Post #70: Some Thoughts On Serial and Gracepoint

If you have not listened to Serial and/or watched Gracepoint, or you are not caught up, please heed this warning: This post contains spoilers.
And also, if you aren't listening to Serial, you totally should.

First off, Serial. Part of me feels empty. I knew there probably wouldn't be an answer, but in spite of this, all I want is answers. I totally sympathized with Sarah Koenig when she said (I'm paraphrasing here) she just wanted to shake the facts out of people. What would Friday and Gannon do? They'd find answers! They'd get to the bottom of it! But, would they?
In my own research on Cpl. Robert Mrowka, all I've been able to find is that I think he married Anna, and that he might have fought in Korea, and that he might have died in 1991. These are all things that I think are facts. The only thing I am really sure about is that he was in the Air Force and he had his tonsils out. It's beyond aggravating! I really want to know what happened! But there is no way for me to fact check anything right now. The all-knowing internet only knows so much.
The other part of me is so excited about Serial because the entire Adnan (That's the ex-boyfriend who was convicted for killing Hae Lee) case made sense to me, in terms of the legal terms and how the criminal justice system works, because of my background as a criminal justice major, which isn't super great, but I have a better understanding than most people. I understood terms and I knew exactly what was going on when they talked to the people from the innocence project. The case against Adnan was a mess. But maybe he did kill her. Maybe he didn't. Maybe it is the serial killer guy. I don't know. But I do know that having the knowledge made Serial that much better for me. It added to my listening experience.
On the other side of the spectrum, the finale of Gracepoint was so disappointing to me. Up until this episode, everything was great. Nothing seemed too far fetched, and I really had no clue who the killer was! I figured the detective's kid had something to do with it, but I figured the priest did it.
But the "twist" was too weird. The husband is a pedophile and the kid did it. Uh, okay. I have yet to watch Broadchurch, so I don't know how they did it, but Gracepoint was janky. They threw out  nine weeks worth of awesome TV and doing really well at keeping everything totally legit as soon as the killer turned out to be the detective's husband.
If you beat the shit out of someone in an interrogating room, your case is going to get thrown out. Even if it is your crazy husband. Even if he did (cover up the) murder of a twelve year old kid he may or may not have been having an inappropriate relationship with. And when she (the detective) and the kids went into hiding (sort of) they definitely would have had at least, at least one police guard. Partially for protection, and partially because they might have info pertinent to the case.And she definitely would not be allowed to wander around the city and hang out in front of the house of the family of the kid who maybe was in an inappropriate relationship with her husband and then was killed by her kid. That just wouldn't fly.
That ruined the show. Little things that just didn't quite work because even the average non-CJ Major viewer would have said 'well, that wouldn't happen like that.'
"I did the best I could with what I knew; now that I know better, I will do better." - Maya Angelou
-D.

Post #69: Letters and Cards

So on my radio show for today (December 3rd), I read aloud some letters and cards on air. They are all from WWII and written to Cpl. Robert T. Mrowka. This post will be comprised of photos of the holiday cards. I hope to do some research a little later in the week about Cpl. Mrowka and his sweetheart Anna Buchbinder.

The December 13th, 1943 card from Marie.

The December 13, 1943 card from Anna.

The December 13, 1944 card from Marie.

The December 14th, 1944 card from Anna.

The December 14, 1944 card from Mr. and Mrs. William Horey.

The extremely sweet December 14, 1944 card from Ernie and Kathryn Wetzel.

This is on the inside of the card.

The envelope of the Christmas Eve letter from Anna.

The card sent by Cpl. Mrowka's father in February 1945.

Post #68: Thanksgiving, William Shatner, and Career Goals

Wow. November sure got away from me. It's almost time for my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving! Huzzah! Turkey and mayo sandwiches here I come.

 I registered for all my classes for the next semester, and I have one 8am class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But that's okay, because I get to take a creative writing class next semester, too.

There's nothing real big to report here, life's been quiet. Lots of school. It's been cold. I always forget how cold it gets, and then November rolls around, and I wake up, and it's sub-freezing outside. BRRR! I wore the mittens I made today, but I was still cold and miserable. 

I've been working on Christmas gifts for my family and friends, and I gave my mom the sweater I knitted her for her birthday last week. It turned out fabulous.
Over the weekend, I went to our local Comic-Con with my sister, and among other things, I talked to William Shatner (and a room of 500+ people) about my desire to be a police officer. I asked William Shatner if people had told him stories about being inspired to pursue careers in science, technology, and aeronautics because of Star Trek the way Adam-12 inspired me to explore criminal justice. He asked what I wanted to do, and I said I'd like to be a cop, and he asked why. I hmmed and hawed for a few seconds, and then I admitted that I had a politically correct answer and an honest answer. He asked for the honest answer and I said (with an awful lot of pride and confidence I might add) that being a police officer was the closest I was going to get to joining the justice league, and I obviously can't be Dick Grayson (which, along with being in a movie where I get to be Matt Damon's kid, and being a princess, is my life goal), I can sure be a cop, and that's the next best thing.
I was answered by uproarious applause and cheering. I have never received such positive reinforcement for saying I want to be a cop. An older gentleman came up to me and said "I was a cop for 35 years, and you know who inspired me? The Lone Ranger," Usually people ask me why I don't want to be a lawyer. On person has even asked me what I'm going to do when I get  *miming kicking*  out of the police academy. This really happened. But on Saturday, that did not happen. No one assumed I wouldn't even make it through the academy, or if they did, they did not say it to my face. They just cheered. Everyone should have that happen at least once when they share their goals. It's nice to know people are with you, and not doubting you. (Mom, you don't count. You're my mom. Sorry)
Shatner ended up telling us all what inspired him to be an actor, which wasn't what I asked, but that's okay. I also won art from Jimmie Robinson with writing from Steven Grant! I'm really excited about that.
Because thanksgiving is on Thursday, I'd like to take a moment to say I am thankful for my family, my friends, and those who are on the front lines keeping us safe. This includes veterans  and those currently serving, fire fighters, EMTs and paramedics,  and police officers. We often forget how important they are until we need their services.
"If you're worried and you can't sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep, and you'll fall asleep counting your blessings." - Count Your Blessings
-D.

Post #67: Fun-sized Post

Today's post is fun-sized, because I am trying to finish up some English homework. Hopefully there will be a full-sized post later in the week.
Where did the year go? It's November all of a sudden, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
My Halloween was swell. I settled on Black Canary, and no one got it, so there's that. But I had fun dressing up, so that's all that counts.

I also discovered that there is a spanish version of "The Monster Mash"

"When you stop doing things for fun, you might as well be dead." - Ernest Hemingway
-D.

Post #66: Some Tips From Your Friendly Neighborhood First Responder

Big news! I am officially a Certified First Responder! Woot! I got my official certificate and card in the mail a couple weeks ago and I am super proud of myself. Mr. Mackey said I probably shouldn't share this fact with people, because then they will want my help, but I'm pretty sure that's why I got the cert, so I could help people. Also-if you want to ask me for medical help, please keep in mind that I can really only put pressure on stuff and call 9-1-1. And if it's not an emergency, I will most likely tell you to go to the doctor's.
I keep missing First Responder opportunities on campus by 5-10 minutes, and part of me is relieved, but the other, mildly terrible and easily excited part of me is disappointed. I HAVE A CERTIFICATION! LET ME HELP YOU!!! (But please don't get me sick).
 There have been two medical emergencies that I have encountered in the past couple of weeks. The fire dept./REMSA has had it all under control, but I noticed that crowd control was, well, not under control.

I'm going to get on my soapbox here, so be forewarned. 

Please don't stop and stare. Just don't. I know you're curious/concerned for the patient's well being. I get it. Stare as you walk by if you have to. But don't stop and crowd around. That makes the Responder's work harder, and it can make the patient feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. It's rude. I know you don't think that it's rude, and I know you have the patients best interests at heart, but just keep walking. My first responder text book says at least once per chapter "put yourself in the patient's shoes" or "consider how you would feel if you were in their position". I know it sounds corny, but it's a solid tip. How would YOU feel if you woke up on the ground surrounded by people in uniforms and curious onlookers?
And please don't tell the people around you that you "see this kind of thing all the time. It's not that big of a deal." (Somebody said this to me. I'm not joking.) Even if you do "see it all the time". REMSA/The Police Department/The Fire Department are in my condo complex all the time. I am still not used to it. It still makes me a little nervous. And it is a big deal. Even if it's just to the patient. My other favorite was "Well, you'd better get used to it. We're all Criminal Justice majors, so we'll be seeing this a lot." (This was the same person, after someone said something about being worried about the patient.) I don't care if I see this three times a day, every day. It's still a little unnerving. That's why emergency services pay counselors to be on call to talk to their employees. This isn't always stuff you get used to.
Don't do anything you're not willing to explain to the paramedics.
-D.

Post #65: 20th Century Foxes, Radio, and The Return of the Amazon

It's October! Yay! That means it's time for Halloween! This year, I'm going as She-Ra, Princess of Power! It's going to be rad. Halloween is my favorite. It's been getting cooler, so I've been wearing the fun stuff I knitted over the summer including my cute fox hood! I named the pattern "20th Century Fox" after The Doors' song.

Ta-da!

But apparently it's still warm enough for shower shoes. But it's cold enough for Uggs as well. I don't really understand that.

School is in full swing, and my favorite class is (surprise, surprise) Intro to Criminal Justice. I love it. I get up on Mondays (and Wednesdays and Fridays) looking forward to taking notes in CJ. And also what's going to be on TV that night. It is really the only class that I genuinely enjoy. I am also really enjoying my DJ position for Wolf Pack Radio. If you want to listen to my show (which you totally do) it's on Wednesdays from 1:00pm to 2:00pm on wolfpackradio.org and it's awesome.
Gracepoint started, and I am totally sucked in. WHODUNNIT?! I can't wait to find out. I never watched Broadchurch, so it's all new to me.
I ordered some CDs from Amazon, and I think they read my blog, so this time they sent envelopes instead of folded boxes.  I ordered Bringing In The Darlings, a Josh Ritter EP; Upside Down Mountain, the new album from Conor Oberst; Shangri-La, Jake Bugg's latest; and Big Lizard In My Backyard, The Dead Milkmen's first. My favorite songs are "Make Me Down" (Darlings), "You Are Your Mother's Child" (Mountain), "Storm Passes Away" and "Me and You" (Shangri-La), and "Gorilla Girl" (Lizard).  I also found an album by Drake Bell (remember him?) at the library. It was surprisingly wonderful. The cover of "Sunny Afternoon" is great.
"What a thing to be a witness to the sunshine, what a dream to just be walking on the ground." - Conor Oberst
-D.

Post #64: Television Returns

My favorite part of fall is the return of all my favorite shows. It really is. Gotham and Scorpion started Monday. Gotham was great, but I think I might be predisposed to like it, as it is Batman (sort of) and it has Ben McKenzie from The O.C.! I think the set for the Gotham PD Station is awesome! It looks like it fell out of a comic book. The rest of the sets are effectively seedy and grimy, and I really like who they picked for Kid Wayne. I don't like Alfred as of right now, but hopefully his character gets better.

Last night was the return of Chicago Fire! It was a predictable, emotional mess, and it was AWESOME! Severide made squinty sad faces, Casey tried to glue things back together, and stuff caught fire! Woo! Tonight is the return of The Goldbergs. If you aren't watching that, you should be. It's hilarious AND poignant! And Chicago PD is on tonight too! Is Voight the killer? Is Atwater going to make a fool of himself in Intelligence Will Ruzek break Burgess' heart? I can't wait to find out. I love Chicago P.D.
I started my radio show today on the college radio station (wolfpackradio.org) and the show went pretty well, but my recording did not, so I'm not super pleased about that. But hey, I made my radio debut. If you want to listen, my show is Wednesdays, 1-2pm. Tell your friends. Tune in.
I bought a sketchbook last week, and some pencils. I'm going to sketch stuff. *slams fist onto table*. I'M GONNA! And also, I need to stop sketching on lined paper. I also bought some more yarn. It'll be hat weather soon enough.
"Wyatt Earp and Big Cheyenne, comin' through the TV, shootin' up the land." - The Olympics
-D.

Post #63: Birthdays, TV, and Radio

This past Tuesday was The Cupboard Under The Stairs' first birthday! I'm going to get mushy here, so heads up.

I am really excited that I made it to the one year mark! I'm not going to lie, sometimes this project was a bit of a chore, and sometimes it still is. It's a lot harder when you don't have a set prompt each week. But in some ways, it's easier. 

I really love this blog, and I enjoy sharing my thoughts with you, dear reader. 

Today was awesome. We're finally getting into the interesting stuff in Criminal Justice, I found some Tiffany blue Sperry's at Savers for $5, I got to wear the birthday crown at buffalo wild wings and eat wings with my Mom, and I did really well on today's math quiz. But the best part of my day was getting hired on the spot for Wolf Pack Radio. I filled out the application Thursday night, and there was an audio component that was required, and they said if I was feeling ambitious, I could drop off a mixtape/compdisc, so that's what I did. I did a "get to know me" pilot episode with songs that meant something to me, or had a connection to me. I went by this morning, and I walked in and introduced myself and Mr. Station Management said "that's so funny, I just finished putting you in the Wednesday slot you requested!" I'm not going to lie, I was more than a little surprised, I mean, they hadn't even heard my CD or talked to me! But I accepted and tried really hard not to jump up and down and wave my arms like a broken octopus.  So I dropped off my CD, got a tour of the station, and left feeling pretty great. I am one step closer to fulfilling one of my life goals of becoming Ira Glass. I am so excited!
It's September, which means new TV seasons! Yay! In addition to my regular shows, There is a new Ken Burns special on PBS. It's about The Roosevelt's. I can't wait. And I'm looking forward to Gotham on fox. It's got Ryan from The O.C., and it's all pre-Batman, so I think that'll be interesting. And of course, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. are coming back, along with The Goldberg's. Yay!
"Do you remember lyin' there, with the covers pulled up over your head, radio playin' so no one can see?" - The Ramones
-D.

Post # 62: Shower Shoes, Raising hands, and Italians

So I've started at UNR, and I managed to find my classes okay, and I'm doing pretty okay. I can't believe how many kids and teachers wear shower shoes on campus! I wore my super-industrial tac-lites on Tuesday and my feet were still killing me. And those are like military grade shoes. I don't understand how their feet haven't just fallen off like those terrifying dolls.  I need to pick up a pedometer so I can see how much I'm walking. Because it's definitely a ton. And I'm definitely not the only one thrilled about the lack of dress code rules. I've seen some... Things.
My classes are okay. They aren't anything spectacular, but they aren't terrible either. Math is, well, math, and my English teacher tried to tell me that police stations aren't places and thus I can't use them in my research paper. I'm pretty positive that Police Stations are places. They occupy space on a geographical plane. You can go there. But, maybe I'm wrong. Criminal Justice is pretty cool, and my Substance Abuse class seems cool. We have to give up something for the semester in order to understand what it's like to give up an addiction, so I chose cracking my knuckles as my "drug of choice".

Because my financial aid was going to be revoked if I didn't take another class, I signed up for a Political Science class. World politics. I have never been so thankful for Mr. Burge's chat's with me about raising my hand. I tried to listen, to varying degrees of success. I wasn't always great at keeping my hand down, But at least I tried to bring something to the conversation (I hope) rather than screaming extremely political veiwpoints whenever someone disagreed with me. The person in my world politics class excels at sharing their tree-hugging extremist views. Today they decided to share their views on our military. That ended the class conversation pretty quickly. And I think they might spontaneously combust before the semesters out. 

I went to see Sultan Bathery last Friday at The Holland Project, and boy was it awesome! The band is an Italian punk band, and it was one of the best concerts I've been to in a while. It was really intimate, because there were maybe 40 people and the Holland Project is pretty small. It was so much fun! The guys signed my CD, and I got a picture with them, and I bought a shirt. It's pretty cool and I wore it on Monday. The whole album is kick ass, but Mirror is definitely one of my favorites.
"It's great to learn, 'cause knowledge is power!" - Schoolhouse Rock
-D.

Post #61: The End's Not Near, It's Here

As summer draws to a close, I look back at the past three months and I ask myself like I do every year, what did I do with my life for the past three months besides watch TV? Honestly, not much. I got my First Responder cert (sort of), I got crafty, and I placed 21st at Nationals. I didn't read nearly as much as I had wanted to, at least not books. I read a bunch of Batman Comics, but the only "books" I read were War, by Sebastian Junger, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, by Seth Grahame-Smith. I made it through two seasons each of The O.C., and  Justice League, and one season each of Fringe and The X-Files. Plus my live TV shows, Dominion, The Night Shift, Gang Related, Endeavour,  and Poirot (but let's be honest, summer seasons are like 10 episodes long, tops. so it's more like one and half seasons of the average TV show). I'm still working through Graceland and Last Ship. I narrowed my Halloween costume options down to two, either Black Canary or Suzy Bishop (from the Justice League and Moonrise Kingdom, respectively.) and I did end up going to the Lake, which was fun. But I'm still left feeling like I wasted my summer. Which is a little ridiculous. I went to Nationals for Pete's sake! And I'm now certified to put pressure on wounds and call 911 (that seriously sums up most of my abilities as a first responder)!
I'm ready to go back to doing things everyday. Too much free time drives me a little crazy. I need something to do besides laugh at the antic that is Wally West and make a squinty face at the questionable decisions of the Cooper Family.
With the advent of fall, also comes cooler weather (hopefully), my birthday, and better television programming. And back to school is my favorite time of year! New crayon smell is the best, and post-it notes and index cards are on sale! My two favorite things! My other favorite thing is lined paper, but I have been banned from buying that as I found nine unopened packs of lined paper plus a bazillion loose sheets, so I'll use those this year.
The title is from a song by The New Years, but I like the Band of Horses version better.

"it's such a waste to always look behind you, you should be looking straight ahead."- JET
-D.

Post #60: Crafty, Crafty Summer

So this summer, I spent a awful lot of time being crafty. For this week's post, I have the highlights of my craftiness.

These gloves are made from the beautiful Hacho yarn (Colorway 323) I received for Christmas last year. I finally found a pattern I felt would do the beautiful yarn justice. The pattern is Autumnal Mitts. You can find it on Ravelry here.

This is a close-up of the quasi-cable pattern.

Those are my fingers and hands modeling the gloves. The nail polish color is Revlon, "1000 Volts" from the Amazing Spider-Man Collection.

I was on a bit of an Octopus kick over the summer, and made a couple of different things featuring my favorite cephalopods.



































This is my school planner for this year. I used Sharpie paint pens. Those things are fabulous!





































I also designed a purse featuring another tentacled friend! This was also made using sharpie paint pens.


I did more knitting this summer, and one of my projects was a tiny 'CARE' hat, inspired by the mistake on one of the EMR tests that I took while getting my certification. The answer was SUPPOSED to say "The best care THAT you can provide" but instead said "The best care HAT you can provide". So I provided one.

It says 'CARE' all the way around.

I also knitted a hat to combat what I think is the worst part of traveling by Airplane. Ugly, gross, nappy hair. I knitted it for my trip to Nationals, and I didn't look too bad, even after spending 6 hours on an airplane.


























I used Brown Sheep Company's "Cotton & Fleece" in 'Pink Diamond'. It was a wonderfully light cotton with just enough merino wool that I stayed warm on the airplane. The pattern is "Scallop Lace Hat". You can find it on Ravelry here.



























This is a close-up of the scallop pattern and a better representation of the color.

Even though it has been too hot to turn on the oven in the shoebox, I have still been working with shrinky dinks.


















It's Catbug from Bravest Warriors! I still need to shrink these, but they're going to be earrings when I'm done.

And because it's back to school time, I made a new notebook.


































It's Christopher Lowell.



































This is the back.


So, those are some of the things I made this summer.

"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world." - John Keating (Robin Williams), Dead Poets Society
-D.

All Photographs by Novel Productions

Post #59: Disoriented and Burned Out

So I went orientation earlier in the week, and now I'm like 'I don't want to go to school.' I honestly really like school. I love learning and taking notes. But after five campus tours, two hours of sleep in the freezing dorm, and frustrating seminars that made no sense, I was ready to lay under a table and cry. And I'm not a public crier. But during the registration seminar after a night of two hours of sleep and one mug of horrible coffee, I seriously considered hiding under a table and crying. I didn't, but it was definitely an option. Eventually everything got straightened out, I ended up dropping Spanish, and I still have 8am classes, but it sort of worked out. At the registration seminar they kept saying you can only take 15 credits. You can't have more.  Prior to dropping Spanish, I had 18. "Well, you'll have to drop something. You can't have more than 15 credits." the ever-so-pleasant liberal arts college representative practically yelled. "Well, why can't I take more? Is it a financial aid thing?" I asked. "No, it's just that you can't handle more than 15 credits. No one can handle more than 15. That's a full load." Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever lady. I did end up with 15, but I'm looking for another elective class. They kept telling us "You're going to have 3 hours of homework per class every night." and "You can't just show up and expect to do well." and "This is nothing like high school."
You're right. I get to take what classes I want and I don't have to fight the School District. And I'm paying an awful lot of money to be here (or at least the federal government is. Thanks, FAFSA!). But other than that, it seems a lot like high school.
At AACT (go trailblazers!), we got almost the exact same spiel every year. Lots of homework, you can't just show up, this isn't a regular high school. But honestly, with the exception of APUSH, I never came home with more than 30-45 minutes of homework per class, and for most of my classes, I could just show up. I had to participate, but I pretty much just had to be present. So as people keep telling me it's so hard and so time consuming, I can't help but feel a little skeptical.
And to top it off, I had to go to the MANDATORY (it was all in caps on the schedule) "How To Be Part of The Pack". It left me feeling embarrassed and like I'd much rather join the Honey Badgers (but aren't those generally solitary creatures who don't give a shit, you ask? Exactly, I reply). What they called team spirit seemed belligerent and a little mean spirited, and never once did anyone say "we might be rivals in sports, but we are all from the same state, and we're all human beings, so be respectful to the UNLV guys." We got yelled at about how the University of Nevada, Reno is actually The University of Nevada and they don't ever want to hear us say UNR. 'But don't you want to make sure people don't confuse you with your evil arch nemesis UNLV' I thought to myself. Apparently not. UNR was first and UNLV is terrible and blah blah blah. We are from the Same. Flipping. State. And we might be a tier one school, but I don't think we are anywhere near the best school in the west. We are not the pride of the west. And I will wear whatever I want on campus. Maybe not a UNLV shirt, I don't want to get beat up, but I'm going to wear my red converse and my red sweaters and shirts. They tried to tell us we can't wear red on campus, and I think that that's ridiculous. One of the things I am most looking forward to is the lack of silly dress code rules. If I want to wear a hat on campus, I will. UNR can't stop me from wearing my bright red Yukon Jack hat. I"M GONNA STICK IT TO THE MAN! (but respectfully. If someone requests I take it off, and by someone I mean professor, I will).
"If most of us valued food and cheer and song over hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - J.R.R. Tolkien
-D.

Post #58: Professional Attire

So, last time I checked my closet (which was about two weeks ago), I discovered I own one black button-up, three white button-ups, two pairs of black slacks, one black pencil skirt, and one black and white pencil skirt. Thus ends the list of professional clothes I own. Yikes.
I knew I needed more of what I call "real clothes", but I haven't really needed them in my time in High School, because I generally just had to wear Skills attire (white blouse, black bottoms). And now as I stand in the face of "adulting" (another one of my fabulous terms.) I realize I need more real clothes. Stat.
So I got on Pinterest, in hopes of finding some ideas on what I should look for, and I found either outfits that would totally work if you had a job on Fourth Street, or outfits and tips that would be great if you were working in an ultra-conservative law firm from 1855. "Only wear button up tops" and "Neutral colors only" or "hair should be conservative" and "no visible knees if you choose to wear a skirt".
I get the part about not looking like you work on Fourth Street. That is important. You don't want to be like Cerie. But only button-ups and neutral colors? I'm pretty sure you can be young and professional looking. Bright colors can be professional. Blouses and dresses can be professional.  Heaven forbid I try to express myself.
My other favorite tip is "dress for the job you want, not the job you have". I think if I showed up dressed as Black Canary there might be an issue. Because my dream job is definitely to be a part of the Justice League of America and kick butts. Crazy martial art skills and a sonic scream would be fun.And also Justice League membership. Yes, Please! But, so far as I can tell, fishnets, boots, a black leotard, and a jacket don't constitute "professional attire". And I think impersonating a law enforcement officer for the sake of "dressing for the job you want" is not worth the time behind bars.
"Am I less of a lady if I don't wear pantyhose? My mama said a lady ain't what she wears, it's what she knows." - India.Arie "Video"
-D.

Post #57: This Week: June 23-28 - Kansas City Edition

Greetings from Kansas City! This is one big long post about my week. It's written in mostly real time!

Day One: Airports are great! At the Las Vegas airport, there was a group of honor flight vets! I shook almost everyone's hands and said thank you! It was the best part of my day. We took a charter bus to the hotel It's really green and flat here. It's not quite Seattle green, but it's green. And the humidity is not awesome. 

The room has a microwave, a fridge, and a kuerig coffee maker. It's awesome!

Day Two: Our "bus" (the three SUV's our school district rented) didn't leave until 10, so I got to sleep in a bit, which was nice. 

I had my contest orientation, and then we took the test for the competition (CPR-First Aid) then I walked around techspo. I got lots of stickers and free fun stuff. I still need to pick up some postcards.  

The "dance" was less fun. The band only played covers and the grass was infested with large bugs. We left an hour early, and headed back to the hotel. Then we swam in the pool at the hotel. That was really fun. 

Day Three: Today I bummed around Techspo. I picked up some more free swag and I went to the army medic seminar. Except it wasn't about army medics. It was about nursing. I was really disappointed. The description said that it was going to be about the army's cutting edge medical technology and combat medics. It was not. The speaker couldn't answer any questions about medics, because she was "only the head nurse."

After the seminar, I did the Army obstacle course. I manged to do 11 pushups, solve the chemical plant attack scenario, crashed the helicopter 4 times, and tried a peach-berry tart. It's too bad that there were no other branches of the military represented (read: The Marine Corps). 

Shark guy Chris Fisher came and talked to us at opening ceremonies, and a girl from my school won first in the safety video contest. 

Day four: competition day! I got up at 5:40 and was out the door by 6:40. Scrubs are terrible. Everyone keeps saying "aren't they like pajamas?". They are. That's the problem. They don't have a real waistband, they have no shape, and I hate them. I feel exposed. The criminal justice kids get utility belts. I would like a utility belt, and pants with belt loops. 

I sat in the holding area for 5 hours, and we weren't allowed to have any reading materials, which was fine, but everyone got pretty bored pretty fast. 

My actual competition did not go so well. The scenarios were not well put together, and the live dummies didn't seem to know what was going on. 

In order to escape drama, I rode the rides at the amusement park by myself. It was really fun. I got to ride what I wanted and I had a swell time. 

Day Five: Today was a bum around day until opening ceremonies, so I got up at 8:30, packed my stuff back up (all three items that weren't already in my luggage) and then we went for lunch. We went to Jack Stacks for BBQ, and it was the first time I have been full all week. I had some brisket and chicken. And some really yummy fries.  Then we headed to the mall. I wanted to go to the one with the lego store, but the other girls didn't so we went to the plaza mall. I went into Tiffany's, and did not buy anything. Then I went to Kate Spade, and there of all places, found postcards. They were free because I bought something (a cute to do/remember notepad). Then I went to Vera Bradley and bought a headband for myself and one for my sister. Everything came with fancy bags. The kind with tissue paper! Also- in Kansas City, the pedestrian does not have right of way. I had to tell myself that anytime I needed to cross the street. People here drive like maniacs. Then we went to a Wendy's in the sketchy part of town so we could change. Closing ceremonies at Nationals were long, and not very well organized. I did not place top three. I'm okay with that. I'm hoping top five. It will be up on the website later.

Day Six: I placed 21st. So, that was not as great as I was hoping, but it's better than 4th. The kids who got 4th were really upset. Today was mostly spent at airports and on airplanes. We made a sketchy friend at the San Diego airport who was drunk off his rear. Harbor police also made friends with him. Thankfully he was not on our flight.

"All voluntary travel is characterized by longing for some elusive element that lies out of reach in daily life." - Lucy Lippard
-D.

Post #56: Graduation, Moths, and My Two Dads

So, I finally graduated this past weekend, and the whole weekend was a mixed bag of happiness, sleep deprivation and family encounters. 

Graduation itself was pretty awesome. I got to walk with the girl I have sat next to in most of my classes for the past four years, which was rad, and I managed not to straight up bawl. I teared up, but I didn't cry. I didn't fall down the stairs, and I got lots of hugs, about half of which I would have normally felt were awkward/inappropriate.

Safe and sober was really fun, and I came home with a tatoo. A henna tatoo, but a tatoo nonetheless. I stayed up the whole time, but by about 3:30 am, I was not doing super great. I got home about 5:30am, took a shower, and then slept for six hours. And then it was party time. 

My mom's best friend very graciously held the party at her house, and that part was awesome! She always puts on a fabulous party, and this time was no exception. And then guests arrived. 

I'm not super familiar with the show My Two Dads, but the premise is basically that this girl's mom dies and she goes to live with two guys, both of whom were the mom's partners, and one of whom is the girl's dad. They both take on parenting roles, and we learn stuff about the human condition.  My situation is a little bit different.  I know which one is my dad, I'm just not on super great terms with either one. Niether is a big part of my life either due to distance or general deadbeat behavior. One of them was invited as a courtesy, and in a matter of minutes, managed to make everyone else in 

attendance uncomfortable. The other was just... There. The courtesy invitee managed to leave without saying good bye to me, which is astounding considering I was gone for 30 seconds to walk someone to their car, and he managed to hug people (which was a little inappropriate) before leaving. 

So, that happened. 

I don't know if it's just my geographical location or what, but there a a gajillion moths everywhere. I like moths, but they are a nuisance! So, I've been trying to catch them and put them outside. I have been pretty sucessful, and when I realease them, I encourage them to go home. Just not my home. I also like to quote the great Jake Blues and tell them "you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here." They need to find places other than my lamp to hang out. 

"Decide what to be, and go be it." - The Avett Brothers

-D.

Post #55: Restrepo

Last week on NPR, I heard a story about a documentary sequel from two guys, one of whom died in Libya in 2011, that used mostly footage they didn't use from the first documentary. I was intrigued, so I looked up the first film, Restrepo, and put it on hold at the library so I could watch it and then when the sequel came out, if I chose, I could see it.

I wanted to say that I enjoy military documentaries, but enjoy is not the right word. I watch lot of them, and I like to consider myself fairly knowledgeable about WWI and WWII. I'm not an expert, but I've done research and whatnot. I think politically and socially, war is an interesting thing. Terrible, but fascinating. So, I brought home Restrepo and I settled in for the hour and a half that was the movie.
Restrepo is the outpost in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan, named for a platoon medic who was killed in action. The documentary is ninety minutes of either footage of what was happening to the soldiers in the valley, i.e. combat, patrols, etc., or interviews with the soldiers. That's it. There are no politicians, no Generals, no score, no analysis from "experts". Just the soldiers, the valley, and the valley's inhabitants.
It wasn't necessarily this big tragic drama that is supposed to leave you in a mess of ugly crying, but still hopeful at the end. It was ninety minutes out of a year, and while there was sadness and loss, there were also strange, comical moments. The scenes that were most emotionally taxing for me were the scenes where there was a lull. When nothing happened. Those were, I think, the most tense for me as a viewer, and also for the men stationed in the valley as well. I waited for gunshots, but none came. The tension builds and builds and builds, and the combat scenes are almost a relief, because something is taking place. There are two options, live or die. Shoot or don't shoot. That's it. In the lulls, there are too many options, most of which are scarier and more complicated than do or do not.
In one of my favorite WWII documentaries, Ken Burns: The War, there is a lot of reflection and personal stories, and the ones that always got me were the first hand stories told through letters or straight up interviews. The ones told through b-roll and narration were still affecting, but not as much as the first-hand accounts. And that's all that's in Restrepo. First hand accounts. The filmmakers were there. They spent a year with this platoon. Restrepo is one of the most effective war documentaries I have seen because it is so personal, and it doesn't have the commentary about why they did this or that in relation to politics. This is what they did and this is what happened as a result.
"one of the most troublesome things in life is that what you do or do not want has very little to do with what does or does not happen." - Lemony Snicket
-D.

Post #54: Double Standards

This year, one of my biggest struggles has been overcoming double standards. I have been told one thing, adhered to it, only to watch someone else win/get credit/get away with something after completely disregarding the standards set for everyone else. For a short film competition, I altered my short film to fit the strict 'no violence' rules. I was told if I used nerf guns my film would be disqualified. I was allowed to use my fingers to make "guns" but I was not allowed to fire them. The video that won in my category featured explicit, R-rated violence. A guy's head is shot and explodes. All over the screen. And they had highly realistic fake M-16s. My nerf gun is bright pink with white swirls amd flowers on it. When I and a few other contestants asked about this other video, we were told that the violence in the winning film was acceptable because it was pertinent to the story line. A story about starting a nuclear war with Russia. My thirty second scene was a Mark Wahlberg movie parody. The guns are "cocked", but never fired. The MW character has animal control on her tail. It's a parody of Shooter. But my almost violence was unacceptable.

I was told to read poems that were school appropriate at my school's poetry slam this week. I left my mother's day poem at home because it said "shit", and I knew that it would be considered inappropriate. I read one of my other poems. I watched contestant after contestant get up amd share poems that would quickly get DQ'ed if held to the same standards I was told to adhere to. And at a school function, I don't want to see mindless violence or hear about you and your significant other getting naked and doing I don't want to know what. It's not the time or place. In my free time, I watch violent movies. But I am aware of the rating, and so is my mom. I am aware of what I am exposing myself to. But at school functions, if I am expected to keep it clean and PG, I expect everyone to be. I have never been dress-coded, sent to an administrator's office or held after class. I follow the rules, and sometimes I wonder what would happen if I broke the rules. If I let my Tyler Durden side out to play. But I know better. So I'll just keep following the rules and being a fairly decent person.

"Creepy people do the things decent people want to do, but have decided are probably not a great idea." - Mike Birbiglia, This American Life "#515"

-D.

Post #53: Ghost Stories, Summer Television, and Being Tuff

Coldplay's new album Ghost Sories came out a few weeks ago, and it got some seriously mixed reviews. Nonetheless, I went out and bought the Target Deluxe Edition. I really like it. I love "Magic", and "Ink" is a good song too. I think that the album leans towards the earlier, more melancholy albums rather than Mylo Xyloto's synth-driven cheeriness. Not that their other albums didn't feature synthesizers. Coldplay was one of the first bands that I really got into of my own accord. It wasn't something that I grew to love because my mom played it. It was something that I though was cool and introduced everyone else to. Coldplay holds a special place in my heart because they were the first band that I found of my own accord.

So most of my shows have ended, but that's okay, because the summer tv season has started. In addition to Endeavor, which starts June 29, Graceland starts on the 11. And I am hooked on Night Shift, mostly because I don't know what goes on in an ER, so I won't sit and pick apart what the characters do, and also the main guy is smokin' hot. I'm also sucked into Gang Related. It's like Chicago PD and The Departed had a baby. And it's got Rabbit from Trauma. 

My mom found The Fabulous Thunderbirds' album Tuff Enuff at the thrift store, and it's constantly being played at my house. It's a great album with some fun songs. I love "Tuff Enuff", "Wrap It Up", and "Why Get Up?". 

"Nothin' I'd do for you that's too tough for me." - The Fabulous Thunderbirds

-D.

Post #52: Into The Why the Heck Can't You Make Better Choices

We still have to do things in English, so in addition to our portfolios, we are reading Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer. 

I don't like camping. At all. I enjoy nature, but I also enjoy running water and my own bed. I like hiking and gardening, but no camping. But hey, there's a dead guy and a writer trying to figure out what's going on! It sounds awesome, right? WRONG. 

Basically Chris/Alex decides "hey, I'm going to go live off the land in Alaska without any of the right equipment because I want to be like Jack London!" And then he dies and Krakauer finds "Vague, unsettling parallels" in their lives and retraces his steps. I'm 60 pages in and I hate it. This guy is just one questionable decision after another. And I'm fed up with all of the political rambling of the letters and whatnot from Chris/Alex. Sometimes he says something deep and profound, like "the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences," and then there is a bunch of anti-government, pseudo-hermit mumbo-jumbo. And Jon Krakauer isn't much better. He seems to have reverence for Alex/Chris and his bad decisions. 

And we are watching the movie at the same time. The best part thus far has been the Eddie Vedder soundtrack. I would love to Mystery Science Theater 3000 this movie, but alas, we are watching it as a group so that's a no-go. 

"Stop Whining and find something to do." - Dowager Countess, Downton Abbey

-D.

Post #51: Look, Ma! I'm Not Dead!

I would like to issue a retraction. A couple of posts ago I talked about how sad I was that they cancelled Inspector Lewis. Turns out it got renewed. Yay!
Also: I made an actual A-Team Montage. You can watch it here.

Okay, back to the regularly scheduled blog post.

I'm done with AP! Yay! I took the AP Lit test today, and now I'm done! Woo! That is all I am allowed to say about the AP test, as I have signed my soul away to the College Board and I am not allowed to talk about it. But I'm not dead, so there's that.

I am writing this post really late today. I went to see Buddy Wakefield tonight. There was some miscommunication and when it came down to it, Mr. Wakefield preformed for about 45 minutes. We were the last stop. I have never seen a slam poetry anything, but I was hoping for more than two songs, three poems, and some rambling. But it was good. My mom and I had a good time. I got a poster. I shook Mr. Wakefield's hand and he signed my poster. I got a picture. 

Mr. Wakefield is a bitter person. Brilliant, but bitter. And that's okay. He preformed "Horsehead", "Gandhi's Autobiography", "A Little Diddy Called Happiness" and another song.  My mom and I were one of the only ones to get the pencil puns. Some of the audience members were not so sharp and did not get the point of the puns. I would have liked to hear "Guitar Repair woman, but there is always next time. 

I need to work on finding more positive art. I need more hope in my life. 

"I care to be whole." - Horsehead

-D.

Post #50: The AP Test Cometh

Cue The A-Team theme please. Roll the montage of me sharpening #2 pencils, testing ballpoint pens, circling multiple choice answers, doing push-ups while reading a textbook, and reading poems, while looking directly into the camera or flipping my hair.
That's right, ladies and gentlemen. It's time to take the AP Literature test. I AM READY! (this is the part where I strike a macho pose and do some sort of a battle cry.)
But seriously, I am ready. I got a 5 on the practice test, and I think I have a decent shot at another on the real test.
To prep us for the test, Mr. Burge had us do cheat sheets of all the books we read this year, and so I went back and dug out my annotated Catch-22. It was fun to revisit my notes. Whilst searching for where I wrote down what kind of planes were being flown by Yossarian &co. (B-17 Flying Fortresses, for the record.), I found one of my annotations that pretty much sums up about 80% of the book: GODDAMNIT MILO! written all in caps, on page 446, as Snowden lies on the floor of the plane and Yossarian looks for some morphine only to find a note that says: "What's good for M&M Enterprises is good for the country. Milo Minderbinder".
Frankenstein and Hamlet were a lot less fun to go through. Frankie was okay, and it's always fun to read about Old Ham back from the grave, but Catch-22 is my favorite.
"There's more to life than books you know, but not much more." - The Smiths
-D.

Post #49: Morse, Enchanted, and Vanity Copies

There is large hole in my heart left by the Masterpiece: Mystery! series Inspector Lewis, or rather, the end of the series. I loved watching Hathaway try not to run circles around Lewis intellectually while he chain smoked, and Lewis shake his head at people. The score was super great, and I love solving the mystery!
And then bam! It's over. I never went back and watched Inspector Morse, which Inspector Lewis is a spin off of. I have it in my netflix queue, but I decided since there was no more Lewis, I should catch up on Endeavour, which is the prequel to Inspector Morse and is returning this June on Masterpiece.
It has filled the hole in my heart. I am on a 1960's Great Britain kick, and this fits in so nicely. It's set in mid-sixties Oxford, and the score is composed by none other than Barrington Pheloung, who also composed for Inspector Lewis and Inspector Morse.
I got Enchanted from the library, and let me tell you, I think that it is one of the best Disney movies of all time. Seriously. Not only does it have James Marsden, we learn that maybe it is not such a great idea to marry someone you've just met, and there are big musical numbers and it's super funny and cute. I want to have a big musical number with singing and dancing and clapping and snapping and general joy and magic. I would also very much like for small rodents and other assorted creatures to do my housework.
Mr. Burge recently found some copies of Catch-22 that last years seniors left behind. These are nice, 50th anniversary copies. Burge asked if anyone wanted one, and I said if there's one without too much writing in it, I'd take it. He found one in nearly pristine condition for me. I got asked "don't you already have a copy?" later that day. I do. But that copy is held together by packing tape and is highlighted to high heaven. It's an annotated copy. I like to have a vanity copy as well. I have one for East of Eden as well. One copy has my scribley notes and highlights, and one copy is the fancy centennial edition. I like to have a copy to read without puzzling over why I wrote something or doodled a dead cat in the margins.
"I guess this makes you the damsel in distress, huh, handsome?" - Enchanted
-D.

Post #48: Lost in the Darkness

Never in my life has a book left me wondering what the heck just happened, even though I totally understood what happened. Until Heart of Darkness. So they got attacked and the guy died, and Marlow has to get his shoes off? Right, I got that. But why am I still so darn confused? And then he finds Kurtz and Kurtz dies so Marlow goes to talk to the widow? Why is he even telling this story to the guys on the boats? Why hasn't someone said "shut up, I wanna play dominoes. No one cares about your FUBB trip up the river."
 I even watched Apocalypse Now in hopes of it being put into an adapted, different point of view. Nearly three hours later, I am even more confused. Cowboy Curtis died, and they're in Vietnam and Han Solo and the Doors are there? What? And then Stanley gets brutally murdered by Queenan? Back up. I'm so lost. Burge keeps saying that we aren't supposed to understand the book because it's a juxtaposition, but that doesn't make me feel any better. Am I just supposed to let it wash over me in waves of arrows and fog and explosions? I feel like I'm lost in the white fog.
Mr. Burge says we can use this on the AP test, if it fits the prompt, but I don't think that's going to work unless the prompt says "Write a well organized essay about a book that made no sense and left you feeling confused, dumb, and a little uncomfortable." Because I could make that work.
"This is the end, beautiful friend." - The Doors
-D.

Post #47: Captain America: The Winter Soldier MOVIE EDITION

 THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT THE MOVIE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
The first words out of my mouth after the final post credits scene were: wait, what? I was worried about Bucky, but now I'm worried about the Maximoffs, and their "Miracle Powers" (because we can't say mutant.). Where was Falcon's suit? Who was agent 13, besides not Sharon Carter?
I enjoyed the movie overall, however. I liked the Nick Fury twist, The scene at base in New Jersey scared the crap out of me, oh, and Hail, Hydra! I really loved that this movie was more of a political thriller than a shoot-em-up-Cap-and-Black-Widow-kick-everyone's-butt movie. It made the fight scenes much more impacting and fun. I love love  LOVE that they had Gary Sinise do the voice over for the Smithsonian. It added a nice layer of reality to the movie (If you didn't know, Gary Sinise is very active in doing voice overs for military advertising, VA advertising, and hosts the Memorial Day Sobfest Special on PBS every year). I think they did well with Bucky's back story as the Winter Soldier.
I had an...interesting encounter with some acquaintances of the friend I went with when we went to Target and I told them I was sad that they hadn't used any of the original back story, but I understood why they changed things, because I don't think they would really want to touch the Civil War saga, and also, who could possibly play Deadpool? The man looked at me over his glasses and said "Us purists know the truth. We are the nerds. I believe they will, especially because Chris Evans is only signed on for two more movies after Age of Ultron."
The words 'purists' and 'nerds' make me uncomfortable. I prefer Geek, because, yes, there is big difference between Geeks and Nerds (this is a good article about the differences). And also no one is a "purist" when it comes to Marvel, or DC. I don't know anyone who has ONLY read the comics and never watched a movie or a tv show. And also, I don't claim to have read a ton of comics. I read the ones that look good, and I really specialize more in X-Men. And there are over 75 years worth of comics to get through (both Marvel and DC).
IMAX is not worth seventeen dollars. Especially because you can't switch seats if you end up next to a talker. And also, I was not impressed by the 3D IMAX magic. It was not magic, and if I didn't look at the screen right, the image wasn't in 3D, it was in the pre-glasses double vision.
"Comics are a gateway drug to literacy." - Art Spiegelman
-D.

Post #46: Captain America: The Winter Soldier COMIC BOOK EDITION

Heads up: I'm devoting the following post to the Captain America: The Winter Soldier comic book, Captain America: The First Avenger movie, The Marvel Civil War saga, and various animated specials and TV episodes. This post contains spoilers. Big ones.

I just finished reading The Winter Soldier saga by Ed Brubaker, and I'm a little concerned about the movie. In the comics, Bucky is a.) a kid they get off a military base at age 16,
b.)  Captain America's partner
and, most importantly and blatantly ignored in First Avenger,
c.) is killed when he and The Cap escape being held prisoner by Nazis. He is blown up with the ship because his arm gets stuck and he can't fall off into the ocean with The Cap.
HE DOES NOT FALL OFF A SPEEDING TRAIN INTO AN ICY ABYSS! THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS!
The Russians find him, missing his left arm and frozen, and go "awesome we found Captain America's partner! He probably has super serum we can replicate! Yay!" Bucky is 100% human. No super soldier here. So, instead, they make him a (bad ass) prosthetic arm and brainwash him, which isn't hard, because he doesn't remember who he is, but remembers all of his combat skills (because Bucky was more than an icon. He was a legitimate soldier with intense training.) and becomes Codename: Winter Soldier, an assassin for the KGB.
This story arc is part of a much larger saga, and is also part of the Marvel Civil War storyline, in which Steve Rogers/Captain America is killed in cold blood, and Bucky takes his place as Captain America.
I looked at the Age of Ultron cast list and Chris Evans is there as Cap. Also, I can't imagine that Marvel Studios wants to touch the saga that pits Captain America against Iron Man in the battle against/for superhuman registration and being forced to work for the government. It's a constant theme in X-Men comics and movies, but not so much in the rest of the mainstream Marvel Universe.
Black Widow is nowhere to be found in the Winter Soldier comics. Falcon plays a pretty minimal role. Important, but minimal.
More to come after I see the movie.
-D.

Post #45: Out Among The Stars, $16.25, and Nashville 2.0

I was not disappointed by Out Among The Stars, the new Johnny Cash album. It is not at all like classic Johnny Cash, i.e. "Folsom Prison Blues", "Man In Black", "Ring of Fire", etc. There were some additions made by his son, John Carter Cash, and the CD I bought has an bonus track, a remix of one of the tracks by Elvis Costello. My favorite song off the album is "Baby Ride Easy", a duet with his wife June Carter Cash. The album definitely reflects the time period in which it was recorded (the early 1980's). It reflects that it's 1984, and nobody likes country anymore. But it's still a pretty good album.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier came out yesterday. I am halfway through the comic book, so I haven't seen it yet. I really love Marvel, and I am super excited for the lineup this summer. I really want to see it in 3D, and a new IMAX theater just opened up down the street, so I figured I'd ask my best freind if she would like to go see it with me, but I checked the ticket price first. It's sixteen frelling dollars and twenty-five cents. There are no matinees. I could go see almost THREE movies at the century 14 theater for what it costs to see CA:TWS at the IMAX. But I really do want to see it in IMAX. But $16.25 is an awful lot for a movie. But, Chris Evans in stunning IMAX 3D Hi-Def magic.... That, my friends, sounds like a party.
Last night on PBS was a rerun of Nashville 2.0. The show was about up-and-coming Americana acts, and some already well established acts. They talked about The Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons. The whole show was mostly about people going back to the roots of country music, and that was all well and good, but what they failed to talk about was the intelligence of some of the songs. I am not a huge fan of country music. In my car there will be no country music radio stations ever. But I do like folksy alternative bands, like The Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons. I like them because A: they sound really good and they have a cool vibe; and B: They write intelligent music. Mumford and Sons wrote a song about East of Eden! Their music is rife with biblical and literary references! I love that. The people they talked to seemed to be astonished that "The mainstream" public liked Mumford and Sons, that it was unprecedented. Well, no, it's not. I think that sometimes the listening public is underestimated in their ability to appreciate things. It wasn't unprecedented when the general public loved The Avengers, because it was a well written, well directed, and well put together movie, in addition to having serious destruction and the fabulous Chris Evans, and I think that's how it is with music. I like The Avett Brothers because they write well, they sing well, and their music is well put together.
"One little song, give me the strength to leave the sad and the wrong, bury safely in the past where I've been living, alive but unforgiving." - "Souls Like The Wheels"
-D.

Post #44: Winner Winner Double Gold Dinner!

So, this year at the SkillsUSA state conference, I won first place in both CPR-First Aid AND Prepared Speech. Two gold medals! I am going to Nationals in Kansas City in June. I had such a great time at the conference. I saw some old friends, made some new ones, and got to compete in the things that I love. My school did really well, and we swept for CPR-First Aid. According to the judge, I got a perfect score in Adult CPR, which I am really proud of. I was a little surprised about both of the medals, because I didn't think I did that well. But apparently I did, and I am really excited and proud. I have worked hard for this competition and it really paid off. I was really nervous about prepared speech, and I was really, really over prepared for CPR. I had packed a StatPack full of bandages, goggles, splints and other stuff, but I only used the breathing mask and one-way valve. There was an interview portion, and I was asked what SAMPLE, DOTS, and CPR stood for. The only part I really thought I messed up on was Infant CPR. I second guessed myself after the fact, but when I checked my notes, it turned out that I had it right.
I'm really glad to be home again, and to sleep in my own bed.
"Well I might take a plane, I may take a train, if I have to walk I'm going just the same, I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come." - Fats Domino
-D.

Post #43: Magic Box From The Amazons

So, I have rarely had pleasant experiences with ordering things from Amazon. My items either come three weeks late or they show up damaged. But of course, they had the cheapest prices on AP Spanish practice books, so lo and behold, I placed an order. I also ordered Cease To Begin, a Band Of Horses album, and Before Sleep Comes, a Luka Bloom album. They came on Friday, in the wacky folded box. I was really excited about the CDs, and in my excitement, I accidentally punched myself in the stomach trying to open the box. I have never been punched (hard, at least. I accidentally got lightly punched in the face at a dance one time). It really put a damper on my mail party. I love getting mail. I have been known on occasion to sing the mail song from Blues Clues when the mail comes.
I spent a good two minutes doubled over still clutching the box while my sister laughed at me. When I had finally gotten over the fact that I had just punched myself trying to open a box, I took my CDs and AP Book to my room and immediately put on Cease To Begin. Now I just need Mirage Rock and I'l have all of their albums. I really love that instead of booklets, there are snapshots in the sleeve thing. My favorite song off the album is "No One's Gonna Love You". The next four words are "more than I do", so It's not as sad as the title implies.  I really like the whole album, but that song is my favorite. On Before Sleep Comes, my favorite song is "Be Still Now". The whole album is really nice and quiet, and along with Nick Drake's Pink Moon, it makes a nice pre-bedtime playlist.
The AP Spanish book was not awesome and I do not have anything nice to say about it. It is large and full of things I do not understand, even as a 12-year Spanish student.
"I want to contribute to the chaos, I don't want to watch and then complain" - Twin Size Mattress
-D.

Post #42: Graduation Speeches

I'm not sure how I feel about graduation speeches. Part of me really, really, really wants to speak at graduation, and then another part of me just says "this is total crap". "look back on high school!" "you're going to miss it!" "You're going to miss your classmates!" 

Yeah, how about no. I'm not going to miss high school. Seriously. I might miss my English class, and that's about it. I'm proud of coming from my school, because my school kicks butt! But I'm also really glad to get on with my life. My favorite speeches thus far have been the ones about looking forward and finding happiness. Not looking back on the "fun" times in computer literacy. When in doubt... 

It's important to look back on one's history and learn from the past, but let's move forward. 

Changing gears: 1984 was terrible. The ending made me want to chuck the book across the room. (If you have not read 1984, I'm going to talk about spoilers, so maybe go read a different blog.)

So, Winston sneaks around, but then O'Brien is actually a bad guy, and then they get brainwashed? What? I get the part about how we should be careful because big brother is watching and the government is taking control.I get that. I see why that's important. But really, brainwashing? 

I thought we were going to learn that humans are resilient and can stick it to the man and all that jazz. Instead we learned that humans are weak and need to be controlled and if we aren't careful we're going to be slaves to the government. 

Make good choices

-D.

Post #41: Why I hate The Word Hipster

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you probably noticed I like The Smiths. If you know me in real life, you probably know I L-O-V-E the Smiths. I'm into some indie bands, and I love vinyl records. Which of course, has earned me the label 'hipster'.
The Merriam Webster definition of 'hipster' is "A person who is unusually aware of and interested in new and unconventional patterns (as in Jazz or fashion); A hip person." It's a term from 1940.
Generally, I love being told my tastes are awesome and cool and avant garde. I love being able to discuss why Everything All The Time is the worst Band of Horses album and why everyone should appreciate Glen Miller. But as soon as I mention any of these things with any enthusiasm, there comes that word. Hipster. "God, you're such a hipster" spat at me as if I just kicked someone's puppy.  Sorry I have eclectic tastes. Is there a reason you have to call me something derogatory because I don't listen to whatever it is you listen to?
In the endless bullying seminars and flyers and videos I have seen because I'm in school, there's always that idea that the bully is bullying someone because they're insecure. I'm sorry my music tastes make you feel insecure. I can say with 100% sincerity that my intention was never to make you feel bad about yourself. My intention was to enjoy music and share it with you. Honest.
But then you bring out the H word. You make fun of my tastes because they're different from yours. Because you associate my tastes with people who drink lots of expensive coffee and take pictures of mediocre sunsets. I do drink a ton of coffee, and I like sunsets at much as the next gal, but that shouldn't matter when we are discussing music. It shouldn't matter unless we are discussing coffee or sunsets.

"Don't worry we'll all float on" - Modest Mouse
-D.

Post #40: Slam

In order for us to continue working with poetry without causing mutinies, Mr. Burge has been showing us slam poetry. We watched one from Saul Williams about drugs and imprisonment and while it was a really cool poem, It didn't really elicit an emotional response from me, besides being mildly unsettled.
it got me wondering if there was slam poetry that wasn't about such negative things. I love Anis Mojgani's "Direct Orders" and "Love Poem For His Wife", because they are about being happy and fulfilled, but pretty much every other slam poem I've seen in class is so unhappy and negative in its tone. Depression and substance abuse and OCD and other things I'm not real keen to read about/listen to. Where is the slam poetry about that first date that didn't end horribly? Where is the slam poetry about going to the library? About making good choices?
Why doesn't that elicit an emotional response? Why doesn't a poem about life and happiness get a response the way a poem about death and sadness does? Are we so desperate for catharsis that we automatically assume that if it's dark and unhappy it's good?
I want to hear poetry that isn't about violence and drugs. I want to hear happiness and joy. I want to learn things about the human condition that leave me hopeful and with a light heart, not things that leave me with my skin crawling, my heart heavy, and a vague ominous feeling. I want to hear that there is hope, because there is always hope. Always.
"The inside might be as dark as night, but at the end of the tunnel there's a light." - Starlight Express
-D.

Post #39: The Adventures of Victorian London People

Victorian England is an interesting place. You have a really highbrow and fancy society, and then you have the seedy and impoverished society. Both are involved in some really great literature and television. Charles Dickens, The Bronte Sisters, and Elizabeth Gaskell often dealt with both ends, and sometimes the middle class peoples. We just read "The Red-Headed League" and true to Victorian Style, it's pretty dense. However, granted you understand the word choice and sentence structure of the era, the story line is pretty easy to follow. Basically (and notice the word 'BASIC') what happens is this red headed guy applies for a job that is actually a ploy to get him out of his house so his assistant, who is actually a criminal, can tunnel to the bank and steal a butt-load of money. Sherlock, with help from, well, no one, as Watson is really just a glorified body guard, solves the case and all's well that end well.
If I'm going to read Victorian lit, I'd much rather read The Adventures of the Extremely Seedy and Sketchy. If I'm not really going to learn anything about the human condition besides sometimes people aren't very nice, I would at least like to be entertained. All I got from Sherlock Holmes is that people like to pick on red heads, which I already knew as I am a red head myself, and that running around solving mysteries is a totally okay way to spend your time. I generally enjoy mystery stories. Heck, I owned almost every single Nancy Drew book when I was eleven. But I just could not get into Sherlock. I'm not sure why. It might be because there were no characters for me to relate to, or even root for really. The stakes didn't seem that high and the final scene was mildly anticlimactic.Even Scooby-Doo, which is just a cartoon remake of Sherlock Holmes with more characters, a dog, and some monsters is more exciting to me. Seriously, It's the exacts same plot as a Sherlock Holmes story. The Mystery Gang (Sherlock) happens across a mystery (client shows up with a problem), they walk around for a little bit observing stuff, Daphne (Watson, a Police Officer, someone in general) does something dumb, everyone regroups (Sherlock invites the Police), a trap is laid, "it's just mean old Mr. Jenkins, the groundskeeper!" (AHA! We caught you red handed!") Fred Explains the why, Velma explains the how (Sherlock explains to Watson), Everyone goes for a milkshake (Holmes and Watson have a drink). Same story. At least in Scooby-Doo we learn the importance of team work, and it's silly fun. Sherlock, not so much.
"Hey c'mon get involved until the mystery is solved!" - The Scooby-Doo Show Theme
-D.

Post #38: Patron Saint of Beekeepers

Part of me really wants to hate Valentines day. I want to wear all black and be angry and hate it. Love sucks and cupid is stupid and boys are butt-heads! It's a big Hallmark holiday and everything is terrible!
But then I realize that I'm being a bit of a jerk, and Valentines is actually a lot of fun. I bought Superman, Avengers, Frozen and Thor valentines, and my family and I always exchange valentines and eat dinner. My grandma makes heart-shaped cinnamon raisin bread and the LilSis manages to put a bajillion valentines in everyone's mailbox. Also, the valentines come with stickers that I never give out. I hoard them and use them for my own ends. I'm going to bake stuff and share it with my best friend and the Lilsis, and I have almost finished this years secret crafty valentine. Last year I made knitted hearts for everyone. they turned out adorable. I can't wait to do my hair and wear red lipstick and maybe a skirt and wallow in the fun that is Valentines day.At school, invariably, someone will show too much affection and a teacher will get annoyed, and invariably, someone ends up crying. There's a lot of emotions on valentines day. There are also delicious candy hearts. I love candy hearts. And when they go on clearance, you can buy them and throw them into the street, and pretty soon you will have a beautiful abstract art piece in front of your house. It's super duper rad.
Also- Saint Valentine is not just the patron saint of love and marriages and greetings. He is also the Patron Saint of beekeepers, epilepsy, fainting, plague, and travelers.
"If it's not love, than it's the bomb that will bring us together."- The Smiths
XOXO
-D.

Post #37: The Importance of Societal Norms In Victorian England

I am a total Masterpiece Theatre junkie. I love it. Downton Abbey, The Jane Austen Series, Mr. Selfridge, you name it, I probably watched it. Along with the amazing costume design, I love the view on societal norms. Only invite your closest friends to your wedding? Scandalous. Don't change for dinner? Even more scandal. Dress yourself? Unheard of. It sounds silly now, but 100 years ago, that was what was expected. One of my favorite plot lines on Downton Abbey right now is the transition from a Victorian estate to a post WWI world. To watch things shift from season one, which was set in 1912, to this season, set in 1921. Barely a decade has gone by, but things are rapidly changing.
The Importance of Being Earnest was so funny because it really just poked fun at the norms, as well as being exceptionally witty. Mr. Wilde knows what makes society tick. At a time when arranged marriages were still quite plausible and what you served for tea could make or break your position in your community, Wilde took those norms, made fun of them and set them alight with deft satire. It's brilliant.
On the capstone front, on Friday I was a "Victim" for the Mock-Mass Casualty Incident the medical academy hosted. I was a RED in the medical academy's mock-Mass Casualty Incident. Red meant that I couldn't walk, but I could answer questions, and my vitals were a little wonky. I needed immediate care. It also meant that I got some super awesome contusions on my arm. My mom came to help out, as she has a degree in theatre arts and is super awesome at doing stage makeup.

I scared the poor produce guy at Safeway when I forgot about the makeup and pushed my sleeves up.
Go forth and create.
-D.

Post #36: Self Poet-traits

So, once again, art for a grade comes back to bite me. The only class I've ever gotten a not-so-great grade in was sixth grade art. The side that was art history? No problem. The side that was me imitating the art? Problem. The teacher said that "I failed to follow instructions" When we had to do self portraits, and I did mine Picasso style. There was nothing in the instructions that said it had to look realistic. It just had to be an accurate representation of me. Fast forward a year, and I have signed up for an art class at the rec center. I come prepared with all of the materials and twenty minutes into free-handing circles the instructor comes up to me and says "Your circles aren't roundy-round enough. I instructed you to make round circles." needless to say, I did not take Art For Children II.

I come from a family of creative people. My mom makes jewelry and collages stuff, my grandma paints, and my uncle is a LEGO master and a mixed media artist. I like to knit and collage and write and do artistic things, but in my free time. Sometimes for profit, but usually just for the heck of it. There's a great cliche about how art is "about the process", but it's true. Sometimes my projects take ages, just because I have to think things through. Other times I work on a project just to have something to do with my hands. 

But now,  for English we have to make a self portrait. Based on a poem (hence the post title). So, I've managed to collage and glitter my way through, and hopefully all works out. 

Go Seahawks! 

-D.

Post #35: Shrinky-Dinks

 A few weeks ago, I found a pack of blank Shrinky-Dink paper. Super magical Shrinky-Dinks. So, I've been experimenting with sharpies and colored pencils and gel pens, and I've made buttons and some jewelry thus far. I am really proud of the set I made that says 'Scribo', which is Latin for 'Write'. Shrinky-Dinks are magic. You color them, and then you stick them in the oven and they get curled and wonky, and then they flatten out, making fabulous tiny pieces of art. It's a great analogy for life. Add pressure or heat, and things will get wonky and curled, but when all is said and done, nothing was as big as it seemed, and everything straightened out. It's magic.

I finished another knitted hat, but it turned out looking like a WWI Army helmet. If you know anyone putting on a production of War Horse, let me know. I'm not sure what I'm going to work on next. I've sort of got a sweater going, but it's more of a weekend project than a TV Tuesday project. I think I might make another hat. I've got the materials to make a trapper hat... Or maybe I'll make some socks. Decisions, decisions. I still need to work on valentines and a birthday gift for the LilSis. So many crafty things, so little time. When it warms up, I think I'm going to make a PVC pipe bow and some arrows. For now, I guess I'll work on some more Shrinky-Dink jewelry. 

"Give me a sledgehammer and give me strength, watch the world come crumbling down." - Fitz & The Tantrums

-D.