Best of 2006: Blog Extravaganza!

Rather than going to a drunken, riotous party (or any party at all for that matter) I have decided to write in my blog the best things about 2006. This is partly to keep me from moping because my sister went home today, but also to hopefully start a tradition that will make me try to actually remember good things that happen to me, because at the moment I'm pulling a blank; though I know good things MUST have happened to me. My year wasn't that horrible. One particularly good thing I can recall is coming home to Gilpatrick House after my studies abroad. It seems like such a long time ago that I can barely believe it was 2006, but I know it must have been.

If there has been any good in my time at Denison during 2006, then it has predominately come from Gilpatrick and the people living there. It was the perfect place for me to come back to in order to ease slowly back into the American lifestyle. A cozy Victorian style house could almost make me believe I hadn't gone so far from my life in France. I even recall upon entering seeing a 3D puzzle model of Notre Dame chathedral, that although it was not intended to, made me feel particularly welcome. Later I would make friends with the puzzlemaker, Becky, and monopolize her window seat for the better part of the fall semester. It was in Gilpatrick that I first played Dread Pirate, the best board game ever, and found a group of peers that, like me, preferred board games and snacks to drunken revelry. A group of my fellow Gilpatrikians: Ishani, Brian, Becky, Sam, Louvie and Bethany (the only non Gilparikian but she makes a lovely cake) were also the first to ever throw me a surprise party which had to be the highlight of my summer.

Outside of Gilpatrick I have had at least one incredible experience in 2006 that I have already documented in this blog; that is finding Lucy, my childhood friend and former next door neighboor. I think this may also be the most and only truly incredible thing to happen to me this year.

I fear 2006 may have been the year of mediocrity for movies. I can only think of one that I was truly inspired to watch again and perhaps might even recommend for others. It's A Good Woman which is based on an Oscar Wilde play called "Lady Windemere's Fan." As I'm a fan of Wilde's work, particularly his satire, I could at least enjoy the story of the play. The acting of the vetran actors was also quite good. Although I felt as if Scarlett Johansson 's done better, and her acting seemed a bit flat. But maybe it's just the character that I didn't like. I don't think the innocent, somewhat whiny girl suits her personality. Anyway, there were plenty of really good characters to make up for it.



Books are far easier for me to keep track of than movies because I keep a list of every book I read, and I start a new list each year. My 2006 list has 36 books on it (12 of which are audiobooks and 2 of those audiobooks were just me listening to the last two Harry Potter books again). However, I'm proud that one of the books is a novel in French. Sure, as a French major it should be more than one, but I did mostly poetry this year.





































*Anyway, because of this list, I can also confidantly say that the best books I 've read this year are the Tiffany trilogy by Terry Pratchett. Tiffany's my hero, and I'd like to grow up to be just like her, except that she's younger than me. The first two (The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky) have an obscure vocabulary word each that Pratchett makes a joke of throughout the book. The latest (Wintersmith) doesn't continue this trick, but I still remember laughing out loud while reading it, which is mostly what I ask for in a book. The second book had a character I disliked vehemently, but you're supposed to dislike her, so I suppose that's fair. In the third book Tiffany's 13 and does subcumb to a little bit of teen angst, but she does so in admirable moderation. And you have to love the Feegles: little blue, mini-Scotsmen that live in hives and for brief shining moments can even make me believe I can speak with a Scottish accent. The Wee Free Men is actually going to be made into a film (I heard by the director of Spider-Man, Sam Raimi) and slated to come out 2008. I sincerely hope they do a good job, but of course the book will always be better.

Well, that's all for 2006 that I can dig out of my foggy ol' brain at the moment. Though, I'm personally terrified of what 2007 will bring with my imminent graduation I wish everyone else a wonderful New Year and can only hope I get by myself.

Now for the Other Boy...

Typical me not to really talk about my Christmas but it was just good in its simplicity which makes for very little of interest. My sister flew in Christmas Eve and that was really the only present I needed to be happy. Though the Christmas money and early present of a digital camera from my Dad are certainly greatly appreciated. On Christmas my little brother Curtis got a lovely model VW van from Santa and my brother Dennis got a stuffed polar bear. I may have slept through the happy discovery of these gifts but I stayed up as long as Santa and thus was quite tired. Once I did get out of bed, my dad, my sister, little brother Dennis, and I went to the beach and watched the surfers and then hung out in a park.

Now onto some, hopefully, more interesting reflections. Famous people. Many people like to entertain the thought of meeting famous people but mostly I shy away from the idea. This is due to three fears: (1) They will not like me. (2) I will not like them. (3) Both. Then there's also the problem that I'd have no idea what to say and probably end up mummbling something stupid and shuffling off. So it is that I'm perfectly happy to go without meeting any of my favorite authors. I feel I enjoy their books far more if I don't consider what kind of people they are. This isn't to say I think they're bad people, but rather that I have developed a very peculiar personality over time that does not necessarily mesh with everyone.

There is one exception. Not in the sense that I would seek to meet this person as I once had a possible chance and passed it up with very little regret, but if I had to meet a celebrity, (I know such terrible decisions happen everyday) then I would probably like to meet Daniel Radcliffe, the boy who plays Harry Potter. Now, this isn't because I find him attractive. Certainly he is attractive, but I am far more attracted to many other celebrities. I would be happy to meet Daniel because he's so charismatic and seems like the type of person who could put anyone at ease and is genuinely interested in what others think: traits I look for in anyone. As an avid Harry Potter fan I've watched many interviews with Dan and am always impressed by his optimism and energy. Think me a hopeless fangirl if you'd like, but I'll protest all the way.

So to counter the picture of Draco, here we have Harry:




By the way, for any of you who don't already know, the title of book 7 is now out. But I won't spoil it for you if you'd rather not know it. You can easily look it up on the internet if you do want to know it.

Maybe I'm Just Mean...

...But I really enjoy the music by Draco and the Malfoys. They're a "wizard rock" band who, as you can probably tell, sing Harry Potter themed songs (or rather Draco Malfoy themed...)

I particularly like "My Dad is Rich." Very mean song. ... Hee, hee, hee ...

Link: http://www.myspace.com/dracoandthemalfoysusa



I already sent some of you the Whomping Willows' music but here it is in case any of you want it again/didn't get it. It's also cruel as well as deliciously demented with a pretty good melody to boot in my opinion: http://www.myspace.com/thewhompingwillows

YES!!!

Originally Disney was planning on making a rather dubious sounding "modernized" version of Rapunzel. It sounded like the same kind of blasphemy Miramax inflicted on Ella Enchanted. But now, thankfully, they seemed to have realized what a stupid idea that was and they're finally going to make normal Disney film based on my favorite fairytale. I think the release has been pushed back as well but if it's on par with Mulan, Aladdin, Beaty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid etc. then I'm more than happy to wait that long. I have been waiting for a decade or more already so a couple more years is fine.

Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapunzel_%28film%29
http://imdb.com/title/tt0398286/plotsummary

To be honest I'm not nuts about the concept art, but if it's a good story (with good songs) then I really don't care. I was dubious of the art in Hercules before I saw the movie, after all, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Why Do Women Make Such Good Men?

In cosplay, at least, (which is where people dress up in costumes of various characters) girls who aren't particularly voluptuous (so that rules me out) make excellent male characters. I've already sent most of you pics of the girl who dresses up as Link, and now I've found this women who dresses up as Snape. I suppose costume design is just more popular with women, but I wish there actually was a man who looked as good in these costumes as these women do. For the woman who dresses as Snape, I admit you can tell she's a woman in some of her more dramatic poses and when you see her face full on. But at certain angles, you can completely believe she's a man, which is a strange compliment because I think she makes quite a handsome man.

Anyway, here's the link to the Snape pictures: http://logospilgrim.com/
(click photos, then scroll down and click "The First Gallery", then scroll down again and click on any or of the 28 galleries to see a bunch of pictures.) The picture below is just one of many but one where I thought she particularly resembled Snape.




And here are the Link pics for anyone who doesn't remember, didn't get them, or wants to see them again: http://images.cosplay.com/showphoto.php?photo=703577
(there are more pictures on the link)

Feeling Much Better

I just thought I should let everyone know that I did not die or suffer any brain damage (that I can tell) from my recent illness. My dad also bought me a nice, shiny, new digital camera today! This is excellent since the hamster living in my last camera seems to have retired indefinitely. This also means that I have no excuse not to have some pictures of the week so here are some pictures of my dad's Christmas tree. Dad's never had anything against Christmas so it's not too surprising that he got a tree. Knowing my dad it's also not surprising that he neglected to buy ornaments for it. But it seems that my little brothers have remedied this by hanging anything on it that has a loop or will stick in the needles, including but not limited to key chains, empty tape dispensers, halloween decorations (Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas would be pleased), and some actual handmade Christmas themed ornaments.

Cold, Flu, or Hypochondria?

Whatever I have it wasn't even possible for me to concentrate properly on a simple game of Candyland with my brothers. I'm pretty sure I'm not imagining the whole thing as my hypochondria usually doesn't make me feel like I've been run over by a truck. But I'm not sure about the severity of it. I figure it's either a bad cold or mild flu. Either way I hope it goes away soon and it isn't some brain-eating virus or I wasn't bitten by a black widow or rattle snake in my sleep (yup, that's the hypochondria kicking in.)

Santa's Bag...

Well, I'm in San Diego now on winter vacation, and for those of you who were in touch with me during exams week, you know this break could not have come too soon. Anyway, I'm certainly enjoying the rest. I took my little brothers to the mall today. They looked at toys for ten minutes and then got bored. Go figure. So I got home in plenty of time to ride my bike (yay!) and then color some of a Christmas card before I too got bored (must be a genetic trait.)

Last night I asked my little brothers what they want for Christmas. My little brother Curtis wants a Voltswagon van. Not a toy one but a real one. The kind hippies used to paint flowers on. It's kinda a shame because my dad actually had one when I was a kid. It was brown and didn't have any flowers and he sold it some time ago. Somehow Curtis found out about it and has since become strangely obsessed. I tried explaining to him that a van wouldn't fit in Santa's bag and that Santa's elves can't make one anyway, but he's quite persistent. Meanwhile, my other little brother, Dennis would like a polar bear.

I think Santa's bag may have a white bear for Dennis (polar bear-esque if he can wrangle it) but for Curtis there may be some monetary amount with a note suggesting that he start saving...

Happy Holidays to All!

Graduate School Apps and Gambling

It has occured to me that paying application fees for Grad School is a lot like gambling. In both you're giving money for an uncertain return. The only difference is, if you don't get anything back in gambling, then you're just unlucky (and possibly stupid for gambling in the first place). However, if Grad Schools do not accept you, that's actually some kind of reflection on your worth as a person. I've never gambled, but I can safely say I'd infinitely prefer the cruelty of a slot machine at this point.

The Saddest Thing in the World and the Sins of George Lucas...

For this post these two things are not one in the same. But they easily could be...

Anyway, the sad fact I learned today is that bunnies can get syphilis. Considering the sexual habits of bunnies this has got to be one of the saddest things I've ever heard. It also brings to mind certain questions like "What happens when a bunny goes crazy?" and "If one bunny can get syphilis, how come all bunnies do not now have syphilis?" I am informed that this is not the type of syphilis transferable to humans. But I would still not recommend having intercourse with a rabbit.

As for the sins of George Lucas...oh, where to start... Well, he's released the "1977" version of his films on DVD. This "original" version contains ALL of the revisions he's made from the computer generation of 1997 to the blasphemous edition of Hayden Christensen to return of the Jedi. Basically, it's the Special Editions with the word "original" written on them. George, you've done some pretty low things, but I think this has got to be the lowest. I mean, the prequels may have been bad but at least they were new. Now you're just trying to trick fans into buying the Special Edition AGAIN by telling them it's the "original." And if you cannot believe on my word alone that such an atrocity is even possible (and it's so incredibly bad that I'd understand if you didn't want to believe it), here's the Amazon review confirming the sadness of it all.


George = the Emperor in flannel

Hi Brian! And To All Other Anonymous Posters...

I just wanted you to know that I guessed it might be you in the comments on the anaconda post. But I also thought it might be your sister. As one who shares her initials with her own sibling (my sister and I are both CML as well as my father), I recommend a more specific form of identification. Although, now that I know it's you, as long as Becky doesn't start signing the same way, I suppose it doesn't matter. Anyway, I'm always be happy when people read and comment on my blog so many thanks!

And a note to anyone wishing to post with their name in the title instead of having "anonymous says," click the "other" bubble in the box below the comment's field, and you'll be able to put in your name. Or letter initial, nickname, royal title, etc...

Pictures of the Week: The Wilds of Nashville

For anyone too queasy to appreciate the picture of the anaconda from the Nashville zoo, here's some less objectionable animals. Additionally, I'd like to add that these pictures, as well as the anaconda from the last post, are all courtesy of my fabulous sister Chrissy.



Animals make such cute couples. You can bet people don't look nearly as endearing when they lick each others heads.



If this meerkat could speak, I think it'd be saying, "Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get you."

Don't forget, you can click on the picture to enlarge it. I've even found out recently that you can click on it again to make it even bigger!

Slow Anacondas, Ghosts, and Water Guns

If you're easily grossed out, then I do not recommend looking at my picture of the week. But, if not, read on: Here is an anaconda feeding that my sister and I witnessed at the Nashville zoo. But after seeing this creature eat, I'm shocked it survives as a predator at all. The zoo keepers feed it pre-killed bunnies so I suppose that may have taken some of the hunt out of it. The woman feeding it practically had to coax it into eating the thing. It opened its mouth which was pretty impressive, then put part of the bunny in its mouth and dragged it back under the water with it. Then it sat there. And sat there some more. It clearly had no intention of finishing its food anytime soon. I mean, I suppose there probably aren't a lot of things that would bother an anaconda, mouth full or no. But I would think it'd be pretty vulnerable just sitting around with a mouthful of rabbit.
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Well, I've probably insured a pretty small audience for the rest of my news but oh well. I'm beginning to think there's a ghost in my lounge that likes Harry Potter. Here's why. A while back I went down into the lounge and saw The Chamber of Secrets playing on the TV but no one was sitting and watching it. The lounge was completely deserted and no one came back in while I was there. Then today I went down an The Sorcerer's Stone was playing and there was no one around. I feel this is conclusive evidence of a ghost and not someone who just doesn't turn off the TV.

Furthermore I wish to report the sad news that I actually tested the range of my water gun today and, as I suspected, found it dissappointingly deficient for the purpose of shooting drunks.