UPDATE!

That thing you wear around your neck with your graduation gown? It's a stole. Mine is light blue.

(GRADUATION DATE: TOMORROW.)

Driving Lessons

So, I drove for the first time today.

And I do do not mean this is the first time I've driven today. I mean that I've been asking for driving lessons since I got my learner's permit, and my parents have finally relented and took me out in our white mustang for a first lesson.

Driving, obviously, is not a skill that comes naturally.

I have avoided any major incidents, but according to my father, I need to work on my steering. And staying to the right side of the road. And accelerating. But hey, I didn't crash into anything -- my dad jerked the steering wheel before I had a chance to do so.

People apparently do not like first-time drivers. As I'm going along at about 5-10 miles an hour in my little neighborhood, two cars pull up behind me, and my dad indicates for me to pull over and let them pass, and, like, I can see their faces looking down at me from their big cars -- they are scowling at me. Completely annoyed, as if they hadn't once been in my position.

We drove up and down the relatively straight road, learning to turn and when to press the gas -- and which one is the gas, and which one is the brake -- and then we ride around the block. I pushed the accelerator all the way up to 15 miles an hour. My hands are still shaking.

I should've started learning to drive several years ago, back at age 15 (and 6 months, as per state law). But I didn't even get my learner's permit until I was sixteen, and it's taken me over a year to convince my parents that driving in the 21st century is a skill I must learn to possess.

And let me say, we probably should've never invented automobiles. Driving is as stressful as it gets for me, and I'm one of those ultra-slow, careful drivers. (I learned that in go-carting. They kicked me off the track, I was driving so slow.) And, yes, it's nice to be able to travel to relatively far away places with relative ease, but dang -- is it hard to keep your attention on mirrors, road, and which pedal your foot is pressing.

And, since I don't take pictures of our family car, please enjoy a photo of my cat. I'd bet Sarabie is perfectly happy avoiding all cars. And traveling in general.

 

[Insert Interesting Title Here]

It's been an entire two weeks since I last posted. I do apologize for my impromptu hiatus. I would blame my midterm exams, and the review for them, but really it's that I'm too tired from all the review and exam-ing to post anything.

Yesterday was the last day of my exams. I only had one -- in photography. Which certainly doesn't sound terrible, but all of my pictures are awful, I had the most awful migraine, I barely got any sleep the night before. So I considered not posting anytime this week or weekend. Or even getting out of bed. But I'm a tough girl, I like to think; I took a couple painkillers and here I am.

Instead of a nice, relevant post centered on one topic, this post is sort of a hash-mash of what I've been doing these last couple of days. Starting with...

My knitting, my book, and my cup of tea.

1. Knitting. This is one of the weirdest inventions of humankind, in my opinion. It's numbing; exhausting; difficult. But in the end, even the small amount I've managed in the past few days makes me absurdly pleased. Proud, even. It's just loops of yarn and a couple of aluminum needles -- but it looks complicated and amazing, and I made something with my hands. Created something, when I'm normally a passive reader and consumer.
    
2. Reading Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. Anyone who looks through my archives will know that I'm generally not one for literary, popular, or classics -- but The Bell Jar is something different. Depressing, honest, with this sort of bruised, timid, recoiling-from-life sort of mood. Painfully close to heart. And I can't help but connect to it, like seeing a mirror that reflects a sadder, heavy-spirited version of myself.
3. Research. I went to the library and checked out 18 books -- only nine of which were for-fun fiction reading. I'm pretty proud of myself. I don't typically wander into the nonfiction section. But I braved it out this time, trying not to think that the people around me are judging my lack of knowledge in all those numbers on the spines of the books. Of course, these books range from beekeeping to medicinal herbs to forensic sciences and clay techniques and jewels.*
4. Orphan Black. Seriously. It's a Canadian series on BBC (I think). About this woman who sees a woman identical to her step in front of a train -- and so she decides to take this woman's identity. It's a bit graphic in places, but it's worth a watch. (My mother watches it, too. We have this long geek-fest about stuff like Orphan Black, BBC's Sherlock, and Once Upon a Time, which is another of my favorite shows.) My mother needs to stop recommending shows to me.

Yea, I'm not a complicated, dramatic person. But I love my little things.

So, have a blessed weekend. Read some books. Learn knitting. Watch a little TV. It's the holidays, after all. 

Did I mention it was the holidays?

Mary Shelley is helping us with our wrapping paper.

*Not forensic sciences and clay techniques and jewels in one book, obviously -- I mean I got three separate books on those three separate topics. But how awesome would it be to have a book that combined all three of those? It would be a fiction masterpiece, assuming it's even decently well-written.

Archery Mishaps

So, today, I decided that for-goodness'-sake if I want to learn archery, then I will. My little brother has a set of bow and arrows he used last year when he was on his elementary school's archery team, and the expensive thing's just taking up space anyways, and it's not fair that my little brother gets the archery set before I do.

So, I asked him politely and he let me use his bow and arrows. And laughed as he watched my pitiful aim, though not in a harsh, mean-spirited way; more of the way you laugh when a sibling does something like try archery without having any aim.

Anyways, the archery range-thing we have set up -- an old mattress leaning against our fence, surrounded by bags of dead leaves and with a paper bull's eye target skewered to it -- is... not the best, for beginners. Behind the fence, of course (this being the suburbs) is another house, and their backyard. And these people are not our next-door neighbors; they live a half a block away, literally behind our house. (Or we're behind them. Perspective, right?)

And, of course, when your aim resembles that of a small child's, you are bound to aim too high and watch as that arrow sails straight over the fence and into the backyard of a complete stranger.

I have learned the hard way if you want to learn archery, you must insist on a decent archery range. Perhaps I'll move it myself, to lean against the fence of a neighbor I actually know.

I have also learned not to walk barefoot half a block to retrieve said arrow. It roughens and burns the soles of of your feet. But, on the bright side, I've found out the stranger-neighbors are actually really nice; they didn't question a young boy and his older sister retrieving an arrow from their backyard. They just smiled and opened their back gate to us, and let us search for ten-fifteen minutes for that blasted, hard-to-find glorified stick arrow.

So, I'm taking it easy today. Tomorrow's Halloween, and I'll be puttering around my house, hoping to avoid the inevitable knock on the door, because someone in our house'll have to smile politely and tell little kids that we don't have candy. (And if we did, we would eat it ourselves, not hand it out to strange little kids.) Instead, today I've taken a nap, typed up this blog post, written an essay and worked on two projects during school, and the little archery I managed before having to walk half the block to retrieve my pride that arrow.

What about you? Plans for Halloween? Mishaps in life today?

Have a blessed Wednesday! (And Halloween, if you celebrate or not!)
   

Music Monday: Meav

Here's an interesting song for you to contemplate:

"One I Love" by Meav.  (Meav has an accent over the e, but I have no clue how to manage that in a blog post.)

This is a rather strange, strong song. I just randomly found it on youtube (I love Meav's version of "Maid in Bedlam" and "Wicked Sister"), and listening to it just gives me this sense of something deep and pure. I bet it's that high soprano voice and those echoey harmonies during the chorus. It's beautiful.

About Meav -- a quick Google search reveals she is both an Irish singer and a lawyer. At one point (2004), she was part of Celtic Woman (who sell millions, even today), but left in 2008 to resume a solo career.

I know I said I would post more personal stuffs on the blog, but technically, this is rather personal -- this song is the latest in my favorite music. (Not as in, it was composed recently; rather, this recently became my favorite song ever.)

So, have a blessed Monday (if there is such a thing)! Hope you enjoy this random sampling of Irish music.

  

So, Life.

Some of the things that have happened in my life this week --

• I finished reading The Queen of Water by Laura Resau and Maria Virginia Farinango. I don't want to put a review of it up, though. It's a sort-of memoir, about the indigenous Ecuadorian (and part-author of this tale) Virginia Farinango's childhood as an indentured servant to mestizos, the white people. A very, very interesting read, which is mainly fact with some imaginings and details on Resau's part. I don't want to review it because I feel uncomfortable reviewing something near nonfiction, because... well, it's real. fiction is easier to judge, if you will.
• My little sister Nicole, who has down syndrome, walked into some practically-stranger's backyard and started jumping on their trampoline. They weren't home, thankfully, but I've never met these people. I'm pretty sure they're like, the son of one of my neighbors. And it took almost fifteen nerve-wracking minutes to both find and convince Nicole to come back to our house.
• I found a baby snake in my house, brown scales, 8-9 inches long. Not something I see every day. Actually, I've only seen snakes in parks and the biology-lab-place in the Science Museum. And this one was in my house -- wriggling about on our floor -- and... and... *shudders* Snake.  
• Okay, I wasn't that freaked out about it. I found a sort of curiosity in my heart that let me peer at the snake and want to observe how it startled when I stomped my feet. Mom just wanted to trap it in something and put it outside, and then to check for any family members it might be hiding.

So, that's my Friday. How about you? Know what sort of snakes are indigenous to Virginia? Read the sort-of memoir about a girl named Virginia? Have you had strange encounters with animals?

Have a blessed Friday and weekend! 

Scottish Fairytales

I've spent the weekend bemoaning the loss of the internet and watching the first season of Once Upon a Time. (Our wifi was acting up for a few days. Meh.)

I also read a small book of Scottish fairy tales that I found among my mother's "library," so called because my mother as collected a LOT of novels over the years. So, here are a few summaries for you:

1. There's the one about the kelpie and the man who tried to capture it.
2. There's the one about the widower with a daughter and a son, and he married an evil stepmother to look after them. Then, the stepmother kills the little son, feeds it to the father, and his sister takes his bones and buries them in the garden, where he turns into a white bird, kills the stepmother, and flies off.
3. There's the one about the enchanted man whose only hope for getting out from the fairy queen's thrall is for a maiden who loves him to hold on when the queen turns him into a lion, a bear, (several other things) and a hot lead weight, and then to drop him down a well. 
4. There's the one about the prince who everyone thinks is sick, but really he's dancing in a fairy court every night -- until the stepdaughter of a neighboring king follows him quietly, steals a magic bird, and feeds it to the prince, taking away the spell.

I don't do well remembering things off the top of my head. And it's late for me, a school night, and I have a college essay to type up. (My AP Lit teacher wants a rough draft of the college essay we don't have to send to colleges until at least December. Yea, it sucks.)

Anyways, have a blessed Monday (if there is such a thing!)   

Lipizzaner Horses!

Happy first of May! May is such a short, clean, flowing sort of word. May.

Unfortunately, I'm also swamped. (Another lovely word.) My AP exams are next week, and the honors state tests after that. (They're called SOLs in Virginia. I don't know what they're called elsewhere.) I hate it when schoolwork trumps everything else, but life has been designed that way for me. By the adults who keep me focused on The Future.

I'm currently watching a documentary on PBS on Lipizzaner horses, which are apparently very, very famous and very, very prestigious. The program's called Nature: Legendary White Stallions. Here are some quick notes:

• In the Spanish Riding School, all 73 horses are taken seriously.
• The man in charge is the equiary. (sp?)
• All of the horses are descended from just six horses!
• Personality is crucial in determining where their stalls are in the stable.
• The school was founded by a king in the early 1700s.
• But there are no books in this school; all the knowledge is passed on orally.
• Horseback riding (dancing?) is an artwork, a craft, to them.
• These horses are trained to be able to rear on two legs, and to leap and kick their back hooves at the same time. Also, they're trained to get through an obstacle course with minimal aid from the rider.
• The white horses are born brown or black; it takes six years for their coats to turn white.*
• While at one point these horses came in all colors, they've selectively bred for white for centuries. Now, a dark coat on a horse is rare and lucky.
• These horses are the best documented in the world, courtesy of the Austrian(Hungarian?) bureaucracy.
• Earliest, the Moors, or the Muslim nomads, used these horses to invade Spain. They conquered it in the year 711.This time period was characterized by religious tolerance and a Golden Age.
• It would take 700 years until the Christians took it back, under the leadership of Isabella and Ferdinand. In the infamous Spanish Inquisition.**
• These Arabic left their mark on horse-breeding in Spain, though. Beauty, refinement, power -- these Spanish horses became coveted luxuries.
• In the 1500s, classical horse riding became popular again. Archduke Charles of Austria came to bring these horses into European popularity and to domesticate them to the landscape. (1580?)

Well, that's what I've got. I'm eating supper, watching TV, and writing a blog post at the same time, so pardon any inaccuracies. I'm prone to mishearing things.

Horses are an interesting topic. I haven't really seen a horse since a questionable memory of my older sister riding them in fairs. (That might have been a dream. I don't know.) But I've always wanted to be able to ride one. Animals are lovely, intelligent creatures, and I'd kinda like to see that same personality in a horse's eyes that I see in a cat's.

But this is me meandering. Pontificating. Etc.

How about you? Do you love horses? Did you find a bit of this interesting, or perhaps all of it? Anything I said that sounds inaccurate? Have a blessed Wednesday!

*This is not too shocking to me. It reminds me of how Siamese kittens are born completely white, but the color on their face, paws, and tail come in later. I've raised plenty of Siamese kittens. I know. I've also raised cats whose eyes start out blue but turn yellow over time, but that's only indirectly related.

**I recently read a verse novel on the Spanish Inquisition. Actually, it's the last post before this one -- you see it? Right there in the Blog Archives. It's called the Apprentice's Masterpiece. Also, let me clarify: the Spanish Inquisition was super evil and lasted 3 centuries; it killed hundreds of thousands. I might do a post on that sometime.

Spring Cleaning and Cleaner Words

Technically, it's spring now!

I say "technically" because it snowed Sunday and Monday. We actually had Monday off as a snow day. But now the weather's all clear and sunny and sort-of warm, like a real spring day. Yea, our weather's unpredictable. Wouldn't have it any other way -- keeps life spicy.

(I don't think that's the proper expression. Maybe it's "It's the spice of life." Oh, well.)

Anyways, I've finally cleaned my room! A little. I actually found my copy of Strunk and White, and a notebook of Quotes-I-Like. Really, I just took the dirty clothes out of my room, cleared off my desk, and organized that one row of my "reference" bookshelf. (Hint: it includes a book I had to read for a Psychology assignment, a book on cat body language, and a book on ghosts of the American South. Haha, "reference", like it's actual research and I actually read them cover to cover.)

I'm even using sunlight instead of my regular lights. Instead of a curtain, I just have a blanket over my window, because my old curtains let in too much moonlight/lamplight at night and I couldn't sleep. I've pinned it back and it's awesome. It reminds me of those days when I was a little kid, sharing a room with my little sister, and I griped at her to save power.

Now that I'm sixteen, I don't use sunlight much. I don't know why. I can't get past how good it feels to see and not run up the power bill at the same time. And to have a desk that doesn't look like it's owned by a messy five year old. And to actually be able to see the floor of my room.

It's not a really popular chore, but I recommend cleaning. Not like, every day, but like once a month or whatever, when the stuff piles really high. That feeling of accomplishment has me bouncing like I've drunk too much sweet tea. Like I've drunk too much of my version of sweet tea, which has way too much sugar in it.

What does this have to do with words? I mean, other than the fact that I'm using words to write this blog post and not just posting random pictures to get my point across.

I started my fourth or fifth draft of my novel. (I can't remember which. Counting is not high on my list of skills, alright?) The words are just flowing. I forget the homework piled up, the end of the nine weeks being two days away and my math grade still too low, and the stress of the AP exams being a month or two away.

The words feel... cleaner now. I don't know. I started writing a new draft because the plot still didn't feel right and I can't change it without changing the ending, so here it is. Apparently, there's a big difference between kidnapping and going along willingly-yet-reluctantly (don't ask). Perhaps because it's a 4th-or-5th draft that's changed dramatically, but it really makes me happy how easy it is as-of-now.

There'll be hard spots later on, of course, especially in the true middle-to-end of the story, but I can't help feeling tickled by the reminder of why I write. For these days, when I can just let it flow from head to hand to keyboard and computer. It reminds me that writing my first novel isn't so impossible as that little voice makes it seem, and that perhaps I will be published one day. Perhaps people will love my work one day, and there's purpose to these words that let themselves out of my head.

I feel like I'm just waxing eloquent now. I mean, I mean it -- I am genuinely smiling for the first time in awhile -- I'm just not sure why I decided to share any of this with you.

Well, there you go. A blog post on my feelings and just how messy my room is. Next week I'll try to actually plan something out for you. (Do you notice how often I use the word "actually"? Is it distracting you? Because I just noticed it and it's kinda distracting me.)

Anyways, happy spring! Have a blessed Wednesday (and Thursday and Friday)!

   

Another On My Mind

I know, I know, I've written update after update. Internet's still acting up a little; but it should work better in the next couple days.

In the meantime, this is what has been on my mind lately:

• Our report cards have come out, and since I'm a junior, it includes my GPA and class rank -- my GPA is just shy of a 4.0! I'm really happy. I worked hard for those Cs, Bs, and As.
• I have an AP American History test tomorrow. Meh. :(
• I also have a vocabulary test in AP language. :(
• Tomorrow is Vanlentine's Day, so Happy Valentine's Day, people who celebrate it! I don't. So, really, I just hope one of my teachers does and they give me candy.
• I've been waist deep in AP History homework. Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, oh my!
• My writings are wandering and confused. I don't know why I decided to pull griffins into the mix, no matter for how short a time.
• I really want pizza, for some reason. Or chocolate. But I can't have either, because I have no money.
• I wrote a play in Creative Writing. What possessed me to write a play about love? It sounds so melodramatic.
• I'm reading Narnia! Meep! :D I've only read the Magician's Nephew before. Well, really, my mom read me the Magician's Nephew when I was like, eight years old.
• I keep repeating the lyrics of the Battle Hymn of the Republic in my mind for some reason.

I've reached about 27k words. I told myself I would have 39k words by today, but I got sidetracked on Monday. I was watching the Next Great Baker on... I think it was the Food Network. I've never watched the show, but on Monday I watched like, six straight hours of it and then the finale. Dang, those people are cutthroat. No wonder I was glued to it.

Anyways, I've learned some interesting things about my writing:

For one thing, I make weird, unconscious literary references. Like when my MC calls everyone "little honey", that's actually the name of a baby in a Netherlands fairy tale, called the Cat and the Cradle. I came across that fairy tale again in a book of cat fairy tales, so when I saw the baby's name, I was like, "Weird. That's just like -- oh, wait. I've read this book before. No wonder."

I use the word "I" a lot. Wow. It starts off most sentences; I really need to fix that.

And, also, it feels really list-like. This is the 2nd draft; it feels kinda like the first, where I'm just listing my MC's actions, and her emotions. It only feels alive when I go into extreme detail. Perhaps you can expect a future post about extreme details in the future; though that subject has been pounded to death by the mallets of much more experienced writers than I.*

Anyways, have a blessed Wednesday. And Valentine's Day. :)

*I don't remember what writers. I think I've been reading too many internet articles and not been spending enough time writing.

 

History stuffs: the South

Every Wednesday (or thereabouts), I want to post random spots of history for either the begninnings of research, or as inspiration, or for fun. Because trivia is always cool.

This week, I will post about the Southern* culture. And slavery. And stuffs like that.

Some Truths about Slavery:

• Less than 10% of the 8 million people in the South owned slaves.
• 1/2 of all slaveowners owned 4 or less.
• 15% of that original <10% owned 30 or more.
• Less than 2,000 people owned more than 100.
• Less than 14 people owned more than 500.
• Only one person owned more than 1,000 slaves.
• (Source: 1860 census)

The Hierarchy:

• "Slaveocracy" (plantation farmers) vs. the "Plain Folk" (white yeoman farmers) -- 6 million people.
• Black freemen -- 250,000 people.
• Black slaves -- 3,200,000 people.
• poor whites -- unknown (to me, at least). These were the "hillbillies": landless, living in barren, swampy lands, and were usually diseased (malaria, hookworm) because they didn't wear proper clothing.

So, rich and white middle class on top, black freemen beneath them, then the black slaves and the landless whites.



Southern Economy

• dependent on imported clothes, foodstuffs, and furniture; they exported mainly cotton, tobacco, rice, and sugar.
• debtor's region -- needed Northern capital.
• Most of South's assets were tied up in land, slaves
• Slavery was supposed to die out early 1800s, but the invention of the cotton gin in 1793 made it profitable. so, they bought more land and produced more cotton with more slaves, so they could buy more land and slaves to produce more cotton to keep up with demand and competition.
• More than 1/2 of American exports came from the South, esp. cotton.
• There was little industry, few cities in the South -- about 10% of overall manufacturing came from the South.

Why so Pro-slavery?

• Slaves were considered property, yes. But they were valuable property -- most wouldn't beat their slaves too badly/kill them: 4 million slaves in the South = a $2 billion investment.
• A couple of slave rebellions in the early 1800s (i.e. Nat Turner's rebellion) and a northern abolitionist newspaper (written by a man named William Lloyd Garrison) called the Liberator spooked the Southern elite into paranoia, so they began supporting slavery with the Positive Good Theory.
• Some of their arguments: master-slave relationships were like family. Slavery is supported in the Bible and by Aristotle. Slaves were better off working in the sunshine without fear of unemployment instead of working in a Northern factory on minimum wage. (This was before labor laws -- children worked, workplaces were unsafe and unclean, people worked twelve-hour days for minimum pay and could be replaced arbitrarily.)  
• Northerners, in this time period, didn't actually even like blacks. In fact, the US actually set up a colony in Africa, called Liberia, for free blacks. After all, free blacks would take even more jobs away from white citizens, and most still thought they were inferior, but they deserved basic human rights. So, the solution was to ship them somewhere where they could acclomplish both.
• The North depended on South for cotton for their textile industries. Abolitionism rocked the economical boat; it was hated there, too. But the evilness of slavery daunted Northern mindset, and quite a few opposed letting slavery become part of the new Western territories (i.e. Oregon, Nebraska/Kansas, California).

I know it's a common misconception that all of the South used a ton of slaves for only cotton, but that is not the case. There was a somewhat diversity of crops and few had slaves. It's also a misconception that all the people of the North were extreme abolitionists, who were bent on making the South see the evilness of slavery and supported equality. Most were on the edge: the common factory worker.

In all truth, all the hype about racism and slavery? Racism was really started with a concept called White Supremacy. By the British and Europeans. You know, the original white people? They entered a technological boom circa 1600s-1700s, when they colonized Africa and America. The Africans were already trading slaves among themselves, and the Europeans butted into that market and took it over, using them in the South where it was warmer than Britain and the slaves somewhat had a chance of living. Also, it was cheaper than all those indentured servants, who eventually grew out of their contract anyways.

There was one place in South Carolina that tried to refuse slaves in the 1700s -- but Britain forced them to keep using it. Therefore, in the 1800s, after the Revolutionary War, slavery was something of a habit. Slavery was needed for the large tracts of lands used by the rich. Somewhere along the line, the truth became distorted, and the Southern stereotype became that horizonless tract of slaves and cotton. The Northern stereotype became that of an abolitionist willing to resort to violence to get what they wanted.

And thus the Civil War started. Because people looked at stereotypes, and their own Racial Supremacy feelings, and things became kinda hazy.

Yes, this is what I learned in AP American History: how to defend the South (of which I am a part). All of this came from my school notes and my AP American History textbook. I apologize for my semi-relevant rant on racism, but I want you to understand that slavery and racism isn't a Southern thing, it's no one's fault, etc. History is a big ole set of extenuating circumstances, where people did what they thought was best for their future, and obviously there were... discrepencies.

Have a blessed Wednesday and don't hate people! :)


  
*It comes to my attention that not everyone actually capitalizes North and South when talking about America. Or really, anytime. I've always capitalized them, whether I'm talking about directions or America. And I will continue to because I'm more stubborn than a mule.

On History Stuffs #1

I've decided to do a series of posts on Wednesdays on random spots in history. Fun facts, easy research, or an idea -- history is pretty useful, so here's a little extra knowledge:

The Bubonic Plague, aka The Black Death

What It Was:

• a plague that wiped out 1/3 of Europe's population.
• a person might be in full health one day, and die miserably within 24 hours.
• Recurrence of plague thoughout the 14th century (1300s).

Short Term Effects:

• population decline.
• normal rituals/ordinary routines were thrown out the window as panic ruled.
• Attacks on the Jews, who were thought to be spreading the pestilence (though we know nowadays, of course, that it was fleas on rats, not Jews).
• Rational theology (the study of God) was replaced with mysticism and fear of God's wrath.
• fear, horror, and panic as people died rapidly.

Long Term Effects:

• Decline of Latin as a language.
• rise of vernacular (spoken) tongues as a medium for serious writing.
• Art: sterner portrayals of religious figures/scenes; death was a prominent theme.
• Social tensions were intensified.
• economy (specifically, wages/price patterns) declined sharply due to fewer workers and people  who needed work; this differed from place to place.
• Anticlericalism: priests/monks died and were replaced with the less competent, less trained.
• Saints were featured in church life more (ex.: St. Sebastion, St. Roch).

A lot of people know what the Black Death was: a plague that wiped out quite a bit of Europe's population sometime centuries ago. A lot of people DON'T know what the Black Death caused: it was one of the reasons English became a popular written language. English was spoken at this time, of course, but no one wrote in it; the Black Death changed that. Latin died, and English replaced it.

History's funny that way. Can you wrap your head around that? That the language you speak and read and write every day only came about as a serious written language because of a plague? And not just English, but Italian and several other languages, as well: some of the languages spoken at the time became written languages.

It also was one of the reasons the Renaissance came about. And the Renaissance -- and consequently the Enlightenment -- is pretty much why we aren't also English peasants right now. When the Bubonic Plague came about, people started reverting to Roman ways. Some of the ideas you are familiar with, it being part of American government and all: consent of the governed, certain unalienable rights, etc. And these theories are popular in European thinking as well: probably other countries, though I don't know to what extent.

Here's a song from historyteachers on the Bubonic Plague. Historyteachers, for those who don't know, is a youtube channel that makes historical parodies. This one is of the song Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani. Historyteachers saved my neck before my AP exam last May -- not a replacement for studying, but makes that studying stick in your head a little more.

Have a blessed day, and hope you've found this interesting!

[this is literally copied directly from notes I took in AP World History last year, all except the last two paragraphs. But the bullet points I randomly found in my notebook and copied here, with my shorthand notation removed so you can understand it. And, obviously, the youtube video is from youtube, not me.]

On Dreams

[This is a short post, because I'm still recovering from a series of stomachaches I had all morning. Not fun. Anyways.]

A couple months ago in AP Psych, we did dreams (and states of consciousness). A quick overview of what I learned:

1. There are five levels of consciousness: conscious, nonconscious, preconscious, subconscious, and unconscious. Sleep (which I always thought was unconcious) is actually conscious, that first level.

2. Sleep is on a 25 hour cycle of 5 stages.

• Stage 1 is that couple minutes when you're halfway between awake and asleep.
• Stage 2 is when you're fully asleep, but it's not deep sleep yet.
• Stages 3 and 4 are deep sleep - this is the stage where your body heals and grows.
• REM sleep is where you dream: it's often called paradoxical sleep, because your brain is active and your body is paralyzed (to prevent you from getting hurt while acting out your dreams).

3. There are two basic theories for our dreams:

• Freud (the man who came up with that stereotypical "and how do you feel?", lying on a couch, telling someone your deepest secrets) decided dreams are a roadway to the unconscious, that last, deepest level of consciousness. Dreams have underlying meaning; they'll help you solve your problems. They are censored stories that represent our innermost emotions. 
• The activation-synthesis theory is more biological. Our brain is trying to interpret the random electrical activity we have while sleeping. This is why dreams make no sense: our mind is simply throwing random tidbits at us while we're asleep.
• (There's a 3rd theory, the information-processing theory, that basically says dreams are a way to deal with stress. I didn't really count this one as a theory, although AP Psych seems to.)

4. Animals other than humans dream, as well. (This was obvious to me: I live in a house of cats, and have since I was born. Their paws and face twitch in their sleep, which is actually them dreaming.)

5. You can actually dream while you're not in REM sleep - it's called NREM sleep (non-REM sleep). REM sleep is associated with negative emotions, NREM sleep is associated with positive emotions: people with depression actually spend more time in REM sleep, which exacerbates their depression.

6. I remember a program I watched on dreams (I didn't write any notes down for that particular documentary -- I think it was NOVA -- which kinda irks me) that told about a man who decided dreams were actually a biological way to remember danger: your ancestors from Old Stone Age times passed on dreams of falling, of running away, of other dangers to the next generation (through handy genetics). It's been passed all the way down to you, to warn you of the perils of nature. That's why you have nightmares.



 










A lot of writers say they came up with the idea for their book (and indeed, a lot of people in history who aren't writers came up with their ideas) through dreams. Indeed, some of my favorite ideas come up through dreams. What do you think? Are dreams random images, a pathway into your deepest level of consciousness, or a genetic warning?

Have a blessed day, and watch your dreams! You never know what might happen. 

(By the way, the information here is from my AP Psych class and an article, "The Meaning of Dreams" by Jonathan Winson.)

On Poetry

I have nothing planned. So I wrote a poem for you:

 

Thy Infinity

 

Indigo swirls

I cannot see the end

Or is it the bottom?

Everywhere the same

Underneath me, above, around

But at least it is

A fascinating color.

 

 

Poetry is not my strong point. I'm still doing nanowrimo, so don't judge me too harshly. (I haven't dropped out yet! I am so proud. I dropped out long before this last year.) I'm up to 35,000 words, despite the homework piling up around my ears.

 

Not to mention my cat's kittens (they are about four or five weeks old now) are starting to climb out of their box. There are three of them, but only two are climbing around, squealing and distracting me from writing. The third is a runt, who I have to feed replacement milk every other hour: he is so adorable. I named him Woodstock (after the little yellow bird from Charlie Brown) and I feed him every other hour. (Or so.)

 

Nothing else to say, really. I started reading The Book Thief (Markus Zusak). I may or may not have a review for that on Monday. Other than that... have a blessed day. (And a blessed Thursday, since I don't post on Thursdays.)

 

:D

Follow Friday #24

[I love even numbers, especially 24! I'm kind of happy today. I realized dragons are really just magical dinosaurs. And that there are two types of dreams: during NREM sleep, your mind replays memories or something that's already happened in a compressed amount of time. During REM sleep, your mind tries to simulate the future. It tries to play out the possible outcomes for the future, in order to help you prepare; during REM sleep, you're more connected to the primal part of you, and that's why these REM dreams are more intuitive, more fantastic.]

(Don't you just love Nova?) Now that I'm done with my random dream tangent...

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. :)

Q: Books are turned into movies all the time! Turn it around. What movie would make a great book?

Oh, yikes. I don't watch movies often enough. Um... Tin Man would be cool - it's sort of a twisted version of the Wizard of Oz, where DG (like, Dorothy Gale?) is a waitress in Kansas, when suddenly a time tornado drops off some military men from the Outer Zone (OZ) want to kidnap her on the orders of the Evil Queen Azkedielia. The only way to escape is to jump into the time tornado on her own and hope to find a way back.

Needless to say, that would be pretty cool. I don't know if that's already a book, but Tin Man is an awesome movie, at least.

How about you? What movie did you choose? Have a blessed weekend!

Follow Friday #17

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. This week's question is...

Q: What is the BIGGEST word you've seen used in a book lately - that made you stop and look it up? Might as well leave the definition and book, too.

Ohmygoodness, I love big words. The complicated, fancy, never-used words. Like Ornethology - the study of birds. Well, actually, that is used - it was the name of an after-school choir at our school one time. Not really a book.
ANYWAYS. Onto my answer. Umm... I know so many words that I rarely have to look them up. (How can I not apply these words to my writing?!)
One of my favorites (I have this on my little dictionary, which is really a bunch of useless words/definitions I typed up on a wordpad document) is MACHICOLATIONS.

MACHICOLATIONS -
an opening in the floor between the corbels of a projecting gallery or parapet, as on a wall or in the vault of a passage, through which missiles, molten lead, etc., might be cast upon an enemy beneath. (n.)


I found this in Eragon, a little less than a year ago. Around last January. Kinda long ago, but still a really cool, really useless word.

And to elaborate, a machicolation is that hole where medieval peoples would pour boiling oil/water/something similar on invading enemies below, if the enemies managed to make it past the main defence. This usually refers to castles: as in, if an enemy made it over the drawbridge and through that main gate, they'd pour something nasty on them from a hole in the ceiling to incapacitate and therefore kill them.

Don't I manage the funniest words. How many of you thought of this? What was your word? Leave a comment, I promise I don't bite people! :)

On Unrelated Stuffs

So, this post is basically going to be a bunch of links elsewhere, to random but highly awesome places. Whether inspirational, wierd, or just plain interesting, I'm going to post them anyways.

Have you heard about this dad who wears skirts in support of his cross-dressing son?

Does writer's block exist? Before you spout this advice, think.

Posted earlier this month that I just can't stop thinking about, what is the relationship between dreaming and depression?

This article on how much your mind wanders while reading is worth reading.

 Do you know how to write horizontally and vertically?

"Dead Genres" - should you write them if the trend has ended? This post talks about whether you should still write that paranormal romance if it might not sell.

I start school next Tuesday, so I have to make sure these next few days are relaxing and wonderful. As for y'all, have a blessed Friday and many hopeful smiles for your weekend!

Liebster Blog Award

Well, apparently I've been nominated. :D It's for bloggers with 200 followers or less.

The rules (as according to my "tagger" A Bookish Co-Op):
1. Each person must post 11 random facts about themselves.

2. Answer 11 questions the tagger has given you and give 11 questions for the people you tagged.

3. Choose 11 people and them in your post

4. Tell them you've tagged them

5. Remember, no tag backs.

So, here goes. 11 random facts about me:

1. I love Disney, and especially Disney soundtracks. I'm not talking about that new stuff like Austin & Aly (I find it sad that I even know the name). I mean Mulan, The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Little Mermaid... I still listen to "I'll Make a Man Out of You" and "Be Prepared" every day.
2. I love cats, lions, tigers... if they're in the cat family, I love them.
3. I also love history and mythology. Mostly Ancient Egyptian and Greek mythology, though the cultural history of China and India are fascinating as well.
4. I have this extreme aversion to swearing. You may have noticed in my posts, but I absolutely do not use any foul language - the closest I come is "gosh-darn" or other euphemistic terms. I don't care if other people swear - I have no control over what they say, and I wouldn't want control - but I refuse to do it myself.
5. I am a Christian, and proud of it. I am NOT homophobic or narrow-minded, and I will not shove my religion down your throat. But I will tell you that I am proud to believe in and love God. And also, I accept Muslims, Jews, and every other religion on the planet. Even atheists, though I don't think that's a religion: more of a lack of. It's all cool with me.
6. I keep a notebook full of quotes next to my laptop. Whenever I come across a quote that I like (usually on someone's blog or on goodreads), then I write it down.
7. In reality, I am a quiet person. I'm that shy girl who reads way too much. But inside, I am a free spirit: I don't care what people call me, because I am miles away in my own little world.
8. I am asexual. To those who do not know, that means that I have no interest in romantic love, or finding a husband or wife. I don't care if other people enjoy that stuff - if they didn't, I wouldn't have been born, would I? - but I have no interest in intimate contact or having children.
9. I have a thing against eating at restaurants, as well. I'll eat pizza when my parents go and get it from Little Caesar's, and then bring it home - but I don't like actually eating Mcdonald's, or Burger King, or Pizza Hut (etc. etc etc.)
10. I cannot wear really tight clothes. Well, "normal" clothes nowadays. I prefer shirts that are two or three sizes too big (that do not show any of my chest). I wear baggy jeans and scuffed up black tennis shoes. My clothes come from church events (like church camp) or from thrift stores - all except my shoes, my undergarments, and one pair of jeans, all of which come from Wal-mart.
11. I am 16 years old, and I am very anti-social. As I have mentioned, I do not like swearing, intimate contact, and tight clothes, all of which are common among people my age.
I know, I'm an interesting person. ;D Here are the Questions from A Bookish Co-Op:

1) What is your "go-to" YA recommendation when meeting new YA book readers?
It depends on the person. If they're a non-reader like my sister, I'd recommend The Hunger Games. If they're avid readers, I'd try Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas, or Foundling by D. M. Cornish, or perhaps even Avielle of Rhia by Dia Calhoun.
2) What is your favorite blogging meme?

I only participate in one, and that's Follow Friday, hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. For ones I don't participate in but like to read Six Word Saturday, hosted by Show My Face, but I follow only one blog who has it - Mademoiselle Le Sphinx.

3) Be honest, does a book cover effect the opinion of the book for you? Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. :D
Sometimes, sometimes not. Some of the ones with the pictures of girls in fancy dresses on the cover I refuse to even pick up, because it practically screams "Romance! This is all about other people's hormones!" If the covers are ugly by my standards, then I'll try not to let it bug me, but if I don't like the story inside, I'll blame the cover. "Oh, I knew this was going to be awful, the cover told me that!" Shameful, I know.
4) Do you have any pets?
Yes. I have several cats (about 8; my mom used to be a cat breeder), as well as a dog named Hailey (who hates everyone except my mom, my two youngest siblings, and me). I also have quite a few fish, if you count them - one saltwater fishtank full of bright fish (and other things), and one freshwater fish tank that holds a small (cough*huge*cough) catfish. We used to have a beta fish too, but the catfish ate him.
5) Where is your favorite spot to read?
On my bed. Preferably with my cats out of the room - only two of them are allowed in my room, Nala and Tenzing, but both are loud Siamese cats. Have you ever tried reading a book when a Siamese cat is begging for your attention?  It's impossible. So, minus the cats, my bed is the softest, most comfortable place to be. Plus the cats, then I'll have to wait to read at church or school or the library.
6) Do you think reading is going the way of the eReader? Do you have an eReader?
I don't like eReaders. I'm not a big fan of technology in general, and it's one of my biggest fears that technology will take over my beloved world of books. I hope there are enough people who love real books that reading won't be consumed by this whole "eReader" trend. And no, I most definitely don't have one.
7) What kind of shampoo do you use?
That's a really personal question, haha. I use the Suave or V05 stuff, which you can find pretty much anywhere for like, a dollar. Hey, at least they smell good and we're saving money for books!
8) Can you rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time?
No. :'( I wish I could.
9) How do you organize your bookshelves?
Mostly by series, or by shape/color of the book. It looks a little disorganized, but I can find everything and that's what counts.
10) If you were stuck on a desert island with 3 book characters, would they be?
That's hard. Just three? Uhh.... Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games - she'd know which plants are safe to eat, and she can hunt. Does Saphira from Eragon count? Because I would love having a dragon to ride on and intimidate the daylights out of all who dare to come near. *evil laugh* The last would be... Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson and the Olympians. She'd build me a nice house to live in while we wait for help. Plus, she'd be more fun to talk to than, say, Percy Jackson.
11) Do you let your food touch or does it have to stay separated?
It has to stay seperated, always. I have weird food habits, I know.
Which leaves me with one last part: my 11 questions.

1. What is your favorite number between one and ten?
2. Do you listen to music while you write? Or if you're not writing, then while you're doing schoolwork, or chores?
3. Vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry, or does it matter for each kind of dessert (say, you like chocolate ice cream better than strawberry, but you prefer vanilla cake over chocolate)?
4. Do you mainly read one genre of book, or do you like to branch out?
5. What is your absolute favorite genre (or two, if it comes down to that)?
6. What is your favorite time of day? What is your favorite time of day to read?
7. Nonfiction or fiction? Why?
8. Of the core subjects (English, Math, Science, or Social Studies), which is your favorite? Why?
9. Do you show your writing to other people easily, or do you prefer to have it perfected as much as possible before you share? Do you think your writing is personal on a deep level, and therefore you tend to keep it to yourself, or do you think that your writing is to be shared with the world, and therefore you'll easily hand it over for friends to read? Again, if you're not much of a writer, than how about your reading material? Will you show people what you're reading, or are you shy about it?
10. Is there a certain type of animal that you love (or are obssessed about)? Is there a certain group of animals (such as cats and tigers and lions, etc. or wolves and dogs and meerkats, etc.)?
11. Do you have any weird eating habits, and if so, what are they?

So now all that's left is my nominees. I'll add them on as I go:

1. Succotash Reviews
2. Love Big Read Big
3. Better Read than Dead
4. Into the Mystic
5. Book Matters
6. Book Haven Extrordinare
7. Journey Through Pages
8. Heather's Book Chatter
9. The Dreaming Reader
10. Breakfast at Bookland
11. With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

I don't know if all these peoples are doing a post for this, I just asked them. I refuse to wait to see if they accept doing this or not. I love the people who do, of course, but I love all those who don't as well! <3

*On an unrelated note, what do you think of the new layout? Personally, I love that header. I've also added a rating system (up there next to "About") and a new background. Is it too pink? Does the header and background match? I've never known that sort of decorative stuff, so help me out. I'd love to know your opinions!

Haha, well...

I don't normally write on Tuesdays. But I was looking through Tumblr... My randomness has an excuse to be random today, because I found an appropriate picture.

:D That's really all I had to say.

Monday Minute

I had an awesome weekend! I went to see Brave with my sister - it was wonderful! I love accents and magic and mythology and strong heroines and... well, pretty much everything else. :D

I don't really have anything planned. I'm not even perfectly sure why I'm posting this. I'm just a little hyper on lack of sleep (the Brave movie ended about midnight last night) and that feeling you get after you've done something productive (which was just halfway cleaning my room without being told).

So, here is a video of a song I've been obsessed with for the past few days, and some pictures from Tumblr:

Which concludes my randomness for the day. Yea, I love Disney a lot. I love a lot of things a lot. :)