The best politics is right action. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
Take long walks in stormy weather or through deep snows in the fields and
woods, if you would keep your spirits up. Deal with brute nature. Be cold
and hungry and weary. -Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author
(1817-1862)
Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs. The adjective
hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight
place. -William Strunk and E.B. White, authors of The Elements of Style
We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to
do, and more in the light of what they suffer. -Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
theologian and writer (1906-1945)
There wouldn't be such a thing as counterfeit gold if there were no real
gold somewhere. -Sufi proverb
The writing of a poem is like a child throwing stones into a mineshaft. You
compose first, then you listen for the reverberation. -James Fenton, poet
and professor (1949- )
I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the
edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center. -Kurt
Vonnegut, Jr., writer (1922- )
Be like the bird, who halting in his flight / On limb too slight, / Feels
it give way beneath him, yet sings / Knowing he has wings. -Victor Hugo,
writer (1802-1885)
Once upon a time a man whose ax was missing suspected his neighbor's son.
The boy walked like a thief, looked like a thief, and spoke like a thief.
But the man found his ax while digging in the valley, and the next time he
saw his neighbor's son, the boy walked, looked and spoke like any other
child. -Lao-tzu, philosopher (6th century BCE)
Poetry is truth in its Sunday clothes. -Joseph Roux, priest and writer
(1834-1886)
Good books don't give up all their secrets at once. -Stephen King, novelist
(1947- )
All those are great ones. I especially liked the one about writing with verbs and nouns, just because I'm sick of all this writing in Honors. And the other I bolded, well, it's just a great one. Reminds me of this spot on the bluff above the river. It's incredible.
Lots happening lately, and I'm quite tired. Should be getting to bed rather soon.
Again, the stupidity of people never ceases to amaze me. Only this time it's immature boys, so what's to be expected? I actually find humor in it. I had this revelation of sorts tonight that I really don't have to please anyone. I guess before I was concerned about what other people thought. Not to the degree of obsession or anything, but you often look at yourself through someone else's point of view as to how they see you. You want to be liked. Well, I've realized that's just all overrated. Who do I have to impress and WHY? (There it is again...) But honestly, high school's going to be over soon enough, and then I'll have wondered why I worried about what other people thought. No use in that. It's just a waste of thought. So what if people don't like me or want to say stupid stuff behind my back? Down the road, it will make no difference. It won't make any difference what people said I was like or what I've done or that they can't stand to be around me. Honestly, it's just all fine and dandy. I guess you read about this kind of crap all the time about being your own person and all that, but it really just takes your own realization of it. It just hits you. And it's quite nice. I'm happy with my life and I enjoy the things I do. I like to laugh. Loudly. And I'll do it because I enjoy it. I'll say stupid stuff because that's who I am, and I'll embrace my "A.D.D." (as my friends say I have) because it's a part of me and who I am and it makes life a lot more interesting and random. So I'm just cool with myself as I've always been, but now it's fine with other people and what they think. There must be a reason they're even acknowledging me anyway, so I'll let them worry themselves about it. Life goes on.
So that was quite refreshing, especially after the night I've had. It was entertaining early on and nice when I got home, but then I tried to work on this video project for Spanish and I've been stressed out of my mind for about 3 hours straight. Stupid computers. Guess it's all solved, though, which is quite a relief.
I'm tired. Goodnight!
In my eyes
Indisposed
In disguise
As no one knows
Hides the face
Lies the snake
The sun
In my disgrace
Boiling heat
Summer stench
'Neath the black
The sky looks dead
Call my name
Through the cream
And I'll hear you
Scream again
Black hole sun
Won't you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Won't you come
Won't you come
Stuttering
Cold and damp
Steal the warm wind
Tired friend
Times are gone
For honest men
And sometimes
Far too long
For snakes
In my shoes
A walking sleep
And my youth
I pray to keep
Heaven send
Hell away
No one sings
Like you
Anymore
Hang my head
Drown my fear
Till you all just
Disappear
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Crazy Mary
For me, words are a form of action, capable of influencing change. -Ingrid
Bengis, writer and teacher (1944- )
Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the
comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God's service when it is
violating all his laws. -John Adams, 2nd US president (1735-1826)
People do not wish to appear foolish; to avoid the appearance of
foolishness, they are willing to remain actually fools. -Alice Walker,
writer (1944- )
War, at first, is the hope that one will be better off; next, the
expectation that the other fellow will be worse off; then, the satisfaction
that he isn't any better off; and, finally, the surprise at everyone's
being worse off. -Karl Kraus, writer (1874-1936)
Half the truth is often a great lie. -Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author,
and inventor (1706-1790)
To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men. -Abraham
Lincoln, 16th US president (1809-1865)
Language is a city to the building of which every human being brought a
stone. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)
The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe. -Joanna Macy,
writer and teacher (1929- )
A man needs a little madness, or else he never dares cut the rope and be
free. -Nikos Kazantzakis, writer (1883-1957)
Let us face a pluralistic world in which there are no universal churches,
no single remedy for all diseases, no one way to teach or write or sing, no
magic diet, no world poets, and no chosen races, but only the wretched and
wonderfully diversified human race. -Jacques Barzun, professor and writer
(1907- )
My life is my message. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
Great geniuses have the shortest biographies. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer
and philosopher (1803-1882)
The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere. -Anne Morrow
Lindbergh, writer (1906-2001)
So this Reader's Theater nonsense is getting to me. The Insanity of Mary Girard...yes, I think about Crazy Mary every single day, but that's cool because I love the song. The performance is just draining. Oh well...we're performing on Friday, so I guess it can't be that terribly much longer. Districts in Camdenton at 1:35 on Friday, for those of you interested! Haha...
So Lent started today - Ash Wednesday. I didn't even know til this morning when Diana asked Cole what he was giving up for Lent...kinda an inside joke between them because they're both Catholic. Me being Lutheran, I don't have to give up anything, but it is a nice idea. It's funny how many people are trying to "give up" profanity. Me included, the little that I do. And crap food that I love. I made it one day!
I've just been extremely tired lately and lacking in just about everything. I really don't even have very hard classes, and yet I feel overloaded. Don't know how I'm gonna hack the AP stuff next year. Time will tell, I guess. I just don't see how those kids in Japan go at it. My 6th grade teacher taught in Japan for like 11 years and she said their workload is unbelieveable. They go to libraries every day after school to study or even take extra classes. I guess like Señor Ratliff said, they don't have school sports in other countries.
Speaking of sports, I just don't know what is up with me lately. I need a "mental health day" or something. I just need to get it together. It's bad. Something's missing or just not quite right. I guess my mind is getting weak? Or maybe it's just old.
There's this really great Nike ad...I'm going to put it in my binder.
So, I'm weak and tired. Guess that's the conclusion. I need to write about some good songs and poetry when I get the chance. Caesar's killing me. And so are Constructed Responses. And my mother has this article about Lance and Sheryl and she just kept going on about how once I read it I would have less respect for Lance...like his dieting habits and whatnot. Sheesh.
I love The Usual Suspects.
She lived on a curve in the road, in an old tar-paper shack
On the south side of the town, on the wrong side of the tracks
Sometimes on the way into town we’d say:
Mama, can we stop and give her a ride?
Sometimes we did but her hands flew from her side
Wild eyed, crazy mary
Down along the road, past the parson’s place
The old blue car we used to race
Little country store with a sign tacked to the side
Said no l-o-i-t-e-r-i-n-g allowed
Underneath that sign always congregated quite a crowd
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
One night thunder cracked mercy backed outside her windowsill
Dreamed I was flying high above the trees, over the hills
Looked down into the house of mary
Bare bulb on, newspaper-covered walls, and mary rising up above it all
Next morning on the way into town
Saw some skid marks, and followed them around
Over the curve,through the fields, into the house of mary
That what you fear the most, could meet you halfway
That what you fear the most, could meet you halfway
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Bengis, writer and teacher (1944- )
Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the
comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God's service when it is
violating all his laws. -John Adams, 2nd US president (1735-1826)
People do not wish to appear foolish; to avoid the appearance of
foolishness, they are willing to remain actually fools. -Alice Walker,
writer (1944- )
War, at first, is the hope that one will be better off; next, the
expectation that the other fellow will be worse off; then, the satisfaction
that he isn't any better off; and, finally, the surprise at everyone's
being worse off. -Karl Kraus, writer (1874-1936)
Half the truth is often a great lie. -Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author,
and inventor (1706-1790)
To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men. -Abraham
Lincoln, 16th US president (1809-1865)
Language is a city to the building of which every human being brought a
stone. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)
The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe. -Joanna Macy,
writer and teacher (1929- )
A man needs a little madness, or else he never dares cut the rope and be
free. -Nikos Kazantzakis, writer (1883-1957)
Let us face a pluralistic world in which there are no universal churches,
no single remedy for all diseases, no one way to teach or write or sing, no
magic diet, no world poets, and no chosen races, but only the wretched and
wonderfully diversified human race. -Jacques Barzun, professor and writer
(1907- )
My life is my message. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
Great geniuses have the shortest biographies. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer
and philosopher (1803-1882)
The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere. -Anne Morrow
Lindbergh, writer (1906-2001)
So this Reader's Theater nonsense is getting to me. The Insanity of Mary Girard...yes, I think about Crazy Mary every single day, but that's cool because I love the song. The performance is just draining. Oh well...we're performing on Friday, so I guess it can't be that terribly much longer. Districts in Camdenton at 1:35 on Friday, for those of you interested! Haha...
So Lent started today - Ash Wednesday. I didn't even know til this morning when Diana asked Cole what he was giving up for Lent...kinda an inside joke between them because they're both Catholic. Me being Lutheran, I don't have to give up anything, but it is a nice idea. It's funny how many people are trying to "give up" profanity. Me included, the little that I do. And crap food that I love. I made it one day!
I've just been extremely tired lately and lacking in just about everything. I really don't even have very hard classes, and yet I feel overloaded. Don't know how I'm gonna hack the AP stuff next year. Time will tell, I guess. I just don't see how those kids in Japan go at it. My 6th grade teacher taught in Japan for like 11 years and she said their workload is unbelieveable. They go to libraries every day after school to study or even take extra classes. I guess like Señor Ratliff said, they don't have school sports in other countries.
Speaking of sports, I just don't know what is up with me lately. I need a "mental health day" or something. I just need to get it together. It's bad. Something's missing or just not quite right. I guess my mind is getting weak? Or maybe it's just old.
There's this really great Nike ad...I'm going to put it in my binder.
So, I'm weak and tired. Guess that's the conclusion. I need to write about some good songs and poetry when I get the chance. Caesar's killing me. And so are Constructed Responses. And my mother has this article about Lance and Sheryl and she just kept going on about how once I read it I would have less respect for Lance...like his dieting habits and whatnot. Sheesh.
I love The Usual Suspects.
She lived on a curve in the road, in an old tar-paper shack
On the south side of the town, on the wrong side of the tracks
Sometimes on the way into town we’d say:
Mama, can we stop and give her a ride?
Sometimes we did but her hands flew from her side
Wild eyed, crazy mary
Down along the road, past the parson’s place
The old blue car we used to race
Little country store with a sign tacked to the side
Said no l-o-i-t-e-r-i-n-g allowed
Underneath that sign always congregated quite a crowd
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
One night thunder cracked mercy backed outside her windowsill
Dreamed I was flying high above the trees, over the hills
Looked down into the house of mary
Bare bulb on, newspaper-covered walls, and mary rising up above it all
Next morning on the way into town
Saw some skid marks, and followed them around
Over the curve,through the fields, into the house of mary
That what you fear the most, could meet you halfway
That what you fear the most, could meet you halfway
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around
Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around