in the sun, enjoying spring.  Until they became fully engulfed in the lazy afternoon and their eyes lids slid shut.  Later that day, when they showed up to dinner one got complemented on her nicely red legs and the other on looking like a red raccoon.

Chronicles of a Silly Witch: Her Magic Wand

Waves a magic wand, "Paper be done!" paper does nothing so try again. "PAPER BE DONE!", again same responce from the paper but not from the witch.  She starts having an emotional break down and starts slamming the wand into the laptop over and over again screaming, "Why wouldn't you work?". Until the magic wand snaps in two and water and glitter comes pouring out onto the laptop.  The laptop, not liking the abuse, the water, and especially not the glitter turned off with a puff and little cloud of smoke.  Now sad that her wand broke and her laptop isn't her friend anymore, the witch cried until someone walked up and put a mug of steaming hot cocoa in her hand and patted her on her head.  Sniffling she took a sip and felt all better and like she could get on with her paper.... But her laptop still would not turn on.... Opps.

Heart of Darkness

"No, I don't like work.  I had rather laze about and think of all the fine things that can be done.  I don't like work- no man does- but I like what is in work, -the chance to find yourself.  Your own reality - for yourself not for others - what no other man can ever know.  They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it really means." (Conrad 51)

Spring break is over and so is lazing about without anything productive to do.  The spring term of my college has started and to kick it off we have started with reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.  This is one of the few books that I have read this year and can honestly say I enjoyed it.   Not sure how much of the enjoyment came from the book being good piece of literature and how much of it was just the fact that it is literature. (Literature is some of the easiest pieces of writing that we read at my school, compared to philosophy, theology, and etc.)

"'The other shoe went flying unto the devil-god of the river.  I thought, By Jove! it's all over.  We are to late; he has vanished - the gift has vanished, by means of some spear, arrow, or club.  I will never hear that chap speak after all,- and my sorrow had a startling extravagance of emotion, even such as I had noticed in the howling sorrow of these savages in the bush.  I couldn't have felt more of lonely desolation somehow, had I been robbed of a belief or had missed my destiny in life.... Why do you sigh in this beastly way, somebody?  Absurd?  Well, absurd.  Good Lord! mustn't a man ever - Here, give me some tobacco'..." (Conrad 87)

As someone who gains a small amount of pleasure from writing stories, I find myself amazed by the way Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness.  He puts a distance between the reader and everything that happens in the story.  While reading the book I was completely emotionless, which I often frown upon in a book of this kind because it usually means the author lacks talent to write.  But in this book it is what I find so amazing because he did it on propose.  Things Conrad was writing about needed his reads to have a distance from what they were reading.  Making them get emotional as Marlowe (the main character)  gets emotional would have made them feel close to Marlowe which was not wanted in this story.  So I stand amazed by the beautiful piece of art Conrad has constructed and published, even though it is not the type of art that usually draws my attention.

If you are considering reading it I say, stop considering and read it!!  If you have never read it before, maybe  never even heard of it before I say find a copy and read it!  It is written beautifully and it shows some of the ideas that were starting to be expressed during the early 20th century.  If you are in a reading group, suggest this book to the group. So if you haven't gotten the hint yet, get off you computer, go to the library or bookstore and Read This Book!!!!

Rain Town

In this town, since who knows when, rain has never　stopped.
Residents moved out to suburbs and high ground around
"rain town."
People's memories are now deeply submerged.
But into this forgotten rainy town
sometimes, someone wanders.
Graduation film a Kyoto Seika University.

A friend shared this movie with me today.  It is short so if you have the time I hope you will watch it.  Where I am currently living it rains about half the year and so this film has already found a special place in my heart.  

Blessings

Mad Russian's Dinner

Once every year, the president of my college assigns the students with the task of writing and preforming something.  Each class works on it together and comes up with something fitting to the category they were given and but with as much humor in it as they can stuff it with.  Then on a Saturday night was we dress-up, some of us in dresses others in jeans and t-shirt (and everywhere in between) and we sit down to eat a meal cooked by the president of the college.  The meal consists only Russian food and it is some of the best food one could ever eat in their life time.  Then after having Russian cream for dessert, the performances begin. 

That is what my night started out with, laughter, good food, and much more laughter.  But there was much more to last night then the dinner party.  There was a walk in the cold to the grocery store to get the last ingredients to make a cake.  There was a staring contest which probably hasn't stopped yet unless someone has washed Jacob's drawings off the table.  There were brownies and a dance party in the kitchen.  And to top it off we watched History of the World Part I.  

Now that that night is over I am going to go nurse my foot(because I dropped a stool on it last night).

Have a nice day.

Snow Drops

I found this small field of snow drops.  It was the first time I have seen real snow drops.  I have seen them in photos and plastic snow drops but seeing the real thing was great.  I picked a few and brought them back to my room.  They now sit next to my computer and brighten my day a little every time I see them.

I wish you will find your own snow drop today to make your day even a little bit better.

Spring has Arrived

Went out this morning to get a bubble tea.  Found the shop closed but I found these flowers on the way back home.  Spring is here!!

Playing with Art

This this just something I did for my art class.  I am currently playing with a different style of art then I have ever used before.  As well as using charcoal instead of pencil.  It is a new experience but I am having lots of fun with it.

Waiting For Snow

So why am I waiting for snow?  Well I have never lived where it snowed and I have heard that it only snows once a year here.  Being a California girl I really want to see it when it first starts to come down.  And the weather report said it might snow this weekend.  Plus it is a THREE DAY WEEKEND!!!  I know it has been a while since I posted anything at all.  I guess that's what college can do to someone.  So what have I been doing... well I just finished putting some scarfs up for sale on etsy.  Interested in seeing what I have made?  Just go here and look at my items.  But here is a picture of my favorite of the scarfs.

I have been crocheting lot lately because it is easy to do during class and the teachers don't mind.  I have also been reading alot.  This last week I read some of Rousseau's The Social Contract and De Tocqueville's The Old Regime and the French Revolution.  This weekend I am planning on reading Mill's Utilitarianism and Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.  I hope this weekend is a great weekend for all of you who read this as it is already has started out being for me.