Imagination's Fool

Ah hah! It is done! You have to check out the cool Cactus Adventures home page, now... It's really neat! Follow the adventures of Harold, Jasper, Ichabod, and Fuzzy as they travel the world and beyond!

I've had way too much time on my hands of late... Vacation does that to me, I guess. And too much Harry Potter in my head, too. And too much time experimenting with Photoshop. Yes, I think you know where I'm going with this...

I've set up a site that has all my stuff on it. Don't laugh! Just enjoy the pictures, eh? The URL is:
http://members.tripod.com/~ArwynEvenstar/art/index.html.

I've never been much of a shopper. Clothes... well, they're important in that I really like to wear them, but which clothes I wear have never been foremost in my mind. Therefore, going shopping for clothes has always been a bit of a drag. In fact, I've always laughed at people who use shopping as a form of therapy.

But, you know... It can be kind of fun. I escaped the house today to the mall at North Bend, and spent a good deal of time (*cough* and money *cough*) up there. I won't deny that a good deal of it was at the book store, of course... That's a given. But it wasn't all that bad. And a nice escape from the quiet -- or, not so quiet -- of the house.

So, a new understanding reached today -- shopping can be fun.

In other news, they're doing a special on Kenny Rogers on CMT right now. I hate it when they do specials -- it takes away the music! His song "The Greatest" is sweet, though. Then again, most songs about baseball are pretty cool.

"[To] serve God properly we must learn to give up our own wills, thoughts, and desires. Why? Because otherwise we will be wise in our own conceits and will imagine that we can serve God with this or that, and thus spoil everything."

You are John Calvin! You're the most intellectual and thoroughly intense theologian on the block. You know what you're talking about and you recommend people to ignore you at their own risk. Yeah, baby, you know your stuff. You speak in riddles and confuse people for fun. Still, this hurts your social skills a lot... and you end up always appearing arrogant and rude.

What theologian are you?

A creation of Henderson

Arrogant and rude? I'm wounded! Calvin? Hmm. Never was much for Calvinist thought -- haven't done lots of homework on it, though. Luther's a bit of a nutter in his later years... Zwigli was kind of neat, had -- was it Zurich? -- wrapped around his finger...

But Calvin?

I think this means it's time to stop with the quizzes. I think this also means that it's well past bedtime.

Well, and that's Christmas. Not much longer, and the "holidays" will be officially over -- then it's back to working and school and all the exciting stuff that comes when there's no more time to just lay around the house. I'm not saying I enjoy the stress that school brings -- far from it, really. Stress is one thing I'm not a big fan of.

(Now, now. Don't jump out of your skin. Arwyn ending a sentence with a preposition -- gasp! Like I said, though, it's the holidays. Leave it. ;)

Where was I? Oh, yes. Stress = bad. But being at school where there always so much learning to be done = good. Being at home where it's so quiet (well, until Pat, Julie, and Sue come back) and I have to really motivate myself to get up and be productive... that's something else entirely.

The verdict? Let me laze around for a few more days, then maybe I'll find the energy and the ambition to come up with one.

Oh, saw HP2 again today -- am in love with that soundtrack. John Williams. Wonderful stuff. Fawkes's theme is stuck in my head.

And I just found that comment about Dusty Baker for president. Two words, Sanket:

Ha. Ha.

(I guess, though, since the Giants fired him after he managed a team to the World Series... he could manage the US to a victory in the war against terrorists -- ie, Iraq and other countries we want oil from -- and then we could fire him... Oh, wait. He didn't win the World Series. We've already got a pres who has us in the middle of things with no guarantee of winning. ;)

I think I've come down with the yearly "school and stress are over, time for the immune system to go on holiday" cold. Yippee!

In other news, I went down to the mall today. It took me over forty-five minutes to drive from where I-405 meets I-90 to the mall -- a distance of about 3.4 miles (yes, I cheated and looked it up). The mall itself wasn't too bad -- there was plenty of parking on the 6th floor of the newer garage. There were tons of people, and the lines were ridiculously long. Don't you love Christmas time? Oh, it's my fault, you say, for putting off shopping until the last minute. I actually didn't -- most of my shopping was done before finals were over. My sisters, however, had some shopping left, and, well, there I was. Folks complain about the mass commercialism of Christmas, that the mall-rush and worry over buying and getting presents detracts from the real meaning of the season. Meanings change over time, though, and I wonder if Santa and his sack of toys -- all bought by frenzied parents at the big sale at FAO Schwartz today while we waited in line for 30 minutes to check out -- and the commercial mess isn't what Christmas is beginning to mean to folks these days.

Or maybe I've been jaded by too much time at school. Academia rarely seems to represent real life -- give me a few weeks to shake it off, and I may be optimistic again.

On a rather random note -- as though toast is not entirely random -- I really like the carpets in our "new blue house," even if something about them is keeping me sneezing. They're soft and plush and a dark blue -- then again, I always have liked just about anything that's blue. Blue and silver. Am I automatically qualified for Ravenclaw if my favorite colors are their colors? Hmm. Maybe it's an Imrazor thing.

They're making fudge and toffee and caramel downstairs -- yummy! Which is why I'm hiding out upstairs. They might rope me in to helping -- I've never been much one for kitchen work. But I do enjoy the fruits thereof enough to volunteer to clean up in exchange for food. ;)

Had toast for breakfast. Was very good. I'm saddened that toast is relegated to breakfast food status -- it should be accepted widely as a food for all occasions. Anyway, Charlie Brown has toast at his Thanksgiving dinner!

For more on toast, check this out. My dear friend Claire pointed it out to me, and it has been the Bible of toast for me since. How lucky that I was at the store last night at 10:30 to pick up stuff for making candy today and bought sugar which with I was able to make delicious cinnamon sugar toast this morning! Toast is an honor often denied to me by the oppressive allergies (hereafter referred to as the OA -- and this note included just so I can use the word "hereafter"), and it is wonderful to be home where I can have toast to my heart's content without having to carry my own bread to the dining halls. Yippee!

Claire, this post is dedicated to you and the wonder that is TOAST!

I'm a big fan of sleep. It's a favorite hobby of mine. It kills me when plane trips keep me away from my favorite hobbies -- I got in this morning at 4:30 Pacific time, slept for a few hours, then had a curly-headed 3 year old jumped on my bed at 9 and... er, well, I'm a wee bit punchy now.

Ah! Time for commentary on Two Towers! Saw it on opening night -- of course. I have mixed feelings about it... Which meands that I have to trot out my "favorite books as movies" philosophy. For example, I absolutely adored this flick. It was a great movie -- excellent acting, moved along well, fun story, breathtaking scenery, incredible soundtrack. You know, all the good stuff. It was an excellent flick. If you don't want to know anything more, don't read any further!

Unfortunately, it wasn't true to the Books. It completely misinterpreted certain characters to make others look better -- Theoden, for example, and Gimli, and Elrond. Things happened that would have made Tolkien cringe. I didn't approve -- especially of what happened at Helm's Deep. It made me sad, you know, to see Tolkien's world so beautifully represented, but it hurt to see it happen wrong.

So, what's the verdict? This is where we trot out the Philosophy -- as a movie, the movie was good. As a representation of Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien, it wasn't so great. But I'm not such a curmudgeon that the movie straying from the books will make me refuse to entertain the idea that the movie was good -- because, really, it was, and I adored it.

Any thoughts -- disagreements, for example ;) -- are welcome.

Oh, but it was really neat to hear people saying my name in a movie -- you know? Not a lot of movies with people named Arwen in them, and it was really odd to hear my name coming from the big screen. I think that redeemed the whole thing. ;)

Well, that's it. No more exams. All done. Time to pack up, move out, and ship on home. Whee!

Excited as I am to head home -- don't get me wrong, I am very excited to be home for a bit! -- I don't really want to pack up and leave. Going home means not coming back until September, which in turn means I'll miss graduation and all my friends who are seniors, as well as my roommate and a few other friends who are studying away all of next year.

It's my own fault that I'm going to be gone next semester -- and I'm very excited about that, too! That's the problem. I want to be in three -- or four, really -- places, but can only be one place at one time. Anyone have a good time-turner or transporter or something like that? Anyone? Bueller?

Ah well. Back to the packing. Everything changes, always changes, and sometimes we've just got to ride along with it and push on through. I hate to be resigned, but sometimes... Like being in four places at once -- just not possible, you know?

And now for something completely different...

Naw, I won't go there. Not the biggest Python fan, you know. Though I was down at Howell the other night -- they'd brought in pizza and hot chocolate, and someone was making cookies that smelled heavenly -- and they were watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but it was subtitled with words from... Did we ever figure out which one? I think it was Henry IV or Richard II -- one of the histories about, you know, kings and stuff. That was really funny.

But today... Well, Russian politics exam this afternoon. Ah, then Two Towers tonight! I'm so excited. You can tell, can't you. But I am. Not sure how I'll sit through the exam, knowing that the movie is tonight. Actually, I do know how. It's an essay exam, and I already have the question, and I'll focus on writing a killer essay on how Putin is making up for Yeltsin's mistakes and trying to steer Russia toward democracy -- or, at least, making it look like that's what he's trying to do, by acting through the parliament instead of decreeing around it, and giving legitimacy to the courts, and trying to build a federal system that will work... Well, he's got his work cut out for him, if liberal democracy is his goal.

Then again, building liberal democracy isn't exactly making cookies. It's not the easiest thing to do. I have respect for anyone who is actually trying to do it instead of seeking personal power. Which, of course, is where the question comes in. Is Putin doing that?

Eh, I'll leave that alone for now. Study time.

And here's the last one for the night...

...and which lesser Harry Potter character are you?

I've always liked the Weasleys -- and while handling dragons is cool, and I absolutely adore Gred and Feorge, Bill rocks, too.

On a similar note, another of those silly quizzes compared me to Professor McGonagall. Hmm. I guess if I were to be a professor, she's the one I'd most like to be like -- and she's a professor that I would really enjoy having. Shoot me?

Anyway, transfiguration is a darned cool subject!

Oh! Am I smooth or what?



Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti

I've always wanted to be a Dread Pirate, anyway...

What a timely appearance! It was announced today that Al Gore will not put in his bid for the Democratic nomination for 2004. His reasoning? He wants to unseat the current administration -- and knows that he wouldn't have a snowball's chance in a warm place of doing so if his name were on the ticket. Which, I'll grant, was a smart move. And I always like to see a smart move. Even from the Democrats.

Er, not that I don't enjoy being partisan. It would be kind of fun to see the Democrats shoot themselves in the foot like that -- of course, they still have a chance, if they nominate Hillary Clinton. Now that would be fun, what with Bush's current approval ratings -- if they keep solid.

Scratch that. I don't really enjoy being partisan -- not for partisanship's sake, at least. I'll root for the Yankees purely because they're the Yankees -- but I won't root for the Republicans or against the Democrats for the same reason. And I like to see smooth politics from both sides. I guess that comes from being a political theory type -- exploring the big picture makes it more difficult to root for one side or the other.

Why? you ask. Well... When I think of a smooth political decision, the first thing that shoots into my mind is, "Yay! Our two-party system will continue to function!" The next thing to come around is... "Wait. But according to James Madison in Federalist 10, more interests are good, because they protect against factions. Factions are bad -- they're little groups that don't have liberty in mind. More interests means that factions are spread more thinly, and have a lesser chance of consolidating to make mischief."

That in and of itself isn't too bad -- anyone who has paid attention in AP US Government could have that pop into her head. I laugh, because what comes next is... "And then John C. Calhoun argued that the two party system didn't guarantee protection against factions. In fact, he didn't like rule by numerical majority at all. He'd prefer rule by consensus, since if people have to come to a consensus on issues, they would actually try to." Heh. And then it goes on, and on, and on...

We won't even touch on why political parties in Russia are having a rocky start -- er, the parties that aren't the Communist party, which had a rather strong start, and which is one of the main obstacles to liberalism taking root there...

Er. Yeah. So, no Gore in 2004. We'll see who they throw up against Bush -- a sitting president in a war with high approval ratings.

Yay! People are Shout!ing. The code was funny -- I'm not much of a coder, and couldn't quite figure out how to make the 's' come after the ! and all that. Maybe someone out there can figure it out. It came from BlogOut.

Al Gore was on SNL tonight. I don't usually watch SNL -- in fact, this was the second time that I have watched it. I usually don't, for very good reason. I'm not much one for vulgarity or... well, a lot of the things that a lot of people find funny. The political humor is great -- heh, the sketch on the set of West Wing was awesome -- and some other stuff.

But is it worth watching all the less appropriate to be able to enjoy the really good? Folks talk about being able to handle the less appropriate. I don't think it's a matter so much of handling it, per se, as not wanting to have that sort of thing floating around in my head at all. It's a shame, really, that it's hard to find good humor these days -- good, intelligent humor -- without having it mixed with that. They seem to go hand-in-hand.

Alas.

So, I went out and bought a CD of Christmas music last night -- all I had was the Chieftains' Christmas album (Bells of Dublin) and a tape of Christmas stuff by the Country music group, Alabama. Yeah. Not much on the traditional side -- though I do really like both of the albums.

Music is my favorite part of Christmas, I think. The presents are fun -- I guess. I get frustrated by the commerciality of the season, however, and the presents only remind me of that. The tree is fun -- went out with some folks from Howell house this year to cut down the "Non-Demoninational Holiday Fir." It was snowing. We spent about an hour picking out just the right one, cutting it down, and engaging in a rather ridiculous and entirely enjoyable snow ball fight.

But it's the music that really reminds me of why I love the season so much -- the music that focuses on spending time with family and loved ones, spreading joy, and, especially, the birth of the Savior. I fondly remember attending -- and joining in, in my meager way -- the Messiah sing-along that our stake would have every year. Heh, even when I had my wisdom teeth out the Friday before and sat in the bass section with my brother because I couldn't open my mouth to sing if I'd wanted to.

Yeah... Good stuff.

And so the exam period continues. Papers are in -- Russian exam in the morning. Then nothing really until Monday, Wednesday, Thursday...

And, of course, The Two Towers on Wednesday night. I'll just have to be prepped for Thursday's Russian politics exam well in advance, no? Oy, had to catch myself there. Almost launched into the "Lord of the Rings as movies" tirade -- then realized that you've already been subjected. I'll leave it alone, then.

Question of the day: is it really proof that something exists if no one will believe it? I remember loving geometry -- starting at one point and moving slowly but definintely to another, until a fact had been proven. You have to have a hypothesis in mind, though -- a goal, an ending place. But what if, in that proof, you use a step that someone else doesn't understand? Is it a solid proof, then? I'm no mathmatician... and anyway, I think it works differently with people. Folks have it set in their mind that if they don't understand or don't want to understand a step in the proof, then the proof must be faulty. Or something along those lines. I'm still working that one out. But whether or not the reader understands all of the steps, if they are right and, being right, prove the hypothesis... then certainly the proof is valid.

Isn't it?

Oy... Nu i dien! What a day! I spent the whole of it writing on the Russian Constitutional Court -- a fun topic, and one that I've really actually enjoyed writing on. But one can only do one thing for so long before it gets absolutely... bleh. So, I think it's near bedtime. We're supposed to have beautiful weather here tomorrow, with the highs struggling to reach 20F, and lots of bright sunshine. Great weather to finish up the paper and make up excuses as to why I haven't finished my Russian homework. Sue me?

No, no. I don't have any money anyway. Not worth suing. Nice try, though. And no, you can't throw Suzye at me and call that 'Suing' either... ha ha. Very funny.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, as it were. Another paper and four exams are calling as well. And yes, this is the last time I'll be whining about my workload. The rest of it will be moans of exhaustion as I struggle through the last of exams and packing up all my stuff to go into storage.

Whee!

It's almost more fun to post here knowing that no one reads it -- yet. I've given the addy to one person, but who knows if he even checks? I'll give it out more liberally when I head out of the country, however. Middle of January sees me off from the snowy white of Maine to the even colder clime of St. Petersburg. I'll be studying Russian language, culture, history, and literature -- pretty intense for someone who's debating a Russian major, but not really entirely sure on it yet.

But it will be an interesting time, and I'm definitely looking forward to it. That was the main reason I set up this monster to begin with -- it will give me a way to keep in touch with the world, or at least, with the people who want to be kept in touch with. I'll email more personal things, certainly; but I think the blog will be helpful in keeping the general public updated. The offshoot of that, of course, is that I can make them listen to my rantings on random things, even if all they're looking for is how I'm doing in Russia.

Insert maniacal laughter here.

"Have you ever been called home by silver trumpets?" Boromir asks Aragorn...

Great line. Too bad the movie it comes from was so painful. I mean, well, great scenery... Decent acting... I liked most of it... Dialogue was a bit choppy, though. I guess it just pains me to see such beautiful writing decimated and turned into... this.

I really like that line, though. I want to be called home by silver trumpets. Hopefully, someday... Someday.

Anyway, less than two weeks until Two Towers is destroyed -- I mean, comes out. Looking forward to seeing it -- taken merely as movies, these aren't that bad... I rather enjoy them... It's when I think of the books that it becomes painful. Seeing how they visualize all the characters and places is fun, too. Wonder how they'll play the Rohirrim?

Yay! It's Friday! And I haven't done my homework that's due in an hour and a half! That's the bad thing about the end of the week -- it feels like it should end on Thursday, and what's the point of doing homework if the week's over already? Unfortunately, Friday though it may be, the week really won't end. Not until the 20th. Until then, it's Herbert Croly (Promise of American Life anyone?), Vladimir Putin, early modern art, and verbs of motion (aaaaaaaaggh!). But then -- oh, then! Exams will be over, and life will be happy, and...

Yeah. Happy Friday.

If you stick around long enough, you'll notice that one thing I can't drag myself away from is baseball. The Mets reached an agreement with Tom Glavine tonight -- gotta feel sorry for the Braves, but if they don't want to keep an excellent (if aging) pitcher, that's their problem. Still, it's hard to see a team break up.

Or, it would be, if I cared about the Braves.

As it stands, I'm more of an American League fan -- I adore my Mariners and worship my Yankees. A contradiction, you say? Perhaps. It's fun to watch them play each other -- "my team" wins, either way. I grew up a Yankees fan, and came to love the Mariners over the time I spent in Seattle.

However, though I attend school in Red Sox territory, you won't catch me rooting for them. Do you have a problem with that? Are you a Red Sox fan? If so, check this out.

There's something absolutely wonderful about a clean slate -- something majestic about that fresh expanse of new-fallen snow unsullied by human touch. And, of course, there's something undeniably fun about being the first one to jump into it, make snow angels, and kick it around.

Er, feel free to ignore the destructive tendency there.

Anyway, I think new things are neat. And this is new. It's definitely neat.

A spot of introduction is in order, perhaps. Why the title? Why the blog? I suppose the latter almost answers itself -- but the former demands an answer. Ursula K. LeGuin once said: "My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool; it gives me all the world and exiles me from it." I rather feel the same -- though I'm never entirely sure whether it's my imagination that exiles me, or whether it's some other Arwyn quality. But I hope it's the former -- imagination is a keen friend of mine.

And so here I stand, Imagination's Fool, posting my thoughts for the world to see, and trying ever so hard to not to get caught in the whirlpool of worrying whether I'm right or wrong.


Or, at least, trying not to hurt myself. Sometimes that's the best goal. Do have fun here, eh?