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