layout - inspired by Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes, and Dante's Divine Comedy. Image courtesy of The Maya Gallery.
Nel foco, perché speran di venire
Within the fire, because they hope to come,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNE-GIRL!!! Have a WONDERFUL 21st! Love you!
Never mind the fact that I don't believe in Satan. Mondays are the devil. I found out yesterday that my brother is apparently back together with The Slut. Whatever. I don't give a shit anymore. If he wants an STD and no pride, then he can have them. I'm washing my hands of the business. As long as they don't hurt my sister, that's all I care about. I read this column this morning that said Renee Zellweger is trying to go from a size 6 to a size 14 for the sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary, and she's doing it by eating doughnuts and Doritos. Isn't that gross? I think it is, and I'm fat. >.> This weekend was mostly fun. Friday was Amanda B.'s birthday, so we went to dinner at the Irish Lion (what else is new?), and then drank in her dorm room. Some of the people were really getting on my nerves, but mostly we had a good time. Saturday, Amanda's mother and grandparents came to town, and they took the 2 of us out to lunch at the Trojan Horse, which was very nice. Then we went out with some friends... the experience was similiar to the night before. I wasn't very happy this weekend, and I think it's because I was feeling unusually bitchy and cynical this weekend. People who already annoy me annoyed me to the point of being unbearable, people who usually don't annoy me at all annoyed me a little, and people who NEVER annoy me still didn't annoy me, but instead made me fell ashamed of myself that I was pissy. Yesterday I went shopping for groceries and birthday gifts (I know a ton of people w/ Sept. b-days). Then Kyle and I went to the Borders, which was the highlight of my weekend because... *drumroll* The Morning Star is FINALLY out!! Oh bliss is mine, the last book in the Griffin and Sabine series is out!!! (Laur, did you know that?!) And of course, it's breathtakingly beautiful and profound. Anyway, so that was my weekend. I hope everyone else was happier than me this weekend. In other news... Our state governer, O'Bannon, died on Friday from complications of the stroke he had last week. I hope my mom feels reeeeaaally guilty. She told me earlier last week she hoped that Ahnald would come beat him up. Speaking of Ahnald... so, Clinton went to Cali this weekend to help Davis, and do you know what Furry Panties man actually said? "Let's stop the Davis-Bustamante administration. Let's terminate them. Let's say, 'Hasta la vista, baby' to those guys." I'm not shitting you. I'm not sure whether to laugh my ass off, or cry my eyes out. Oh, and there was a Neo-Nazi plot uncovered in Germany, the world trade talks have collapsed, and there is yet more proof that Americans are dumb. The world is falling apart. But *GASP* OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!1!!11!!1 Ben and Jen might be, like, quits for good. Because that's, like, SOOOOOO important right now, oh my god!1!! *rolls eyes*
My brother broke up with the slut!! Hurrah! Granted, now there is all this shit going on... something about people threatening people, and the police... >.> I have no clue what's going on. I'm just happy my brother is away from her. On a more sober note, farewell, Johnny Cash! Reading about him this morning made me miss H'vegas hardcore. And John Ritter, too... he's in one of my fave movies, Tadpole. But to change back to a happier note, Christian Bale is going to be the newest Batman. I would say 'let it die already!', but this one ought to be interesting. It's about Bruce Wayne's early crime fighting career, so it will be pre-Keaton's Batman, and it's being directed by someone new. So, I'll give it a chance. After all, it's Christian Bale, people! *drools and faints*
The Leaky Cauldron posted this quote of Dumbledore's from GoF this morning, in memorial of 9/11: "We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided...Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open." This is so true. Yesterday, there was a news flash about Osama bin Laden's video footage, which I'm sure you've all heard about by now. The part that especially struck me was "Palestine will only be liberated with jihad." All I could think was that this war will never end, and it's because of all the fanatics. They are the minority, but they hold the money and the power, and therefore hold power over everyone. And I don't just mean al-Qaeda. Wars are started because of ignorance, hate, prejudice, and intolerance. I was feeling very depressed, angry, and helpless when I got home yesterday. But last night was a full moon- an esbat. I spent a few hours meditating on what we should do, what I should do, and I got the very definite message not to give up hope, and to keep fighting (but not with violence) for what I believe in. I felt much more peaceful and calm afterwards. So now I want to say that I love you all. I love this country, even if it is being misguided (forgive me if you believe otherwise). I love the world, even if it is being detroyed a little more every day by ignorance, tyranny, hatred, and carelessness. I love my freedom, even if it is being whittled away slowly, bit by bit, by pieces of legislature. Somehow, we'll make it through. P.S. Speaking of the moon, I added a current moon phase module! Look for it under "Inspiring Paintings."
Check out this article about a black hole singing B flat. I love it!! It's such a beautiful thought, that the universe sings, don't you think?
...than my last post. I found my best friend's (from the 2nd grade until about the 8th grade) e-mail address, totally randomly, last Friday. So, I e-mailed her. She e-mailed me back, and not only did I get the right person, but she was happy to hear from me! ^_^ She told me a little about what she's been doing the last 8 years, and that this is her last year in college, and so on. I was very pleased to hear from her. It's been way too long. The internet really can be a glorious thing sometimes. And this column that was on msn this morning about plus sized women was nice too. ^_^
I doubt any of you are really going to understand why I am so incredibly pissed right now, but I'm venting with a vengence, so bear with me here. Ok, so my sister called me at 4:00 yesterday, while I was still at work, and she was crying. NO ONE makes my little sister cry. That is a biiiiig No-No in Jen's world. Anyway, so I ask her what's wrong. Well, my brother, the fucking stupid dip shit that he is, is now apparently going out with the BIGGEST FUCKING SLUT on the PLANET. Who is also my sister's former backstabbing bitch of a best friend who has lied to her consistantly their entire "friendship", my brother's best friend's cheating ex, and my sister's best friend's last giant crush. She has been with every guy she's ever known, I swear, and AT LEAST 2 of them was while she was going out with other people. Oh, and even better, SHE video taped sex with one of them. AND MY BROTHER KNOWS ALL OF THIS SHIT. She is one of the few people I truly hate. She's fucked with my sister, so I hate her. EVERYONE hates her. Everyone. Me, all of my brother's friends and THEIR friends, my sister, and all of HER friends. And everyone knows what an ugly fucking liar she is too. Anyway, right, back to my story. So, my sis calls me crying because she's CONCERNED for him, and she's concerned for all of her friends. Bless her sweet heart, she wasn't upset for herself, though for her sake I was. And she felt that as his older sister, and someone who knows what this whore IS, I had a right to know what's going on at home. I wouldn't have called Jason, except that he was yelling at her in the background and making her cry, so I called him and told him he was being a jackass, and that he KNOWS what a slut she is, and is obviously thinking with his dick and not his brain. The fact that she cheated on his best friend with HIM (yes, that's right folks, with him) should clue him in on what kind of person she is. He told ME, ME!!!, that I'm immature, and that *snorts* he's a "man", not a "boy", and he knows what he's doing. Bull fucking shit. A man. Ha ha ha. I mean, I even calmed down enough to let him tell me his side of the story (which I can tell you, it was quite obvious that she had been feeding him bullshit, but I didn't point that out to him), and etc. They apparently hooked up while they were on a mission trip to Montana last week. First of all, Jason was the only guy remotely close to her age there, and they were in the middle of NOWHERE. Secondly, she's been wanting in his pants for months. Thirdly, she's a LIAR, which she has proved over and over again. But apparently they were enlightened on this trip, so of course she's "changed." *rolls eyes* Give me a fucking break. Does he BELIEVE this shit?! B/c he's the ONLY one who does. It would be better for everyone, including himself, if he would just admit he's with her b/c he hasn't gotten any in a few months. *snort* And my sister's friend talked to her YESTERDAY, and he said she's already planning to mess my brother about. He is so stupid. He really is. Ok, so after that lovely conversation, I was paid a little visit by my brother's friends (one of whom is her ex, I might add) who go to school in B'ton. And they are planning to go up on Friday and beat the shit out him, for his own good. They're just as upset about this as I am. I don't usually condone violence, but I can tell you, I am not doing a damn thing to stop it. As long as no one gets arrested or hospitalized... well, again, I'm not going to interfere. And if I were there, I would probably attack The Slut, so it's a good thing I won't be home this weekend. She fucked with my brother's friends, she fucked with my sister's friends, she fucked with my sister, and now she's fuck*ing* my brother. If looks could kill, she would be dead and gone a hundred times over. I'd been sending her straight to the 9th circle. Maybe you all think it's not my place to be pissed about this, or that I'm not being mature about it. Maybe you're right. But he's my brother, and as retarded as he is, I love him. And I don't want to see him get an STD from that cheap slut. And worse yet, I'm having nightmarish visions of him impregnating her, and therefore tying me and my sister to her ugly ass the rest of our lives. AND he's hurting my sister, and ostracizing all of his friends. All I can hope is that he comes to his senses, and SOON. *draws air* Ok, I don't really feel better about it having ranted. Just a small sense of satisfaction that people who know him will read this and realize he's a dumb shit. And I'm not going to let that slut fuck up the steadily growing friendship me and my brother have going. I'm given him my opinion, and I really can't do anything else if I don't want him to hate me. I'll just be there when she inevitably fucks around on him. -_-
Whoa, check this out. Magic Eye mazes. Guaranteed to give you a headache! But supposedly, this is really good for your eyesight!!
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a grand weekend. Mine was too short, as always. *sigh* Anyway, I thought I'd report on Dr. Robert Thurman's lecture on Tibetan Buddhist history and beliefs and the Dalai Lama Institute, which was given in honor of the Dalai Lama's visit to Bloomington this weekend. It was really very interesting. What I knew about Buddhism was mostly from what I learned in my East Asian history classes, but I didn't know that much about Tibet. He was very funny, very open, and also political. He tried not to be, but it slipped out now again. And when it did, it was funny. We even gave him a standing ovation. I was particularly fascinated about how Buddhist beliefs were both very very similar, yet somewhat disimilar to my own. He also talked about the current Dalai Lama, and his dreams for the future. It was kind of bittersweet. Anyway, I very much enjoyed it. And it was kind of surreal being in the same room as Ethan Hawke's father-in-law. I would love to study under him, but I doubt I'd get into Columbia. >.> And did you not think I would comment on Dubbya's speech last night? The triumph of democracy and tolerance in Iraq, in Afghanistan and beyond would be a grave setback for international terrorism. *snort* Tolerance? Hypocrisy, thy name is Dubbya. And I really love his proposals to the UN (which was against the war from the start), and his $87 BILLION of the national budget next year for his failing darling. Hopefully it will all be over next November. ..........One can dream, can't she?
Today is SO gorgeous outside. It's cool, and sunny, and just a beautiful early fall day. I'm feeling a bit stir crazy right now! You know, these days people aren't very nice to one another, but I had a really lovely exception happen this week. I've been looking for THE perfect picture for the design I want for my tattoo (when I finally get it), and I've had a hard time finding it. So, when I ordered my cosplay wand from Alivans, their logo had a picture *similar* to the one I want. So, I e-mailed them about who did their logo, and the guy from Alivans CALLED me personally to answer my question, and gave me the lady's name, number, and e-mail. So, I e-mailed her, and she sent me a ton of images from her program for free, even though she could have charged me for them, and wished me best of luck. It was so sweet. It was just a good reminder that there are truly nice people in the world. Tomorrow, Amanda B. and Kyle and I (and maybe Aaron if he's not working, but that's unlikely) are going to hear a lecture on Buddhism give by Dr. Thurman from Columbia (by the way, he's Uma Thurman's father!) in honor the Dalai Lama coming to visit B'ton. We wanted to go see the Dalai Lama himself, but the tickets were waaaaaay to expensive. Too bad too, b/c rumor has it that Richard Gere and Harrison Ford are going to be there! And hopefully I'll get to see my friend Juli this weekend! She's spent the last year studying in England (lucky girl), and now she's back in town. Anyway, everyone have a lovely weekend!
This came up today as well. I'm not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, I can kind of see where Britain is coming from, but on the other hand, it shows a kind of frightening trend toward rising nationalist sentiments. Nationalism only leads to trouble, which we have ample proof of daily in our country. And for those who don't like that example, then look at World War II. I rest my case.
This Slate column was up today, and I think it makes an interesting point about long-term relationships and marriage. I think some of the points are a little overly radical, but for the most part, I'm inclined to agree with her basic idea. From what I've seen of marriage, which would be my parents, grandparents, a few friends, and Hollywood (I'll get to that in a minute), it just doesn't seem to be a very happy situation. My grandmother has been divorced 3 times, my mother and father fight over stupid shit all the time, and I'm convinced they're only still together b/c my dad goes on business trips constantly, and so on. I don't think I could be happy tied down to one person all my life. What would happen if he fell in love with someone else? What if I fell in love with someone else? It happens. The only way I would convince myself to get married would be as Elizabeth Bennett says in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: "I am convinced that only the very deepest love will conduce me to matrimony." I would have to be 100% absolutely sure that he's The One. And I'm not even sure I believe that there is a One. Some people say that every person has multiple soul mates, and I believe it. I have already met some of mine, in the form of friends. I know that Hollywood marriages are all superficial and never last longer than like a year, but I think that they are more realistic than we give them credit for. There are some exceptions- Paul Newman, for example. But most of them cheat on his or her spouse or significant other, and end up divorced, broken up, the paparazzi having a field day. But really, it makes sense. They are constantly thrown together with different people in very intimate settings. Us commoners aren't likely to be in those situations, and so we are more likely to be able to keep up a long term relationship. Personally, I think marriage is overrated, and I think the best solution is to just live with the person you love until the feeling isn't there anymore. Maybe you will love that person so much that you'll be together until you die. Maybe your love will last only 6 months. But at least you're free to leave if you want to, or feel like you need to. Going back to the famous people example, the most lasting relationships have been people with this set up- Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, Johnny Depp and his French singer, Alan Rickman and his politician/lecturer girlfriend. None of them are married, but they're all very happy. I know not all of you agree with me. Hell, most of you probably don't. And if my parents knew that I would be willing to have a kid with someone without being married, they'd probably kill me. But after all, this is just my opinion, just like that Slate column is just that writer's opinion.
I read a good article this morning that was posted on The Leaky Cauldron about censorship. I am vhemently against censorship, ESPECIALLY literary, and I think that it's an unfortunate sign of the times how many quality books are being questioned based on, as the article puts it, less than pure subject matter. The article also points out the very obvious fact that these topics- sex (both the act and the gender differences), different world views and philosophies, violence, hatred, prejudices and discrimination of any and all kinds, and many other issues- will NOT go away just because you decide to turn your head the other way. Is it really right (or even fair) of us to keep people of all ages and backgrounds from learning about the true and diverse qualities, characteristics, and shared history that make us human? No, I don't think it is. Whether it's Mein Kampf, Harry Potter, or A Brave New World, all of them teach us something about the way the world works, and what it means to be human- both the good and the bad.
So I finally changed my layout. Except that I didn't really. I just changed the pic and colors, which suck anyway and I can't figure out how to change them so that I'll like them. -_- One day when I have time and net access at home *grumbles and swears under breath*, I might get around to being more creative. But for now, you'll have to deal with this. At least it reflects my pyrofanaticism. I was stupid and archived 2 posts I made today, so if you are really that interested in them (they're not important, really), you can check them out here. Sorry about the color discrepancies if you look- I was too lazy to change my post formats for the ones I've already posted. Oh, and hey- I KNEW I liked Johnny Depp for other reasons than his sex appeal factor. (Speaking of, I FINALLY saw Pirates of the Caribbean. I loved it, and damn Johnny looked hot in eyeliner!)
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Name : Jen Harry Potter, Li Syaoran, and Kiryuu Tougaare my Boy Slaves!!
"The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." ~Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch
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Falling falling
Falling falling
But there's a fire inside
Falling falling
But there's a fire inside
Aaron
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Courtesy of The Unofficial Harry Potter Fan Club
House : Gryffindor
Family : Muggle-born, both parents Muggles
Wand : willow, contains single hair from the tail of a unicorn; gentle and whispy; perfect for performing enchantments
Pet : snowy owl; gift from a secret admirer at Hogwarts; she is affectionate and reliable, but has a bad habit of eating the snacks my mother sends me in the post. I decided to name her Blodeuwedd, after the Welsh Celtic goddess of flowers, lunar mysteries, and wisdom; her symbols are the owl and the moon.
Anarchy in the U.K. : The Sex Pistols
Aimee Mann
Anne of Green Gables : L.M. Montgomery
Abarat : Clive Barker
Amélie
Arisu 19th
Café at Night : Vincent Van Gogh
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