leftovers, forever!

wish i had headphones right now. but, alas.

jon stewart is someone i admire more than i care to admit. suffice it to say, it's a lot. a LOT.

have headphones now. wishes can come true! and, as a result, ross' blog just got funnier, because there are few things i find as amusing as people swearing at dead philosophers. wish i were kidding, but do me a favour and don't hold your breath for that wish to come true.

"how perfect you are, like my hockey scar". skoch makes me wonder about things. sometimes i think our friendship is too good to be true. it's too easy. it's bound for destruction.

"shed a little light" is stuck in my head, again. maybe i should clarify that it's not a depressing song, but kind of an anthem of hope and reflection. because when i quoted only part of it, that may have been alarming.

oh, let us turn our thoughts today to martin luther king
and recognize that there are ties between us
all men and women, living on the earth
ties of hope and love, sister and brotherhood

you know, that reminds me of a quote from jfk . . . sigh:
for in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. we all breathe the same air. we all cherish our children's future. and we are all mortal.

earth-shattering? perhaps not. but ideas make my heart sing. because they're beautiful, you see. like geometry.

there's a goal i've had for nearly six years that i've only made infinitesimal progress on. that's boo. also boo? sometimes habits i've kicked threaten to make comebacks. as nav would say, that's getting old.

i just got excited wondering what box number i'll have next year. i've moved from #9 to #12 and i'm hoping to get closer to the front end!

addition to my non-negotiables for potential husband-type figure: able to carve a turkey. 'cause, seriously . . .

PS i wish i was a systematic theologian... they're all so cool.

assorted loves

A. ROMANCE
as part of our continuing pursuit of the official title of most single people on the planet - a goal we take very seriously indeed, i assure you! - my dear friend skoch and i decided to come up with lists of "significant other non-negotiables", to narrow the field as we each search for our soulmates or whatever.

now, skoch's list ain't online yet - i'd be surprised if he's written one down, actually, given how busy he's been with . . . stuff. in any case, i have busily been composing my lists. why the use of the plural, you ask? well, you see, there are various categories of criteria, perhaps more depending on what sort of geek you are. i'm a geek of the highest order, but i still only managed to compose four separate lists. here, then, are two of them:

negotiable:
1) knows the names of all the members of the seaver family, including the foster son
2) can sing any of the four "solos" in the monstar theme song from "space jam"
3) is giddy about greek
4) has read something by victor hugo or jane austen, and doesn't mind talking about it
5) knows pi to seven digits
6) buys flowers for his mom for "no special reason"
7) comes up with a story/joke/question to liven things up when conversations die
8) makes good sand castles
9) knows what the "cone of silence" is
10) regularly quotes: a) invader zim b) st:tng c) "adventures in odyssey"

non-negotiable:
1) knows what captain jean-luc picard's favourite beverage is (swoon if he enjoys it himself)
2) owns the soundtracks to at least five movies
3) plays with numbers for fun (double swoon if he does is without even noticing)
4) knows what the integral of 2(pi)r is, and why it's relevant
5) can rhyme with delicacy and creativity
6) has read "le petit prince" and loved it
7) picks movies to watch based on cast/director/producer/writer, and not plot
8) owns a t-shirt that he "made" himself
9) knows the next three books he plans to read
10) regularly quotes: a) scripture - but only if it's done humorously b) himself c) me

B. FRIENDSHIP
speaking of skoch, back in the fall he started a "band" called "divided". obviously, it's stellar. so, please listen to his stuff. he and josiah are amazing . . . and half the res is involved in their back-up vocals and instrumentation. btw, "joy" is my favourite song. "just a friend" is also super, even though it's pretty much a cover . . . with some uber-interesting edits.

lest you think skoch is the only friend i have (:P) i should mention: lately, my friends have been simply awesome. deniss is one of them. he listens to me and takes me for walks when i'm crying. janet is another one. she tells me when i hurt her and helps me love her better. friends are great.

C. FAMILY

'nuff said.

wear lots of layers

made the unforgiveable mistake of watching "vanity fair" a few nights ago.

ugh.

it isn't often that i dislike a movie so much! least of all a period piece based on a classic. it is one thing to find a rendition boring or uninspired; this just left me angry. probably exacerbated by the fact that i was watching it during a bout of insomnia. in any case, it was an absolute waste of time, despite having a fairly good cast (inc. reese witherspoon, whom i find endearing . . . though you're not supposed to really feel that way about becky smith, whom she portrays) and being directed by mira nair, whose "monsoon wedding" i simply adore! so what was wrong with it? there was little build-up, no real inciting action, little opportunity to invest in characters, and - most of all - that undefinable characteristic no one likes to see in a film: it fell flat. just didn't like it. bleh. and ugh. and done, now.


saw "capote" with skochie last night . . . his review will undoubtedly come out soon. as for me, found it . . . strong, moving, troubling, challenging, raw. that is, i think i liked it, but not sure i enjoyed it. glad i saw it, certainly. basically, not sure what to do with the conflict depicted: selfish ambition and authentic compassion. consider the contrast betweenn these two statements made by truman capote during his involvement with perry smith, a convicted murdered with whom he shared a similar family background:

1: it's as if perry and i grew up in the same house. and one day he went out the back door and i went out the front.

2: sometimes, when i think how good my book could be, i can hardly breathe.

capote's relationship with smith is complicated: the writer is clearly exploiting the prisoner, but there is genuine affection, as well. capote lies and yet he is sincere, which only makes it more horrible to watch. so, i don't know what to think or how to feel. spoiler (highlight to reveal): there is no moment of awakening for truman. indeed, he remains an ass for the entirety of the film. for better or for worse, that doesn't make him any less endearing. neither does it let you off the hook on the whole "not sure how to feel" thing. sorry!


also saw "yes", a valentine's day gift from mom: a wonder. again, uncertain as to how i feel about it, but certainly surprised and provoked. worth seeing, for sure. don't want to give away much, but here's a wee: regardless of your personal ethics, you'll find the main love story compelling. a lebanese chef and an irish-american scientist wrestle with love, sex, politics, race, and freedom in raw and shocking ways. one particular section - which roger ebert described as "the most erotic scene i've seen in the movies" - portrays the profound significance of intimacy, if in a slightly uncomfortable way. the writing - iambic pentameter - was a little unsettling for me at times. didn't take away significantly, but did distract occasionally. maybe i just need to get used to it. anyway, joan allen is beautiful, in the true sense of the word.

kim introduced me to this site. it's stellar.

'cause i have nothing to say that's of my own creation . . .

where do i go to sign up for this team? one of the guys in res is on the competitive sitting and drinking chocolate milk team . . . but i don't think i'm quite ready for that yet.











in other news, we got our rmc hoodies today! they're comfy and oversized and have REALLY long hood stringy things. but, yeah. they're super. which reminds me of this . . .















skoch, this one's for you . . .











and, just for good measure - because we are ALL about the good measure around here! - here's one more. yay, toothpaste for dinner! thanks for giving me something to post when i don't feel like trying to make something up.

despite appearances. . .

oh, skoch. you and i both know that you're a lifelong member of the "not attracted to mara" club. now that you and josh have designed your t-shirts, any claims to the contrary could result in being disfellowshipped by said club. careful!

in that spirit, i was thinking today that there are several good reasons why skoch and i could never and should never date:
10) skoch and socks? he's a goat and i'm a fashionable accessory. we're practically from two different worlds! ;)
9) the age difference is troublesome. i prefer guys who are at least six years younger or ten years older.
8) he's prettier than me.
7) i'm not sure i embody the "spirit of randomness" . . .
6) we're far too comfortable with each other. dating should be all about awkward silences and misunderstandings.
5) too many people think we're engaged. i don't like giving in to the general consensus.
4) i'm not sure if he's pre-trib or post-trib, and that's a deal-breaker.
3) he has dated a close friend of mine. to me, that makes him off-bounds.
2) i really do try not to date guys who aren't attracted to me.
1) most importantly, if i were dating skoch, whose shoulder would i cry on when we ran into problems?

reasons why we should date (i could only think of three)
3) when two worlds come together - like birds of different feathers - there's joy in the air, and what a pair we'd make together.
2) he's got the sentimentality thing down to an art.
1) dating each other and then breaking up would guarantee that we both get married in the next 2 years!

can't you see that it's just raining . . .

. . . ain't no need to go outside. except that on saturday skoch and i wanted to go to walmart. so we braved the rain and wind, and ended up having a lovely time. after realizing i didn't remember what i was there to buy, we gave up on wandering the aisles aimlessly and focused on skoch's door decorations. the princess theme came together beautifully. we even (finally!) got pictures taken where we're both, you know, looking at the camera. :) and, because you can't go to walmart without stopping in at mcdonald's, we also had some dinner. over fries we shared our thoughts on the difference between a double hamburger and a big mac. then we finished up the shopping and braved more wind and less rain to go home.

sunday, we donned our uniforms (i'll admit it, mine consisted of my tunic, jeans, and pink t-shirt) and went to church. steve is preaching on spiritual warfare for the next few weeks. now there's a subject not often addressed. the foundation for speaking on the demonic and so on is most often anecdotal, but there's definitely plenty of scripture that illuminates the battle we're in. it was great to see him tackle this touchy - and timely - issue. phil locked his keys in the car and peter and amanda gave skoch a computer, so we all took the train together with a huge box. carrying that home was fun. it's all about teamwork. later, a tonne of us watched "mean girls", which continues to be a movie i love. i had actually picked it up at walmart on saturday. i finally got some reading done, realized (for sure, this time!) that i don't remember much of greek at all, and then went to bed. oh, and this morning i slept in and missed my first class. that was mara's weekend. how was yours?

now that i've done the play-by-play, here's an actual thought:
i'm a different person in different environments. at camp i'm one person, at school another. it's not that i'm intentionally deceptive: both people are equally me. it's just a matter of adaptation. with skoch at rocky . . . it's kinda neat to see two parts of me collide.

yeah, that's what it is: it's not that my worlds are colliding, it's that i'm now free to be as i am at camp AND as i am in the city. it's comfy. i like it.

so, if nothing else, that's one benefit of living in the same building as a friend who has known me for two years. i highly recommend it. also, since the above mentioned benefits are by no means exhaustive, i highly recommend friendship with skoch in particular.

range of emotion

overwhelmed:
steve, josh, lysa, and danielle are now here. in two days, the residents arrive. (we already have one). it's been a rush of details (some slipping through the cracks) since monday. i think i've lost and found my sanity a hundred times already.

awe:
new orleans is just surreal . . . that it's happening in the wealthiest country in the world and still looks like a refugee camp makes it even harder to take in. send help: www.salvationarmy.ca is one way.

anxiety:
greek. just around the corner. Lord, have mercy.

joy:
skoch is coming here! i like that.