Thursday, March 24, 2005

   Bloody Beautiful Day
Sam - *to Irish* Hey, can I go hang out in the pub with Death Knight?
Irish - *smiles* Yeah...
Sam - *whoo-hoo!* *goes off to hang with Death Knight*

Hello all you peoples. I should be getting my philosophy paper back tomorrow. I'm feeling a bit better, and Sam tried to update the other day...but there were some technical difficulties involving the computer.

*Irish accent* Today is absolutely gargeous! *regular voice* I am so slightly peeved about having to work today, because it is so lovely outside. The weather is perfect. I want to simply go out for a walk in my rockin' high tops, jeans, blue men's shirt, and smashing blue and purple tie. It's so grand a day. I should be out there now, just walking around Columbia doing nothing. *sigh* But no, I need to go to work today. But, to celebrate the wonderfulness that is the day, I think I'm going to wear this really cute/sexy long skirt to work today...and heels. *ooooh*

I've been inspired to take up my writing again. Not that I ever really stopped... *light hearted sigh* But yeah, straightening my room and working on stories and novels, that'll be on the menu for a while.

Oh, and I need to figure out how to contact my advisor to get a class for Maymester so I can keep my scholarship.

*hmmm* Going to go now, talk to you guys later. Hope your weather is as wonderful as mine is and that you get to enjoy it. Cheers!
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Saturday, March 12, 2005

Hello all you happy peoples, it is I, Sam!
Irish is on a temporary hietis at the moment. Oh don't worry, she'll read y'all's posts and comment on them, but I'll be the one writing the posts for the next couple of times maybe. Or at least this one. *heh*

Let's see. She's been going slightly insane (no, it wasn't my fault I swear), but things are straightening out. She has a philosophy paper that she hasn't written due on the 16th (one of the things she's contemplating at the moment), needs to clean her room, and needs to print out her short story for English. She has pretty much enjoyed her spring break. Oh, and for all of y'all interested, the English short story is the one she wrote back in July about suicide...revised much, of course. Y'all go back and read it if you haven't already, may be your last chance. She's thinking about taking it off 'cause she wants to try and get it published maybe sometime later.

In other news: we went and saw Constantine with Bowie-ite tonight! It was bloody awesome mates! Gabriel looks a little like David Bowie. Sweetness.

And for those of you who are interested, I'm currently 6'4" ... that's how I'm able to type at this computer...and Irish has finally figured it out exactly what I am. If I'm lucky, after she's done reviewing her essay prompt she'll work on our story. Oooh, she drew a picture of me the other day, I look so cute. Anime style. Not exactly right, but pretty damn close. (Yes, I cuss, she don't, but I do). The eyes are rightly adorable. Anyways. Yeah, she's planning on working some on her stories and drawings. Gotta run now. Talk to y'all laters. Cheerio.
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Saturday, March 5, 2005

   *blaharblaha*
I am utterly exhausted. It's two o'clock in the morning here, and I went to bed this time last morning. On the bright side...SPRING BREAK!! *whoo-hoo* And StarCommander's here and Adrianna's tomorrow around two in the afternoon. If I get the house clean...and I need to get the house clean because I'm meeting people there. Have to clean it because Peck's sweet sixteen birthday party drop-in thing is Sunday.

We're studying Plato's Symposium in philosophy right now. That book is so cool. *er* That philosophical dialogue is so cool. For y'all who don't know, it's all about the nature of Eros and praising Eros (Love). Socrates' speech is cool, but I really like what Aristophanes says. It was like somebody turned on a light bulb, I wanted to jump out and shout: "That's It!" Basic over view of what Aristophanes said: Erotic desire is older than sexual desire and sexual desire was created because Erotic desire is the desire to become one and united with another...sexual desire is a way to temporarily appease that desire because it is the only way possible for human beings to gain it after the Split (the original human beings were a kind of doublets, more of that in a later post). I have a paper due on the 16th.

English is going pretty well. I have a short story due after the Break. I'm using the suicide story I wrote back in July. I have done some major revision on it, added a whole bunch of details. And a title.
I've got three new voices for my collection. One guy just has this great voice, and he looks like an angel. I need to somehow acquire a picture. Bloody beautiful androgenous angel face.

Bowie-ite: *ate dinner tonight, on gifts* "It's the thought that counts, which is why mine are always crappy because my mind is on something else."
Me: *cracked up*

Can't think of anything more to say at the moment. Have a wonderful weekend y'all.
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Saturday, February 26, 2005

Sinuses = *ug*
So Thursday I wake up and get out of bed and brush my teeth and then head back to my room. Get to the top of the stais and *wham* the whole house just kinda tilts. I think it's what some refer to as feeling veritgo. Anyways, I lay down 'cause that was by far more preferable to passing out at the top of the stairs. Didn't go to class, didn't go to work, didn't go to fencing, spent the whole bloody day sleeping because my sinuses decided to attack me. Friday pretty much the same except I got myself out of bed to go take my English midterm and do my marine science lab (which was a waste of time if there ever was one). Today, I've been up and feeling like crud. My voice sounds as though I've been gargling with acid, although it's felt better during this last half hour.

That's basically all I've been up to...getting sick.

So, for the rest of today I'm going to be cleaning, writing an English essay, revising an English essay, writing a Blake essay, and (theoretically) work on my science lab. *blargh*

Sorry I haven't been up to snuff with my posts lately, I'll try and get better in the next week or so. Hope y'all are doing good. Cheers.
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Monday, February 14, 2005

   Happy St. Valentine's Day Y'all
Today is Valentine’s Day and the weather outside is: rainy. And who walked home in the rain? That’s right, I did. I enjoyed it, too.

Anyways. Valentine’s Day is a couples conspiracy against singles. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Yes, I’m single as the day is long, don’t you people already know this? I sit at home alone and read and do my homework. Or go to work, dance, Bible study, or fencing. I have very little social life. I don’t want to hear you guys complaining that nice guys finish last because all the nice guys I meet already have girlfriends. *grrr* *shrugs* *smiles*

I’m really not all that bitter. It just gets annoying after awhile. Watching all the couples holding hands in the hallway together, huddling under the umbrellas outside. People walking around with bouquets of roses, chocolates, and chrysanthemums. *sigh*

In honor of today, though, we have the Window Pane Thought for the Month:

Never give up on true love.
- Nobody

In other news, I did enjoy reading the articles in The Gamecock last week that concerned today. Pretty much all written by guys. One was incredibly poignant and the other two were humorous. (Paper comes out three times a week). If any of y’all are interested, I’ll type one up maybe.

So, how are y’all spending your day today? I am celebrating by wearing black leather pants and a black sweater. *whoo* Maybe I’ll stick Music From Another Room in tonight. Guys, gals, that is the best romantic comedy ever go pick it up from the video store and watch it with your significant other.

Now, for your reading pleasure, all the notes I have about love I took in my religion class semester that involved romantic love versus religious love. I apologize if it seems choppy, but it’s coming straight from my notes. Enjoy.

+ is it murder to dissect love?
+ love is the product of culture, Romantic love folk sayings
^ “all’s fair in love and war”
^ “love is never having to say you’re sorry”
^ “love is blind”
^ “better love and lost than never to have loved at all”
+ metaphorical language used as teaching devices (i.e. “falling in love”)

Uses of Enchantment
+Bruno Bettelheim on fairy tale love stories as instruments of socialization
^ our culture influences us
+ We are programmed

History of Romantic Love
+ Plato’s Symposium 4th c. B.C.
^ “Eros” = drive to merge with or to posses
^ has philosophical goal to lift from the dark quagmire
^ best attachment between mentor and student
^ “erotic” comes from this dicussion
^ way to spiritualize normal animal attraction
+ Ovid 43 B. C. – 17 A. D.
^ wrote: Amores, Ars Amatoris, and Remedia Amoris
^ first love advice giver
^ the meaningful pleasure comes into the chase
^ “love is a thing full of trembling fear”
+ Courtly love 12th c. B. C.
^ Tristan and Isoldt written and used as a basis
^ chivalry – cf St. Francis (“new mistress will be poverty”)
^ Andreas Capellanus, Art of Courtly Love (the rules!)
^ illicit love comes to the fore
^ “fobidden love tastes sweetest”
^ Dante, Vita Nuova, book about Beatrice
^ a man need to have extramarital affair
^ the rules (from Art of Courtly Love samples:
- marriage is no real excuse for not loving
- he who is not jealous, cannot love
- it is well known that love is either steadily increasing or decreasing (“must be volatile” in layman’s terms)
- that which the love takes against beloved is nothing
- it is not proper to love any woman one would be ashamed to marry
- when made public, love rarely endures
- the easy achievement of love isn’t worth it, hard to get is prized
- every lover turns pale in the presence of his beloved
- the heart palpitates at the sight of the beloved
- new love puts to flight the old one
- if love diminishes, it falls and dies
- man is apprehensive
- real jealously always increases love
- jealously and therefore love is always increased when one suspects the beloved
- he whom the thought of love vexes, eats and sleeps little
- a lover can never have enough of the solace of beloved
- a man who is vexed by too much passion cannot love
- nothing forbids one woman from being loved by two men, and vice versa
+ Romantic period late 18th, early 19th c.
- Surm und Drang (storm and stress)
- Goethe: the “Demonic” force
 going to Italy and writing it to backbone
 Sorrows of Werther, love suicide vogue
 speaks as the force that overwhelms and pushes to other
 expressed musically by Beethoven in “Egmont” overture
 romanticizing of animal lust
- romantic love produces death (i. e. if you love romantically instead of religiously, you’ll die from it for more information read Tristan and Isoldt or Romeo and Juliet)
+ late 20th c. mental health problem: “love addiction”
- uses it to fulfill needs, medication i.e.: going to prostitutes, obsession
- grows dependant on behavior i.e.: like on drugs
- also addicted to other things

+ Tristan and Isoldt (Wagner opera in 1859)
- “high tale of love and death”
- a cautionary tale
- blending of wisdoms, e.g. “Courtesy of God”
- goddess of Love/Fate
- love potion device – love at first sight
- Metropolitan Opera “Tristan”
- “Liebestoel” (Love-Death) final aria
- influence of Schopenhauer, Eastern religion, and Wagner’s extramarital flirtation with Mathilde Wesendonck
+ Moon/June article
- thesis: we are programmed --> when we believe to be acting spontaniously, we act most programmed
- married partner cannot fulfill all expectations of partner that comes from the culture
- “wisdom is more important in the choosing of a partner than passion”
+ Romantic love is equated with Tragedy and Married love is equated with Comedy

+ Religious/ Biblical “love”
- Divine Comedy (vs. Romantic Tragedy)
- Marriage symbolism (Song of Songs aka Song of Solomon)
- Marriage and Sacramentalism (current marriage debate)
+ Biblical basis – passages:
- “Greater love know no more than this than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend”
- “Love is not jealous”
- “Love is patient”
- “Love God with all your body, mind, heart, and soul…love they neighbor as self”
- John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world…”)
- “Perfect love cast without fear”
+ Agape – self giving love

+ cultures define what they mean by love
- Tristan: “love passed them hard” –“terrible”
- Ovid: “Love is a thing full of trembling fear”
- Benedetto Croce: “Marriage is the grave of love.”
- Chinese: “To be sincere in love is grotesque.”
- Existentaialist: “And yet a kiss (like blubber)’d blur and slip
without the assuring skull beneath the lip.” – John Frederick Nims
+ Erich From, Art of Loving
- a love doctor from 50s
- theory of love begins with theory that man is lonely and anxious
- love means action, doing rather than making yourself an object
- infatuations are okay; happen when anxiety is suddenly reduced --> possibility of intimacy
- loving overcomes anxiety
- reciprocal giving and taking only if you have:
1) overcome dependency
2) overcome narcissistic omnipotence (in other words: don’t be too self confident)
3) overcome wish to exploit others
4) overcome the wish to hoard
5) acquire faith in own human powers
6) courage to rely on own powers

+ “Human passion discloses diving passion” – Andrew Greeley
+ Dante’s “Natural” love (“of God”) as seed of every virtue, mischief, distorted expression
+ Love and Freedom --> “In love you can do no wrong” – Charles Manson
“Love God and do as you please” – St. Augustine

*phew* Hope y’all enjoyed that. Now I’m going to go and send everyone on my e-mail list a Valentine’s e-card. *goes cross-eyed*

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Saturday, February 5, 2005

The weather was actually quite lovely today
Well my friends, here I am watching Arsenic & Old Lace and laughing my bum off. This movie is utterly hilarious. Poor Carey Grant, gone completely crazy. ‘Course you can’t blame him and all what with all the rest of his family utterly insane. If y’all haven’t seen it yet y’all really should. *practically falling out of the chair laughing*

Happiness: I go a new pair of shoes. Black dress sandals. Makes me happy that I can have something to wear with my nice dresses. Like the gold evening dress. Not that I have anywhere to go dressed up. But still, nice to know that they’re there just in case I need to one of these live long days. What with Valentine’s Day coming up and all, maybe dress up and listen to romantic music alone in my room. No, I don’t have negative opinions about Valentine’s Day.

Not happiness: got my hands on a pair of leather pants, and they don’t fit. Neighbor was passing down some clothes of hers that a friend gave her, and there were the leather pants. I’ve been wanting some for several months now, to complete my The Crow costume. My mom was like: there is no way those pants are going to fit over your fat butt. (Note: I don’t have a fat butt, but *ha* it is larger than my mom’s as at her age…maybe because I’m taller than she is…and it’s a running joke. Personally, I think I have a fairly nice butt). Well, I would not let the size of the pants deter me and I maintained that I could get the pants over my bum. And I could. *pause* My hips are what are too big, by about two inches (Sam - *snickers*). *sigh*

Greatness: Perrin rocks my socks! He is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Perrin is one of the best characters in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. I just finished the first book, The Eye of the World yesterday. It took me three days to read it, only because I had to waste five hours on the second day working instead of spending that valuable time reading. I can’t tell why Perrin is the cat’s pajamas, the bees’ knees, because that would give away part of the plot. Suffice to say that, even in the beginning, he’s really cool. He’s the blacksmith’s apprentice, dark curly hair, big, with a blacksmith’s physique. He’s smart, but a slow talker because he always makes sure to think things through. He’s sweet and has a sense of humor. I think he’s just smashing! Currently reading the second book.

Not greatness: I dead legged myself again today. Tuesday I dead legged it and then today I bashed my leg again today, right above the bruise from Tuesday. This is not the first or the second or even the third time this has happened to me. One of these days I’m going to realize that that display case is there. It seems like every time I finally get rid of a bruise I get another one. Never underestimate my ability to hurt myself.

Other than bashing my thigh, today has been a good day. My Dad made homemade beefstew!! How y’all doin’?

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Monday, January 31, 2005

   Tomorrow is February
February, the most miserable month of the year as far as I'm concerned. Mostly because of the weather *burr*

Follow up on last post:
Just so you know, that was my own revelation. Parmenidies would not be happy with me about it because he did not believe in plurarity.

Tomorrow we start William Blake in my Visions of the Apocalypse class. *big smile* Now I get to spend a month on Blake! Yeah, I'll have to write a paper on him but that's not such a bad thing.

Here's a quiz I took. Put 'book' down one time and 'sword' the other and actually got two different answers.


The Scholar!


What was your job in a past life? (LOTS of results & Anime Pics)
brought to you by Quizilla


The Hero!


What was your job in a past life? (LOTS of results & Anime Pics)
brought to you by Quizilla

Well, my room isn't as clean as it should be, crap is all over everywhere. Which reminds me, I might have a rant coming on the next time I'm here, but I'm not sure. I don't want to talk about it now 'cause I've been tying up the phone line too long and I have some sketches to do. Cheers.
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Thursday, January 27, 2005

I think, therefore, I am
Oh my gosh! Breakthrough!

Yesterday we started our portion of the class that is dedicated to Parmenides. Suddenly the phrase (subject line) took on a whole new meaning.

Now, I can't type out the Greek, but I can type out a literal translation of what he said.

1) is and is not not is
2) is not and necessarily is not is

Now, what do we believe this all means? Basically: "Nothing does not Exist." Or (in his words): "...this I point out to you to be a path completely unlearnable, for neither may you know that which is not (for it is not to be accomplished) nor may you declare it..."

It makes complete sense! You can't think about Nonbeing (Nothing) because you are thinking about something, the moment you begin thinking it is so. And you can't claim, "I'm thinking about Nonbeing/Nothing" because you would be thinking (and you can't think about Nothing, try it, doesn't work) and the moment you say it, it Exists and Nonbeing and Being is a contradiction.

In short: I Be, you Be, he Be, she Be, we all Is.

*haaaaaaaa!* Greatness!
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Monday, January 24, 2005

"Turn the Page" - original band, no, I don't know exactly who they were, just know it's not Metallica. Gotta love it.

The week ended well. Got a lot of crap to do before Friday. Need to finish up my lab, download my next lab, write an anthropology paper, rewrite two English essays. Fun stuff.

*smile* But it would be three, except for the fact that the last essay I did I got a 100! *whoo-hoo* My teacher liked my last part. It was an essay about assumption versus fact, and the last sentence (well, two sentences really) was: "Fact: the author of this paper is a Homo sapien sapien. Assumption: the author of this paper is a legally sane Homo sapien sapien." *snicker*

24 was telling me something about a person not being legally sane if they stayed up for twenty-four hours or more. Considering that I've done that more than once (once I got up at seven and didn't go to sleep until...*calculates*...about forty-two or forty-three hours later, give or take a hour or so) what does that stay about my mental state? Or does it only apply while you're awake within that time period?

Philosophy is cool. Finished up our discussions on Heraclitus today. Heraclitus is interesting to say the least. Check out these fragements:

Frag. 1: "This logos holds always but humans always prove unable to understand it, both before hearing it and when they have first heard it. For though all things come to be [or, happen] in accordance with this logos, humans are like the inexperienced when they experience such words and deed as I set out, distinguishing each in accordance with its nature and saying how it is. But other people fail to notice what they do when awak, just as they forget what they do while asleep." (Sextus Empiricus, Against the Mathematicians 7.132 = 22B1
Frag. 2: "For this reason it is necessary to follow what is common. But although the logos is common, most people live as if they had their own private understanding." (Sextus Empiricus, Against the Mathematicians 7.133 = 22B2)
Frag. 20: "Uncomprehendingwhen they have heard, they are like the deaf. The saying describes them: thoughpresentthey are absent." (Clement, Miscellanies 5.115.3 = 22B34)
Frag. 30: "I searched myself." (Plutarch, Against Colotes 118c = 22B101)
and, the last one
Frag. 115: "It is difficult to fight against anger, for whatever it wants it buys at the price of soul." (Plutarch, Coriolanus 22.2 = 22B85)

Neat, aye? I get to spend about an hour listening to lecture and discussion about this! *bright smile, shining eyes* Makes me happy! ^_^ Oh, and the explaination on the authors after the fragments: all we have by Heraclitus is fragments and witnesses. If he wrote a book it has since been lost to antiquity. Makes decifering exactly what he was talking about a wee bit hard.

Well, Mom wants me off so she can do work. I'll talk to y'all the next chance I get. 'Til then, stay safe and God-be-with-you (sooth: "Good-bye" is the shortened form of "God-be-with-you").
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Thursday, January 20, 2005

   Assumptions are Dangerous!!!
Currently: rockin' to AC/DC

Window pane thought for the month:

Just a thought:
Broken promises beget broken hearts.
- Nobody

Just a side note, this month's window pane thought was inspired by the same person who inspired November's. Idiot.

Classes are going well. Today I must go to work, write two papers, and go to fencing. Well, I don't have to go to fencing, but it's what I look forward to all week long and I wasn't able to go last week 'cause of car troubles.

I got a Letter! In the Mail! ^_^ *exstatic happy* So I promptly replied (two pages of parchment in my minscule handwriting) and it's already in the mail. First time ever that I've done something so quickly. Usually write letters and never mail them. Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf. I love getting letters in the mail. *doink*

In other news: I missed my ride home the other day because the person (who's identy will remain anonymous becuase he knows very well who he is) who was suppose to give me a ride didn't see me. I saw him drive by though.

I'm really loath to go to work. I'd rather read everybody's posts, write my papers, and go to fencing. But no. I need to work. Have to make money so I'll actually be able to move out of the house one day. And to get my pecuniary resources back where they belong after spending $200 on my school books.

Took a quiz in Visions of the Apocalypse today. Forgot to write down "scrowls, seals, trumpets, and bowls/vials" (was suppose to list all the mentioning of 'seven' in the Book of Revelation). *sigh* Don't think I did as well as I should have, but I think I passed it. Couldn't really draw the vision of heaven as described. Oh well.

Tomorrow is going to be hectic, but hopefully I'll be able to get around to posting. Sorry I've been so lax lately.
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