Wikipedia informs us that this month includes New Year celebrations in Kutch (કચà«àª› જિલà«àª²à«‹), a district in the western Indian state of Gujarat. We’re not sure whether these Kutchi women are, in fact, celebrating the new year, but they certainly seem to be having fun. (By the way, Kutch is also spelled Kachchh, a word we defy you not to fall in love with.)
Continued from Part 2.
Ohhhhhhhhhhh goodness I am going to the library today!! *jumps around*
And I want to go back to bed since I stayed up all night reading.
At the library right now, and immensely happy since I have just checked out:
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Paper Towns
And Abundance of Katherines
(Looking For Alaska was, sadly, checked out)
xxxHOLiC 14-16
Natusme’s Book of Friends
First Post! I feel my life goal is fulfilled. My first state test is done!
Cake.
I heard back from the dreadlocks people (how did you guess I was going to talk more about my hair?!), apparently there is hope for getting the wax out. Furthermore, they’re actually going to be in my area and could schedule an appointment to get it done correctly (and for white-people hair and all) in two weeks.
Which is good, but, like, two weeks. D: PATIENCE? WHAT DAT?!
I sent a letter to Pip today, because we had thought it might be fun to do an occasional pen-pal thing.
“I’ll be back, going to put a letter in the mailbox.”
(Mom:) “Oh, who for?”
“Pip.”
“Oh, of course. You couldn’t write to your grandma, but you’ll write to him.”
At this point I started crying and left the house. I’m loving that she has such a high opinion of me, y’know? Because I’m totally happy that grandma passed away last month, because that means I won’t have to feel guilty about not writing her….or something.
I got another blast for my GED score. “Oh, good job. Now prove to us that you’ll actually do work in college, because we’re spending a lot of money for you to go where you want.”
Apparently it doesn’t matter, or show for anything, that the section I did the worst on I was still in the 75th percentile.
*hugs forever* and i agree with what jade said, although that doesn’t excuse your mom for saying something like that. ugh i just….*more hugs*
3- Oh, Fiddler *hugs* Just remember that this is only for a couple of months, and then you will be at college and not at home anymore. And a lot of people’s relationships with their parents get better once they’re not living at home any more. But you shouldn’t have to deal with that in the first place, you’re clearly a smart and caring person. Don’t let her make you believe otherwise.
151.4. on the old thread: I get Muse, but Ihad only read 2 issues when I started posting here. I ought to post more on the Muse threads, I suppose.
151.4.3: You really should. I have a card that gives a free back issue to a friend; I wish I could give it to you, because I don’t know any Muserly people. I saw one in Cape Cod, but I didn’t have it with me, and she was busy talking to her relatives, and I didn’t know how to bring it up. Anyway, there’s a tiny chance your library may have back issues; I recommend checking if you haven’t already. The official website (which I don’t particularly care for, but each to ens own) lists some books that were made into Muse articles; your library is bound to have at least one of them, so I suggest reading one. If you like it, you’ll probably like Muse and should subscribe. If not, you probably shouldn’t. I think you’d especially like The Whatchamacallit; it’s no longer listed, but it’s actually sort of like Save The Words in book form. Oh, and Cows in the Mze! That was written by the person who wrote The Science of Discworld. There’s also a sample magazine at http:// caruspub .richfx .com.edgesuite.net/catalog_caruspub/Mussampler0509/index.aspx?rfx_passback= without the spaces, and there’s a sample article–well, part of one–at http:// www. cobblestonepub.com/pdfs/MUSArticle.pdf without the spaces.
Also, on the other thread, I said that the sticker of my flowerpot of Floo Powder said, “The only real way to travel.” Forgive me; I was the one who misquoted, not the person who made it. There was no ‘real.’
Last night–I think– a seventeen-year-old girl died in a car crash. The details are a little muddled, and I don’t know who she was. The son of a family friend was driving. I feel so sorry for everyone involved.
I’m in Michigan! Yeeha!
There are a lot of trees out here.
Yes, there are.
You’ve finally escaped! Congratulations!
Now I shall be the first and only first to reach all the holidays etc. muahahahaOn the other hand, you’re now the first MuseBlogger scheduled to experience the Apocalypse. Tell us how it goes.
Me: *peeling pomegranate at 11pm*
Dad: *walks in* “Is that a pomegranate?”
Me: “Yup.”
Dad: “Where’d you get that?”
Me: “I summoned it using the blackest of magics known to man.”
Dad: “Why didn’t you summon the ice cream you were complaining we didn’t have?”
Me: “…the spell only works for fruit.”
Dad: “Well turn off the lights when you come upstairs.”
What about fruit-flavored ice cream?
What about POMEGRANATE FLAVORED ICE CREAM?
I HAD THAT
THE OHTER DAY
POMEGRANATE FROZEN YOGURT
WITH KIKI AND EBETH
THE MOST DELICIOUS OF FLAVORS
also anyone who has Corner Bakery Café’s near the needs to try one of their pomegranate frozen lemonades. This is mandatory.
*RAINBOW*
Re: SSSS’s dying: This saddens me greatly, because I reread the old threads recently and there was so much funniness on them.
Spent all day creating questions for an online trivia game.
Life is good.
I got to leave school today at 10 AM because I only had one final.
And tomorrow I get to go in at 10 AM because I have a final in the other block of time.
YEAH
My mom just told me that now I have to go to bed by 10:00. In summer. WHAT IS THIS
MADNESS WHAT IS SHE THINKING
I DON’T KNOW
ALSO I HAVE TO GET UP BY 8:30
BUT THIS IS ONLY ON WEEKDAYS AT LEAST
AAAHH
…I normally go to bed at around 9:20ish…
Of course, I wake up at 6:00ish, so….
Six? In summer?
Well, in the summer, more like around 6:30…
I wish I did that.
My schedule is currently more like 11:00-7:00, at least usually. This is better than a few months ago, when I was going to bed around 1:00, and getting up close to 9:00.
Greetings, MuseBlog! It’s been awhile since I first wandered over here in 2008…
Is anyone else very, very, very excited for Deathly Hallows, Part 2? Already plotting a costume – Luna Lovegood. Again.
My friend’s going to be Rita Skeeter! She’ll be perfect for it. What other underrepresented characters would be good for costumes?
(sudden idea: I wonder if I could do Draco Malfoy à la Lauren Lopez. :D)
I should reread the books, see if I can find a Hufflepuff that looks somewhat like me.
Why don’t you dress up as a Snitch? My friend did that at the last primiere….
Ooh, that’s a cute idea!
Personally, I’m much more excited for Pottermore. I’m going to obsess over HP ALL DAY tomorrow and get up before 6 AM the next day to find out what it is.
I… *embarrased cough* … might be at camp when it comes out…
I probably won’t dress up, except for maybe some root-vegetable earrings.
But I will certainly drag my friend to go see it the week after, even though she only read up to book 4.
So I’m definitely going, my friend’s having a party and we’re going to watch all the movies we can and drink butter beer and pumpkin juice and I’m definitely dressing up as something. (Worst case senario I wear the weirdest combination of clothes I can find and go as a wizard in disguise.)
I’m rather excited, which explains even if it does not excuse bad grammar.
I don’t think I’ll go in costume (well, for one thing my costume is at home, thousands of miles away), and for another, I’d melt. But I’m definitely wearing Potter garb, and Alan and I are planning on going to the midnight premiere of the movie. it should be great.
And Pottermore…..Looking forward to seeing what that is–unfortuantely I’ll be asleep at 6 AM, bit too early to get up when I’m not going to bed until 3 AM. But maybe I’ll check it out before going back to sleep after Alan wakes me up at 6:30 AM when he leaves for work. lol, of course, with my luck, tomorrow morning would be the one day he chooses not to wake me up and say goodbye before he goes to work.
And oh cake. That reminds me….I need to reread the second half of the book. Yet another thing to add to my to do list.
Google’s logo for today has a pink bunny next to a pink bear with fangs
This scares me
At least it’s very pale pink. It looks more like a bunny who’s been shaved than an HPB.
This is terrifying. When a company with “Don’t be evil” as a motto is so defiled, can there be anywhere they haven’t infiltrated?
Mom: I want you to rake the beach
Me: There’s algae everywhere
Mom: Yes I want you to rake it out of the water so we can spray for weeds
Me: Litterally one third of the lake is covered in it and it is blowing TOWARDS us, nothing I am going to do is going to help, I can only reach a six-foot strip at a time and then it just moves in again, shouldn’t we just wait till the wind shifts
Mom: Go rake the beach
WHAT DO THEY THINK I AM SOME SORT OF WIZARD
After I come in after an hour, having got everything I could reach
Mom: Yeah that’s not really working we’ll wait till the wind shifts.
[*JADE BREAKS*]
So…I’m driving home from the grocery store, passing by an office building, when I see a huge stone sign that says: “An HPB Insurance Group.” Say whaaaa? Wait a minute: is that insurance for HPBs or for protection from them? And do they really think they’re fooling anyone by pretending HPB stands for “High Point Bank”?
Half-price books is no better. I’m afraid they’ve joined the bunnies, too, also via abbreviation. I don’t want to boycott them, and I wish I was
annoying or attention-seekingbrave enough to at least write a letter of protest to someone influential about it. Wait… Maybe they’re the ones who did this to my brain! It’sthe placebo effecta Confundus Charm! That must be why I can’t focus on brushing my hair right now, too! I must FIGHT THIS HINDRANCE. Maybe. If I ever get around to it…They’re closing in! *hides*
………..this is getting creepy. *scurries away*
HyperBolic Planes.
*screams, runs*
*hides*
I love hyperbolic planes!
5 squares around every point!
7 triangles!
4 pentagons! (5 sides, 90 degree angles…)
*tangent*
I’d say insurance against damage caused by HPBs is a sound investment.
Indubitably. But is that what they’re selling?
I expect so. After all, why would an HPB need insurance? Us? That would be almost as encouraging… Then again, maybe they’re giving “insurance” to people that doesn’t actually work!
Where’s the MB Games thread? I can’t find it.
Right here.
Thank you!
Fiddler (3)
I’m glad there is hope for your hair, and I’m happy to hear you’re writing to Pip!
Regarding your other difficulties, I would like to say that sometimes people don’t know how to vent frustrations when they’re frustrated. They are absolutely wonderful at it when they’re calm, but somehow when something jumps out at them it becomes too easy to expend the energy on someone outside of themselves. I know you know not to take it personally when people do this. There’s always the chance that that’s not what happened at all. Really this is just my attempt at a virtual hug.
… Feel better?
.
Bibliophile (17)
MuseBlog Games, v. 2011: https://musefanpage.com/blog/?p=9301
.
I had an absolutely fantastic day. For the past few years, I’ve been doing a Performing Arts Camp in the summer, in which they put on a musical with elementary/middle school children. This year, I’m a counsellor, and my brother has decided to join as a camper this year! We’re doing Into the Woods (, Jr.) and I am thrilled because this was my first favorite musical, and it is still a favorite of mine.
Today (the second day), the cast list was posted, and there are few enough kids for every single camper to have a role—with lines and stage directions specific to them, and everything! What a dream! The reason this day was so fabulous is because every single one of these kids is a delight. They are all incredibly talented, and the fact that they will all get the chance to shine in this production is the best news I could get. I will not be able to resist bringing more news as the show draws near, so look forward to that! *wink*
This year for camp, I’m supposed to be in charge of arts and crafts. If anyone has a fabulous, cheap, and relatively clean-up-able art and/or craft activity for kids around age 12 to do, please tell me about it! There’s probably a better thread for this, but I surely do not know what it is.
Masks. Little kids LOVE masks. (or at least the little kid that I was loved masks…)
Paper-mache would make the nicest result, though cardboard/ cardstock is easiest to clean up. As long as you have a theme for the masks (Fairytales?), then all the kids should enjoy it.
I remember doing endless amounts of friendship bracelets with embroidery floss at camp, but that was most a girl thing for some reason. We also did this thing where you took two sticks and wrapped different colors of yarn around them to make a multi-colored square, I’m not sure what they’re called or why we actually did them anymore though.
I like enc’s mask idea. If you don’t want to deal with paper mache, you can purchase flimsy plastic ones relatively cheap at most craft stores (like, 2$ for 5 masks, and since it sounds like you don’t have a lot of kids that could be doable). And then you just have to widen the eye-holes and paint those. I’ve done a few of these myself and they turned out nicely, my favourite I made as a companion mask to my full-ace green man mask, where I glued artificial leaves in layers around the edges after I painted it. Those cheap colored feathers and glitter (the herpes of arts and crafts) or sequins would also be easy to get ahold of for decorating.
Other ideas…air-drying clay is fun but messy and you have to buy it, but could be a multiple-day thing–one day to sculpt, one day to paint. We also made a lot of lanyard keychains at my old camp, but you can put just about anything on a keychain, and it’s relatively gender neutral. One time we also decorated magnets (thin, round, circular ones, about the thickness of those free ones that a lot of companies give out, so if everyone has a random one on their fridge no one really cares about (at my house we have a ton) everyone could bring one) with random puzzle pieces/feathers/glitter/paint/random stuff in a box.
It’s not so much a craft but a fun art “game” is one where you draw a stick figure (say, in red) in the middle of a big piece of paper. BUt for campers maybe substitute that with a glass of water or something Then the first camper has a colored pencil or crayon (say, blue) and has to draw something that would destroy the glass of water, like a bomb (taking up only a reasonable amount of space on the page). The next person has to draw something to save the glass in another color(green)–like, superman flying in and grabbing the bomb. The next person draws a blue monster, green gandolf saying “you shall not pass”, blue cthulhu, a green black hole sucking him in, blue earthquake, etc. It’s mostly fun when you’re playing with very creative people, and since this is an arts camp it could work out pretty well. My college friends and I played it at a restaurant on the back of a kid’s menu with crayons waiting for our food and it’s very amusing.
I think those multi-colored square are called God’s eyes, or something like that.
These are great ideas. Thank you!
I am back from Foshan, anyone who wants to know, which explains my week-long absence from the ‘blog.
Again? How was it?
Yes, again! Relatives, you see…my grandparents and cousins live there so we go visit them quite often. It was fun, apart from the occasional creepy Chinese man trying to hit on me. Just because I look foreign…sigh. But they’re easily ignored.
I’ve finally got around to downloading Firefox, and now MuseBlog works properly.
Also: four new books from used bookstore. (Peeps, by Scott Westerfeld; Across the Universe, by Beth Revis; and Triss’s Book and Daja’s book by Tamora Pierce (I haven’t read Sandry’s Book yet, but since I read The Will of the Empress before reading any of the others I think I’ll be fine.))
My life is complete.
Congratulations. (I hope I am spelling that correctly.)
You are.
Happy day-after-the-Solstice, guys!
I slept outside last night. It was super cool because I could look up at the stars and I felt like the sky was spinning very slowly and like if I looked hard enough, I could fall off the world into the stars. And I saw a shooting star, which was beautiful, and then a terrifyingly low airplane which was only about as high as the treetops and looked very military and was INSANELY loud. And then I fell asleep and woke up at 5:20 AM freezing and slightly damp and with the birds all singing. It would have been really nice if it wasn’t so cold. But hey! I’m up early now.
Jelly. So jelly.
What do you mean?
She means she’s jealous, by which she means she’s envious.
By which she means that she wants or resents what the other person has.
Hey guys! How’s life? Just checking in quickly on the hotel’s internet. The first few days have been great so far, even though something’s been making me have a horrible cough. I did get a cool fan, though. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get on again, but I’ll check in when I can. See ya!
Oh yeah, forgot to mention, on Monday we went to the Royal Palace and saw the only Stradivarius quartet in the world. I thought that might please some of you. I would post pictures, but they weren’t allowed inside.
AAAAH. *is pleased*
*is also pleased* That is very cool.
Bit of a burning question here.
My little sister, as you probably don’t know, is about fifteen now. She LOVES Harry Potter and has discovered a whole world of other people who love Harry Potter (so much, in fact, that they write songs about it—LOTS of songs). Now, I don’t really have anything in particular against Harry Potter–it’s compelling, engaging, a fun read, and develops a certain amount of complexity as the story evolves. But I don’t understand, and have never understood (well, since I was about eight or nine) is WHY everyone loves it. There are dozens of books, as good as or better than Harry Potter, that have never received such acclaim. Harry Potter has taught thousands of children that reading can be fun. It has touched an entire generation, or two. BUT WHY? Is it something about the story? It’s not particularly original, and the characters can be terribly unpleasant (Harry Potter is stupid and a jerk and somehow beloved by all…I hate him). Is it merely a matter of being in the right place at the right time? Did the movies popularize it? I’m over my frustration with its popularity, but I really want to know why.
I actually wrote an essay about that a while ago for school. One of its best qualities was the intricacy of its plot. It seems like it must have been really fun to guess what was going on when the series wasn’t done yet.
Also, they’re readable and enjoyable for young children and also enjoyable for adults, so people who read the first book at 8 when it came out would be an adult by the time the last book came out, but they’d still enjoy it. That creates a larger audience. Also, people really wish they could go to Hogwarts, and they can easily imagine themselves there.
I think there’s just a lot to analyze and a lot to think about–but not so much that you don’t understand it before analyzing. That’s probably helpful. And once people started to write such amazing essays and things, that draws more people who loved the books but prefer others but love reading about books they love.
I think it probably just somehow caught on. Also, it manages to be magic without being completely unrealistic.
The characters are so real. And the plot twists and is perfectly understandable at the same time. And it’s easy to read. And it never gets boring. And the relationships are real. With a lot of books, it’s just like, hey, there’s a guy character and a girl character here, let’s have them fall in love. With HP, the relationships are actually meaningful.
See, I don’t see any of that. To me, the relationships in Harry Potter seem completely arbitrary, and the characters…well, I guess they’re believable but not remarkably so. Maybe I’m just missing something.
I think the characters stand out because they’re so intricate, and believable and go deeper than just oen outstanding trait.
Take Hermione, for example. She is portrayed as the smartest kid in the school, but instead of Ravenclaw, she is put in Gryffindor. Why? Because unlike many characters, she doesn’t have one defining trait that makes up her whole character, she doesn’t fit the stereotypical image of a nerd, and she is brave.
And Ron. He doesn’t seem like anything remarkable, but he has an intricate backstory of brothers and poverty and arachnophobia, so we can relate to his flaws and still think of him as as person instead of a character.
And to me, the relationships aren’t all that arbitrary. Ginny showed that she liked Harry from the very beginning, and the damsel in distress thing in the second book probably heightened her admiration for him, so finally, in the 6th book, Harry comes round and falls for her. Ron and Hermione have been awkward around each other from the beginning, and every time one gets a boyfriend/girlfriend, the other freaks out for an unknown reason.
I guess I’m going on a little too much, so I’ll end here.
It just seems like they’re trying so hard to be believable, that it isn’t.
OK, arbitrary was totally the wrong word. A little bit arbitrary, but mostly…forced. Like “Where can we fit in some romance? Aha!”
Ah, I know what you mean. I’ve felt that way about other books often, but for me it often really depends on the age of the characters. If you’re going to write about people from when they’re 11 to when they’re 17/18, the fact is that there will be some romance somewhere. It would be unrealistic otherwise. What I don’t much like is how, basically, if you start dating at Hogwarts, you almost always marry the last person you date there, very rarely someone else. That was unrealistic.
Wizards and witches seem to marry considerably younger than Muggles do. On the other hand, they don’t go to college, do they? It wasn’t so long ago that most (Muggle) Americans followed the same pattern. If you go back past my grandparents, I imagine a fair number of my ancestors married their high school sweethearts, or the equivalent.
Two of my friends just got married last week. I’ll admit that the whole kids-my-age-getting-married thing seriously freaks me out though.
Also that my grandma got married when she was 18 (grandad was older though).
0.o
Maybe witches and wizards are more careful about who they get into relationships with?
Yeah, I think it’s more of a difference in wizarding culture like Robert pointed out. And a lot of the wizarding world itself seems to belong to a past century, which makes that fit in quite nicely with the older tone Harry Potter seems to have, especially in the movies.
Molly: “I know what happened, of course. It’s all this uncertainty with You-Know-Who coming back, people think they might be dead tomorrow, so they’re rushing all sorts of decisions they’d normally take time over. It was the same last time he was powerful, people eloping left, right and centre -“
“Including you and Dad,†said Ginny slyly.
That explains Molly and Arthur and Bill and Fleur and probably also Lupin and Tonks. Harry and Ginny had their first child when they were… 26 and 25, approximately. Presumably they got married before that. Hermione and Ron were both around 27. I expect Malfoy was around the same age. Is that unusual by our standards? I’ve no idea, really.
They do seem to take their relationships more seriously — maybe because life is so uncertain for them. Another important factor is that they become self-sufficient much younger than Muggles do. They graduate from high school with all the skills they need to earn (or conjure up) a living, and they don’t seem to have to worry about being unemployed.
Maybe the Ministry makes sure to provide jobs for everyone because otherwise unemployed wizards would turn to profiting off Muggles’ gullibility and greed, and possibly expose the wizarding world through carelessness or desperation.
I’ve never understood why poor wizards don’t just transfigure some air molecules into, say, a mansion. It can’t be that transfiguration is not permanent, because everyone who’s read MoR knows how much of a difference that would make. Maybe it’s just illegal. That would make sense–the Weasleys are too scrupulous to do aomething illegal for money, but the Malfoys and Blacks aren’t and weren’t, and the wizards who do other illegal things for money have never struck me as very intelligent, on the whole, so maybe they can’t do complex transfiguration. “Of course, it’s supposed to be very difficult.”
I love the world of Harry Potter and how well it’s woven into the stories. When I turned 11, I couldn’t wait for my Hogwarts letter to arrive by owl, and that’s a testament to how well Rowling created a magical yet believable world. The plot is enjoyable to read, particularly a second or a third or a fourth time through when tiny mentions in the early books are seen to become major influences later on. In terms of characters, all of them have flaws. However, the “good guys” find courage anyways and even “bad guys” can redeem themselves in the end. That makes them more powerful to me than if they were never stupid or jerkish or mistaken. Harry Potter involves a lot of good themes as well: appreciating people for their differences, being courageous even when afraid, looking out for friends, speaking against prejudice, fighting for what is right, and, of course, love.
I imagine that for a lot of people our age, there’s a rich streak of nostalgia as well since so many have literally grown up with the characters and the series. I’ll never forget my first midnight book release or dressing up with friends for the most recent movie premier. The Harry Potter series has been with me through my childhood and early adolescence in a way that few others books have been, and that’s another reason why it means so much to me.
Speaking of which, I even dropped by Diagon alley to get my things. There is the really mysterious bird that’s been lurking here all summer. It has something on it’s leg…
Harry Potter is stupid and a jerk?! Have you read the books?
Apart from any vehement defense of the books, I think they’re so popular because it’s a (kind of) original idea. And because they combine the real world with something other.
I really must just be missing something.
I think my literary tastes just grew A LOT while I was waiting for the last three books and by the time they showed up, I’d moved on, which explains why I didn’t find them compelling at all after Goblet of Fire, and could probably still read the first four with a sort of nostalgic fondness as I can with things like Half Magic. Although I think I tried that recently and just got bored.
I suppose it’s all a matter of taste really.
I don’t know, I mean, my family started reading them just before the second book came out. So I was fairly young getting into it, and still wanted very badly to be able to believe in magic. And at that young of an age they did seem believable, whereas if I’d started the series when I was older, it wouldn’t have had the same effect. My mom had to read them aloud to my sister and I or we’d fight over who got to read it first as well, so they were incorporated into our collection of bedtime stories (which included my first exposure to J.R.R. Tolkein when she read us The Hobbit at a young age as well, and it’s still one of my favourite books). Now, I don’t really think it’s a marvelous piece of literature. I agree that Harry can be a jerk a lot of the time, which actually I find kind of refreshing instead of a perfect main character. But a lot of people grew up with these books, and they’re memorable enough that people really look forward to the next one, even though there’s not terrible cliffhangers at the end of each book (which is how some series keep their reads in it, I’ve noticed). Are they the best thing I’ve ever read? Certainly not. But I love them anyway. They were as much a part of my childhood as climbing trees and more in it than pokemon or other fads (although I do still love pokemon). It’s just something that was always around and made me (and, I assume, a lot of other people) happy. Cat’s Meow mentioned the nostalgic effect of it, and that’s definitely a part of it for me, but it’s not tied into a particular time period so it can continue to be relatable to successive generations as well (JKR did this on purpose, she tried to have it not set anytime specific but somewhere along the line obsessive fans put together a timeline against actual events based off like one line with a date in it, which sort of makes me sad). So, yeah. I like them because they were a happy and memorable part of my childhood as well as being engaging and what I honestly consider a good story, even if it’s not the first of it’s kind and it certainly won’t be the last.
A wild Beedle appeared!
Tests are finally over, finally. Things should calm down considerably over the next few weeks, especially since my mom is working now. I don’t know if I wrote about my quest for a banjo, but the one at the school belongs to one of the orchestra teachers, so I’m going to buy one. Indie folk has poisoned my mind.
It’s so hot and humid here, I feel like I’m in Florida. *dies*
What will LBK do?
LBK used FAN!
The FAN cooled Beedle and made en feel better!
Ode To Chippy
A memorial poem
A chipmunk scurried up my mom’s back
It ran across the lawn and a sack
To try to stop the dog from eating it up
My mom ran to that naughty pup…
But his mouth was shut
Stubborn mutt!
Eventually he opened wide
And out slid the chipmunk–I almost cried.
Covered in slime, and very dead,
The chipmunk fell near another dog’s head
My dad snatched it up, just in time,
For the closing of this rhyme.
*sobs*
*sadface* *snifflesniffle* *SOBS*
Just had my last piano lesson ever. Weird.
I found this hilarious children’s book from 1964 called “Dear NASA, Please Send Me A Rocket”. It’s a collection of letters kids wrote to NASA and President Kennedy.
Some of them are really adorable- “I want to go into space. Please put 5,000 doughnuts in the rocket and also 5,000 (sic) milks and make the milks (sic) choclat. After I all, I am only six.”, “I think we should send a boy and not a man for Project Mercury because we are smaller and we don’t complain as much.”, “Will you let me go to the moon? I will even give you $1.00.”
Some of them are a little disturbing- “If you shot a rocket up from Cape Kennedy, what are the chances it would blow up over Pittsburgh?”, “Please send me pictures of missiles and bombs.”, “Can I go to the moon and can Caroline come too? Because I want to marry her.”
Sometimes the authors seem a little cruel for making fun of how the kids made spelling mistakes- “I think the US has the best rackets in the whole world.” (Illustration of guy with tennis racket hitting rocket), “Please send me pictures of rockets and flying sauce.” (Illustration of little kid crying on the floor with gravy spilled on him.)
And of course, one kid simply wrote: “Dear NASA, please send me the X-15 research plane.”
Children are so adorable.
One wonders what he wanted the X-15 for.
He probably was too young to know it needed another plane to take off.
But still, a hypersonic spaceplane painted black!
Oh, all of us wanted X-15s back then. I could have written that letter. Maybe I did.
KaiYves: Did you get to go to the Glenn Lecture at the Air and Space Museum last night?
Yes, we were in the overflow section in the Milestones of Flight gallery, so we were just watching on a big screen, but he came out before the talk and addressed the crowd and I took some pictures then.
Also, it was really cool to be underneath all of those historic planes and spacecraft as the sun was setting and the changing light was falling on them.
That last one is my favorite.
Okay, Beedle comes back and suddenly posts a ton of stuff. :p
Anyway, my great aunt recently died, and the wake was today. I’d only met her about three times that I can remember, and the last time I was with her was maybe three or four years ago. She was a wonderful lady though. Anyway, like I said, the wake was today. I walked in and did not recognize a single face in the room. My mom introduced me to her daughter, and so many other people I’ve never met before, it was actually quite sad. This is my family. I don’t know them. I could pass by all of my extended family, save ten or fifteen people, and not recognize a single one of them.
My aunt’s daughter summed it up well. She looked at my brother and I and said somewhat tearily, “It’s a shame that the only time we get together is for weddings and funerals.” And it’s true. I cried at the funeral not because my aunt was dead, but because I never got to know her better. I choked back my tears because I don’t know my family. And of course, my mom has excuses and reasons for everything, “this one is nasty, that side of the family unjustly took your great grandfather’s land after he died, these people are in the mafia ((this is actually true)) ((that’s probably a good reason for not associating with them actually)),” but still. This is our family. I’d like to at least meet them once in my life.
Come to think of it, my mom’s brother. The last time I saw him was when I was, I don’t know, seven?
Do I really have that bad of a family, or is my immediate family too picky? I don’t know. I just wish I knew more people that I was related to. We share blood, we share genes. I recognized so much of myself and my family that I know in that group of people. Some had my body type, some had my grandfather’s eyes, some had noses like my brother, some had big eyes like my mom.
It’s scary, you know?
Beedle, I am so sorry. Both about your aunt, and your family. I’m perhaps too connected to my family on my dad’s side, but I’ve only met my grandfather on my mom’s side once. I was eight and I spent the entire time wondering how he could be my grandfather if I didn’t know him.
If your mother won’t associate with your family, that’s no reason to, though. I avoid much of my mom’s father’s family (my mom’s parents are divorced) because I don’t really like them and they’ve shown no interest in getting to know me better. But these sound like wonderful people and you should definitely exchange contact information with them.
THERE IS A “MURDER PALACE” IN CHICAGO
IT GIVES TOURS
FIELD TRIP TIME
This reminds of the book “The child who was always asking Questions”. The author is a french officer who went all over France asking school children about their most important question in life. Some of them are very sad like this one: “dear god, if your in heaven and alive, how come my mom is in heaven and dead?”.
SQUEE POTTERMORE.
…Sorry. I’m just so excited! She made the announcement!
I KNOW
SO EXCITING
THIS IS GONNA BE EPIC
Okay…she made the announcement. Thoughts? Personally, I’m kind of confused, but more Potter is always good!
HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
“Although the author made clear that she had “no plans to write another novel”, the fresh Potter material – to be unveiled later this year – already stretches to 18,000 words about the novels’ characters, places and objects, with more to come. From Professor McGonagall’s love for a Muggle as a young woman, to how the Dursleys met (Petunia was working in an office); from new information about Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses, to details about wand wood, Rowling’s writing will be just one part of the richly interactive, free Pottermore website, which is intended to bring the Harry Potter storylines to interactive life for readers.”
And the 18,000 words of information is just a third of what she’s written so far! This is thrilling!
Also, ‘later this year’ means Halloween, but there will be a challenge on JKR’s and Harry’s birthday, and a million of the people who who succeed will get access early!
New information about Ravenclaw? YESSSSSS. I always thought it was seriously underrepresented in the books.
Oh, well, I guess we have to scrap our “Bloggermore” project now.
I for one would still look forward to experiencing that marvel.
Darn it!
SQUEEEE
I am excited as well. As you could probably tell. I watched the video just moments before leaving for writing camp so I couldn’t reply at the time, but I’m excited!
How many more days again? Around twenty eight, then another three months until full access?
CAN’T WAIT.
POTTERMORE POTTERMORE POTTERMORE *ghaspghaspghasp* POTTERMORE POTTERMORE POTTERMORE!!!!!!!!!!
Er, what is Pottermore?
It’s a website. Please read comment 31.2.1 and you’ll probably understand. If you want more information, go to pottermore dot com and/or any major Harry Potter site like The Leaky Cauldron, MuggleNet, or HPANA.
I did read that comment and was still rather confused (Had no idea it was a website, for one) so I asked for more information. Still have no idea, really. I´m not that into Harry Potter but I´ve read all the books. besides, I don´t have time to go to other websites, I´m on very limited computer time in Chile. Anyone care to explain further what it is?
Well! Pottermore is right now a website you can’t get into yet. She made an announcment to tell everyone she was going to make an anouncement about it. This second anouncment said we’d find out more about it in october or so when it opened for real. But it’s supposed to be an “interactive reading experience” for both old and new fans. I guess it gives extra content to parts of he story and interesting backstory for some of the characters we didn’t get to hear too much about in the books. And there’ll be more of those sorting hat quizzes to see which house you’d be in. And I guess there’s places to “interact with other readers”.
So honestly to me it sounds like a message board, some pages with extra content, and some quizzes/games. So while I still think it’s interesting I’m not overly impressed right now. She didn’t really tell us much about it at all with that video. So I guess we’ll see.
I’m at an Office Max in Pasadena with a bright blue raspberry slushie on my right and my mother and father are arguing with a cashier and my sister’s twirling in a chair and it’s hot.
I fell asleep at 5:00 AM because I was reading fanfiction on my dad’s Blackberry and I’m regretting it now, since I stole mint 3 Musketeers and I ate them before taking a nap so now my mouth tastes awful, really really bad, and I haven’t gone outside most of this summer because I’m a bedroom-cave monster.
I’m currently leaning strongly on one hip and rotating every one minute or so and my mother called me.
Which is the best day?
PASADENA!! ENVIOUS! also envious of the slushie. not envious of falling asleep at 5 and chocolate aftertaste (which is, invariably, Bad)
I have been busy writing that blog post on Jordan that I’ve only been telling you about for the past six months. Also being distracted and watching episodes of Supernatural. And practicing my driving so I can finally get my driver’s license. Etc.
Also, we have been having some very nice thunderstorms lately. They’re short, but very refreshing. Anyhow. Will post again soon.
SUPERNATURAL
I JUST FINISHED SEASON TWO
SHJBFADBKJFSG
I AM HALFWAY THROUGH SEASON TWO
AND TRYING TO AVOID ALL SPOILERS
NOT THAT IT DID MUCH GOOD, I STILL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
31.4: It’s 39 days until July 31. Sorry. But you might get full access straightaway then if you’re really, really lucky! I just hope I’ll get into Ravenclaw… Bizarrely enough, my answers for the first 2 Sorting questions we got to see were what I think are probably the Slytherin answers, even though I can’t even imagine myself there (I’m not cunning at all). I have no idea what the 3rd was about–forest or river?! Hm… Maybe Hufflepuff is forest and Slytherin is river? Then if you’re neither, does it even matter? I really have no idea which I prefer; I love both…
Also, the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff crests are new! That means the Ravenclaw one probably will be, too! Maybe that means that someday, someone will start selling Ravenclaw merchandise with the real Ravenclaw mascot on it instead of a raven, which Warner Bros always uses for some bizarre reason (Sure, the names sound similar, and ravens are smart, but Gryffindor also sounds like gryffin, and they’re brave, so I don’t see the difference, really)!
TLDR: I was ever so surprised when I got the Pottermore announcement, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it’ll be the very best online Hogwarts-type thing there is, I’m sure. Do any of you know what house you’ll be in? I’m asking around, and I hope I’ll be in Ravenclaw, it sounds by far the best suited for me; I hear Luna Lovegood herself was in it, but I suppose Hufflepuff wouldn’t be too bad, it sounds by far the best…
33: …You stole candy?! From whence/whom? That really isn’t a good idea…
If I don’t get into Ravenclaw, I’ll be VASTLY disappointed. I suppose I’d be happy with Slytherin as well, but if I become a Gryffindor I think I’d have to hurt something. And Hufflepuff sounds like a brand of marshmallows.
“I’ll huffle and puff and blow your house down.” That’s what my mind hears. Or really “huffle and puffle” because I like to embellish. (Autocorrect keeps trying to change that to “huddle” and “puddle,” but what does it know?)
THIS IS WHAT IT WILL BE FOREVER IN MY MIIIIND
and ajsgdfh I am realizing right now just how many of my posts are in capslock these days LIFE WHAT AM I DOING WITH IT oh there I go again
I agree about the name. Loyalty, trustworthiness, and hard work are good, though; I value them much more than the qualities of any of the other houses, although I think they’re all important. Well, I don’t nevessarily value hard work more than all the other qualities, but I really, really value loyalty and trustworthiness. I really wouldn’t want to be in Slytherin because it just doesn’t suit me. I’m ambitious, but by no stretch of the imagination could you ever call me cunning. I doubt there’s any danger of that happening, though; the whole point is to go to the house that suits you, after all and never has a single quiz put me there, not even one of the bad quizzes, and I’m sure Jo’s won’t be bad. I’d be disappointed enought to be in Gryffindor even without the fact that that means not getting to learn more about a House! I’d just hate that.
Yes, I do value those qualities. And while I’d like to think of myself as loyal and trustworthy, I freely admit that I’m not very hardworking. (I am trying to change that; my point is just that that house doesn’t really fit me.)
Also, that’s the other bad thing about Gryffidor, you’re right – not finding out anything new.
I’m totally done with school! My last state test is DONE!
Has every NY Mber taken all the regents yet?
SFTDP, but actually, apparently, Jo said, “So, developing these vast pool of questions that are randomly selected for a user – so you wont get the same questions as your friend necessarily – I thought it was quite important that people didn’t get to second guess what meant Gryffindor, for example.” Although I can’t imagine why anyone would want to be in Gryffindor when they can instead get extra info about a different House.
Also, she’s going to explain why Qidditch isn’t actually illogical like Methods!Harry thought!! Squee!!! I’ve always agreed wth him, so I really want an explanation!
Wait…where are you getting the test thingy?
The questions on the Sorting Quiz I mentioned in post 35? They’re in a video. Just Google Washington Post Pottermore Press Conference, and I’m sure you’ll find it. You only get to see 3 questions, though, not the whole thing, and like I said, you might not get those specific questions.
MISSION POTTERMORE
Review those books! We gotta win in WIN!!!!
We don’t know that it’ll be trivia-related. That would be nice, though, because the million fans who go early would be among the most devoted.
You guys, I have to write a bio thing for the website of the band that I’m playing with now. I was told it had to be factual, but could be fun. This is what I’ve got, tell me what you think?
Fern grew up attending concerts and listening to pretty much any kind of music imaginable since before birth.
One of her early memories is of being dragged up the isle at the theater after a concert throwing a temper tantrum because she wanted to play violin and her parents said she was too young. They finally succumbed when she broke her doll’s violin trying to play it.
A homeschool field trip gone wrong (or right, depending on how you look at it) led into living history, which in turn sparked an interest in historical, celtic and folk music.
She saw her first tall ship at the age of nine and a half, declared to her mother “I want to do that†and started devouring everything she could find relating to ships and the sea, including loads of maritime music. This unhealthy obsession eventually led her to the concertina, and the rest, as they say, is history.
She’s now a student with plans to be a semi-homeless tall ship sailor, musician and history geek when she gets out into “real lifeâ€.
That sounds great!
Did you really get dragged up the isle? That’s funny
That’s excellent!
That biography captures your personality well! I like it.
(incidentally, isn’t a passage between rows of seats spelled “aisle”, instead of “isle”?)
Thank you. You’re entirely correct about aisle/isle, thanks for catching that! I’ve made the proper correction.
CONSTANT VIGILANCE. (I don’t see to have it. I’m glad you do!)
It must be really hard to constantly have the vigilance to correct spelling mistakes if you can’t see them…
*seem
Please excuse me while I hide in shame. >.<
*applause*
I love your style. And the humor.
(Testing my new avatar … sorry … *pays PoPo fine*)
39.1 (KA)~Thanks! Yes, I did get dragged up the isle, kicking and screaming “I WANT TO PLAY VIOLIN!!!!!” It was probably horribly embarrassing for my parents, but it’s the first time I can remember wanting to play violin. I have no idea why I chose violin, of all the instruments out there, but I’m glad I did.
39.2~ (R101) Thank you!
I have three blisters on my hand, one of which has popped and is draining, one of which is huge and will probably pop soon, and the last a tiny little one that looks vaguely wart-like. Blarg.
I went into an instrument shop with my father because he wanted guitar music, and I found a violin and started sniffing it. I like the smell of rosin. Anyway, that’s how I figured out what I wanted to play.
Guess how shadowfire is spending her weekend! She’s flying to California to go to the bat mitzvah of a girl she hasn’t seen in over a year and who definitely wouldn’t miss her. Then she has to go to several other social events involving complete strangers. In California. Blergh.
In other news, the play I’m now doing with Clare and a bunch of other awesome people is going really well. I get to shoot people with a Nerf gun. An automatic Nerf gun! This pleases me, as much as I know it’s a tad hypocritical since I’ve been chastising Clare for being too happy about the guns. Heh, heh…
Oh no, not California! Whatever did you do to deserve that?!
Sorry. Some people spend a year wanting to go to California, some people don’t want to go at all. But hey, look on the bright side. Maybe we’ll run into each other once I get back!
What’s the play?
Well, it’s less that it’s California and more that it’s an obnoxious plane ride for social events in which I want no part.
It’s called Complete Hollywood, by the Reduced Shakespeare Company. It’s essentially a discussion and parody of every Hollywood movie ever made, and it’s very funny.
And some people live in California.
Choklit, I saw a monk on my way to precalc today. I thought about asking him if he knew you, but then I couldn’t remember your real name.
But hey, all monks in the general vicinity of the Bay Area know you personally, right? Of course they do!
39, 41- Oh gosh. I can’t remember when I decided I wanted to play violin, but it certainly wasn’t that dramatic. We had this CD called “Fiddle Tales” when I was about seven, and it had a story on it about a girl who got a magic fiddle. That probably started me off. I wish I’d kept at it when I was seven though because I’d be actually good at it now that I’m seventeen and probably considerably more musical in many ways (though I never did have any sense of rhythm).
WAHHHHHHHHHH I wish I was good at the fiddle. But I don’t like playing it because I don’t like listening to myself even though I’m better than I was and I wish I wasn’t tone-ignorant (not quite deaf) because I’m tired of having to read music every time I play and I want to just be able to hear a tune and know what notes to make instead of being like “ummm…I guess I have to go find the sheet music now…” I feel like sheet music is almost cheating, now that I can read it. It doesn’t really require me to know anything about tunes really. It goes straight from my eyes to my fingers and my ears don’t know if what comes out is wrong or right.
re: starting violin: I was three. I was watching Sesame Street. I saw the Tokyo String Quartet play a Mozart quartet. I told my mom I needed a violin. A year later at Christmas I got one.
Tess: Hey guys! This is Tess and Meow at the Magical Imprompteau Spokane Kokonvention!
Meow: We are soon to be headed downtown for fun and pie!
Tess: I have been informed that there is a carousel, which sounds extremely exciting. Meow says that it is a fantastic carousel with actual gold rings and such, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before, so it sounds cool. Also, I am in Washington State with a real actual MuseBlogger!
Meow: So am I! As far as I can tell, she is a perfectly wonderful human being with no intentions to kill me or stalk me. Funny how these things work!
Tess: Oh no. The bunnies. They’ve found us. Must run. More updates later.
I remember the gold rings on the Spokane carousel!
Tess here. The Kokonvention is unfortunately over by now–it was entirely too short. It was amazing and fun and wonderful and all the other positive adjectives!
My family was driving to Spokane today (we’re flying out tomorrow), and since we only got here in the evening the Kokon didn’t begin until 8 o’clock. Our families met up and we walked to downtown Spokane past a carousel, setup materials for the world’s largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament, some waterfalls in a river, and a sculpture of people running. We took some photos and talked rather a lot about things ranging from our MB to our AP Bio classes to Things Fall Apart. Eventually we made our way to a restaurant and everyone got some pie. I got pumpkin and Meow got lemon meringue. It turns out, by the way, that Meow is also a perfectly wonderful human being and did no stalking or killing either, nor did she summon the bunnies, which appeared by chance and which we fended off with sticks and fish from the river.
I don’t think there’s quite as much to report on as at some Kokons, since mostly what we did was walk and talk, but rest assured that it was fantastically amazing nevertheless! The highlight of my trip.
Oh, and we have determined that there is going to be a MB summer camp and it will be glorious.
Pictures coming soon to a MuseBlog near you!
Hello everybody!
Alice: I thought you might! Can you believe we first met there over three years ago!?
Moving on to today’s Kokon, I don’t have very much to add to Tess’s description. It was very nice to be able to talk to her in person for a few hours about AP Biology and crazy English teachers, yams, all the latest blog gossip, and our incredible plan (wish, hope, etc.) for a Muse summer camp. That last idea came about because it is clear to us that several hours or a day is not nearly enough time to spend with such fun people as MuseBloggers are! My pie was the poofiest pie I’ve ever seen, and apparently my dad looks like Tess’s band teacher. The falls were amazing as well, although so loud that we could hardly talk while walking across the bridge.
We took pictures with our magazines and with our pies, so hopefully some of them came out well and we’ll be able to send them in. I wore the same HPB shirt that I wore to my first Kokon; however, I’ve clearly grown because it fits me much better now.
In conclusion, it was really fun! I can’t wait for an excuse to head east and maybe have a Kokon on her turf someday. (Or, again, Muse summer camp.
It’s gonna happen.)
Several NC (and one NCer to be) MBers and I previously met Tesseract and lived to tell the tale, so we’re thinking she’s the real deal. Or else an extreeeemmmely clever Evil Overlord who actually read the EO manual and took notes….
Having met both Tess and Meow “irl” I can vouch for the impeccable disguises they both have for their Evil Overlord (including stalking, maiming/torturing/murdering and bunny-summoning) ways. They both come off as lovely, charming and intelligent young ladies. CLEVER DISGUISES INDEED. I, however, have also read the manual and employ some of the same tactics (though to varying degrees of success), and, as such, am able to detect their true natures.
(Also w00t about being a NC-er to be! ZOMG SO EXCITE!)
43 (Alice)~ Stay hopeful, my dear twin! I’m sure you’re far better than you think you are. Sheet music isn’t cheating, as long as you play it with feeling. Music is music, and learning songs by ear will come eventually.
I just got a message on voldynet that was most interesting. It was from someone who was looking up their high school classmate, sent her a friend request, and then had VN offer me as another potential friend, seeing as I am friends with the hs classmate, and two of his coworkers that he didn’t know knew each other.
The hs classmate was my aunt, and the two co-workers I know for different reasons, one because I used to work with her, and the other because he’s a fantastic musician and wonderful person who was very kind to a kid who asks questions.
It’s an amazingly small world.
Starting violin: We had some symphony tapes when I was three or four, and I told my parents I wanted to play the violin because it sounded so sad. I began lessons when I was seven. Unfortunately I haven’t been keeping up with it as much as I’d like lately (it’s taken a backseat to oboe), but it was still my first musical instrument love, and I plan on playing when I can for the rest of the forseeable future.
I love buttercup festival
it is like seeing inside me head
“Sleep is an appointment kept by the sane”
Buttercup Festival is the best. I have raved about it numerous times here.
YAY MY MOM IS LETTING ME GO TO THE MIDNIGHT PREMIERE SQUEE!
I wish I could go! I’m sure they wouldn’t mind my staying up late for such a good reason, but they’re not going to join me, and I’ve no-one else to go with. Then again, it will be the day before my birthday, so maybe things will be different…
Yeah, I think my mom only agreed to come with me because it’s two days after my birthday.
I told myself I didn’t really care about Pottermore.
I just submitted my email. Ah, hypocrisy…
Why did you tell yourself you didn’t care about it if you did? I’ve heard of that sort of thing, but I’ve never quite understood how it works…
Grandfather: So tell me, Sophie, what do you want to do when you grow up?
Me: I’d like to be a journalist. The next Molly Ivins.
Grandfather: …Oh.
Later:
Grandfather: You know, there are a lot of people who have more than one profession. Being a doctor is very useful in today’s culture. Like that man, the one on CNN, you know the one…
Me: Sanjay Gupta?
Grandfather: Yes, yes, him. He’s a neurosurgeon, and he still gets to be a reporter. He reports on all these medical things. Maybe you could do something like that.
Me: Well, I’d rather be someone who travels places and writes about what’s happening, and maybe I could write a column.
Grandfather: Well, being in the medical profession is a very good thing for a journalist. Maybe there are a lot of journalists who go to medical school, I don’t know. Maybe that’s what you should do.
He’s awfully subtle…
Ack, grandparents. Mine do the same thing, except about homeschooling. They seem to think that I need to go to public school and get an education. Of course, they are selectively blind to the fact that I’m above my grade level, take classes at the aquarium sometimes, know what I want to do with my life (well, roughly anyway), and write a lot. Which, believe me, is more than their darling little schoolboy grandkids can say for theirselves.
Alice- I can’t do the playing-by-ear thingy either. I wish I could, but I can’t… I’ll be doing jazz improv next year; hopefully that will help.
Starting violin: As passionate as I am about sax and trombone, I originally started out wanting to play the double bass. We had some people from the middle school come to visit the fifth graders when I was in fifth grade, with the instruments and saying “Try band, it’s fun!” And “Try orchestra, it’s fun!” and “We’re using comma splice errors and making AL scream, it’s fun!” So one day some sixth graders came in, saying, “We’re the oldest people here, as opposed to being the youngest in middle school, it’s fun!” and this dude (he actually also played guitar and stuff on the side also) had his bass and he was like “bum bum bum bum wal king bass line bum bum bum bum” and I was all like “OMG IT’S SO COOL I WANT TO PLAY IT AND I WANT TO PLAY IT IN A JAZZ BAND OMG IT’S SO COOL!!!!!!” and I got to play it, too. If by play you mean ‘run the bow over the strings and say “OMG I’M MAKING MUSIC I’M LIKE A CHILD PRODIGY ALREADY AND I’M GOING TO BE A FAMOUS VIOLINIST OMG”‘ and then go home and say “Mom, I don’t want to take art as my elective, I’m going to do orchestra” But then they stopped orchestra at my school because of budget cuts. And I was really really sad. And all of those basses, just begging me to play them… but then my mom said, “okay, I’ll sign you up for band, I think you’ll like the saxophone” and I was like “okay whatever DOUBLE BASS COME BACK I MISS YOU WAAAHHH” and somebody told my mom that you had to play clarinet before you could play sax, even though I do NOT LIKE THAT RULE but our band director didn’t have that rule, it was just somebody going “oh well they did it at this other school…” and she asked the director and he said “oh no you don’t have to start on clarinet” and everyone else thought you did so there were tons of clarinets. None of whom ever switched to sax. Then my band director did NOT retire, he went to go get his masters degree and teach college, and we got a new band director, who is also awesome.
43- I learned music solely from sheet music for the first 8 years I played flute. That’s how classical training works. It is certainly not cheating. It’s just a different style of learning. I couldn’t play by ear, although it of course helps to hear the music once before you play it, even with sheet reading.
This past year, I took a small class on traditional irish music, taught by a friend of mine. They taught ONLY learning by ear, and it was very hard for me to be able to shift. They’d play through the tune, replay the first bit, and we would play it back to them a couple times and move onto the next one. I really struggled with this. I’d have to listen to the recordings and play with them a lot on my own as well as our weekly class. But I did learn. I had to ask for the starting notes a lot in the begining, but as it went it got easier. And ITM tends to follow a sort of pattern within each tune, which helped.
not always how classical training works – I started suzuki
Me too! Not that I got through the first book at all. I started on suzuki violin ages ago and then switched to piano. I always liked violin best, though. Although I have always wanted to learn cello.
My last day of writing camp was today. This is bittersweet, since I get to come home but I have to leave my grandparent’s house and there isn’t any more camp.
I do think I’ve made a friend who wants to be my friend as much as I want to be hers, though. This is a nice feeling, as well as a rare occurance.
When I’m older and have a car, I’m going to take a summer and drive around the country. No plans, not too much luggage, no maps, just me driving around wherever fancy takes me and exploring the world.
Errata – I’d love to do that too! Maybe we’ll serendipitously meet.
I watched the video for Pottermore, and I loved the animation. Also, I’m excited to find out what house I’m ACTUALLY in. I always thought I was a Ravenclaw, but anything except Slytherin will be fine by me!
I’m watching Jeopardy! currently, rooting for Jay, whose cash winnings total 85,000 dollars.
GUYS GUYS GUYS
They just legalized gay marriage in New York!
This is awesome because I want to live in New York when I grow up and now I can actually get married if I fall in love with someone who isn’t biologically male!
Actually, this is just awesome in general!
Congratulations, New Yorkers!
That’s great news!
THIS DESERVES MORE REJOICING
New York is my home state as well as where I am going to college and my boyfriend and I stayed up watching the livestream of the NY State Senate (well, I watched the livestream, he played with random things in my room) and earlier this week I called my state senator, who was one of the undecided people who eventually decided to vote yes and gave an awesome speech about it. And even though I don’t think right now that I will be marrying someone of the same gender as myself (i.e. I have a boyfriend) this is a huge step for equality and human rights and I am happy to live here.
SOME states get it right!
YESYESYESYESYESGODYES.
That took a while. But it was oh so worth it. Thank goodness.
SHERLOCK IS AMAZING.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I’ve already seen them all and it’s STILL amazing!
♥
1. Yay NY!
2. I hate time differences. Back in NC and wishing I could sleep…
Wait, where did you go?
I think I am just going to make myself a button that says “I Overthink Things”
Are you sure a button is the best way to go?” Or maybe a series of buttons? Each in a different script. Each in a progressively erratic script. Carved in polymer clay. With a crackle finish to suggest neural networks (frayed ones). No, wait, not a series — a cluster! Like those little clumps of mushrooms you see sometimes, suggesting the proliferating mayhem of thoughts, ideas, and second-guessings. Maybe embedded with random bits of beads, or threads with beads, better yet, custom-craft some beads to look like neurons…is “things” the word you want there? or maybe “stuff” or “life”? Or better, a string of words crossed out, because you’re overthinking — [(over)think OVERTHINK OVERthink] — right? You know, a t-shirt might be the better choice, more space to work in. More options that way. You don’t want to get locked in with one format….
Eh, never mind. I’m sure someone else has a better idea.
Ooh, can we have something like that in Musery Loves Company so that we don’t each need to make it ourselves? At least, I know I’d want one, and so would Jadestone; we’d have to see about everyone else..?
CHALLENGE. ACCEPTED.
YAY NEW YORK!!!!
People are stupid. REALLLLLLLY stupid.
I thought that maybe New York was one of the last states to legalize gay marriage, but apparently, it’s one of six! SIX. Out of FIFTY. And the West Coast (love it though I do) has apparently banned it. Constitutionally.
Can I just secede already?
SERIOUSLY WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS SIDE OF THE COUNTRY. I AM PARTICULARLY SIDE-EYEING CALIFORNIA BUT OREGON AND WASHINGTON DON’T GET OFF EASY EITHER. (HAWAII AND ALASKA TOO, I AM LOOKING AT YOU)
sorry for caps :/
Washington really, really needs to get its act together. I mean, so does everywhere else but I live here.
California. Of all the states to ban gay marriage, why would it be California?
California’s story with gay marriage is kind of a mess, really. If I have this straight, first a bunch of couples were granted certificates, which then got nullified. Then they legalized gay marriage and a bunch of people got married. Then, Proposition 8 came and rained on that parade. Then our pal Judge Walker called that ridiculous and it’s still in the air about where that call will officially land.
So California has had something of a colorful history there, which makes sense given their nature and reputation, I think. The fact that California has fought with all of these things says a lot about it compared to the story that goes to the ban in other states (not to mention countries).
i feel like part of the problem (or more like the reason for the back and forth) is that california is so huge with so many polarized areas. even though we come out as a blue state there are many strongly conservative areas and it’s all just kind of muddled. i mean the obvious solution to this problem is for everyone to stop being a jerk and get over it, but you know.
At one point Gavin Newsom “legalized” gay marriage in San Fransisco. Only mayors can’t do that, apparently, so a bunch of people got married. And then they were told they actually weren’t. Which is one of the saddest things I can imagine.
There’s a 2012 proposition, I believe, to legalize gay marriage again. I don’t anticipate much of a change. Californians are very stubborn.
I think it’s more accurate to say that Californians are very diverse. The coast and the Central Valley are poles apart culturally. It’s similar to the north-south split in my state, Virginia.
Ugh, I grew up in a part of California that is very well-minded about this topic. I believe I told fireandhemlock some stories… Anyway, my relatives, friends, classmates, and self were all horrified when Prop 8 passed. We thought it was so stupid, we couldn’t understand how it had gotten enough votes to pass. I guess I know now.
Three cheers for the Bay Area! Actually, I don’t go to the Central Valley much at all, except to visit my relatives in Sacramento, so I can’t say I’ve met anyone there. How would you go about persuading a bunch of people that people should be allowed to do something they feel is morally wrong?
OKAY I have reviewed what actually happened in Maine…and 53% voted against it. C’mon. 3%??!!!!
MAINE PLEASE
I’m packing because my family is going to the beach tomorrow.
I tried to fit my Crochet Chain Of Doom into my gym bag. It almost didn’t fit!
I just made a C++ program. A fairly innocent thing, just an equation solver for an assignment.
And then my security system decided it constituted a security risk, labeled it high risk for suspicious behavior, and quarantined it
Fortunately, it didn’t delete the source code, just the application, so I was able to easily remake it.
i’d call that an all around success, then!
OMG ME TOO!
/outburst
It’s a game, and it’s a bit like Pokemon.
GO NEW YORK. See, California? New York isn’t afraid…
YEAH REALLY *nudges Maine*
YEAH! *gives MA a cookie*
* prods Massachusetts to pass An Act Relative to Transgender Equal Rights *
Is that really what it’s called?
I think so.
C’mon, Oregon! *prods*
I think the whole country needs prodding. *prods with a stick*
*prods Earth*
*prods the multverse* I don’t know if all of it even needs help in this area–maybe it’s only a this-version-of-Earth problem–but I’m sure everything needs help with something.
There are probably many versions where it’s better and many versions where its worse.
Prods Minnesota
And now New York Magazine can stop writing about being worried the Midwest would do it first.
Well, MB, I’m off to summer camp for five days this sunday, so I won’t be here. See yah guys!
Bye! Tomorrow morning I’m off for 4 weeks!
Bye! Have fun!
Theater has eaten my life. Tech week starts on Wednesday, wheeeeeeeeee…. eh. I… think I know my blocking. Like ninety-eight percent of it, minus the occasional random entrance totally off-cue. >.< And hopefully I will not knock Autolycus the Younger or Paulina over in our opening dance again, as I did today.
And I do hope that our Third Lady shows up again sometime before opening night… she and the Third Lord just completely disappeared a couple weeks ago. Mamillius, who is obsessed with Susan Smith about to the level that First Lord the Younger is obsessed with satyrs, insists that she drove them both into a lake. He also insists that Autolycus the Younger is Susan Smith. (I forget how that happened…) But the Third Lord actually showed up today for about fifteen minutes, so Mamillius is half wrong, anyway.
The Uniformed Dude still insists in repeating the M-word backstage just to annoy Perdita and Emilia/Dorcas. He seems to be running out of clown noses, though. Polixenes brought really, really good brownies with caramel frosting and drizzled chocolate and pecans and the whole shebang today, and I ate wayyyy too many of them. I swear like half of our cast has connections to baked goods stores. The Old Shepherd practices his part in different voices every time we run lines together — my favorites so far are the 'heroic' and the 'Swedish'. Definitely the 'Swedish'. Oh, and the 'pirate'. That was rather epic.
….Yeah, our theater company is really, really weird.
Anddddd I should be getting some sleep now. ‘Night, everyone…
Question a friend asked me, anyone know the answer? She was an extra for The Hunger Games movie and kept wondering about this.
“you know what i am curious about
you know how on movie sets they always have the boom
always recording
and then they have like the director being like OK, DO THIS NOW
so like
do they use sound from that?
and just cut out the directions?
for a lot of stuff i think
like even during scenes that have no dialogue
right, i know this, which is why i wonder why they record it?
like if there’s no dialogue in a scene
like when the characters are exchaning silent glances, for example
and gary ross is like “ok, look now, jen”
they still have the booms
haha sorry this is somethin that’s always troubled me”
Anyone know?
Oh current theory is normal “white noise sounds.” But… that seems kind of a weak theory.
I’ve always wondered this, too. One theory I have is that the reason they put the mike so close is because it’s very short-range, so it wouldn’t be able to pick up the stuff from more than a few feet away. There could also be a magical way to take out the extraneous sounds in editing while keeping the desired ones. If I ever learn an official answer, I will let you know.
I don’t know much about the specifics, but just as a general statement, boom mikes are directional, i.e., they have to be aimed properly, and it’s also important to keep sound levels consistent throughout a scene. If you move the mic too far away, the sound becomes distorted and more inconsistent as you’re going to pick up too much of the other noise in the area. Most people don’t realize how much noise we’re surrounded by. Sound also varies according to the size of the space, the amount of stuff in it, the shape of that stuff and the materials it’s made from. More of those variables come into play as the distance increases between the mic and the target sound.
Maybe they don’t want to have to move them all the time.
I sent your question to a friend who’s an expert sound technician. He’s busy on a shoot today but said he will try to send me an answer this evening if he gets a chance.
[Update: his answer is posted below.]
Thanks! And that’s interesting, I guess I knew they were directional but i never really thought about how much you’d have to control the distance of the mics. I knew picking up sound isn’t ever easy, but it seems harder than I thought. Cool!
Think about all you have to do to distill that perfect photographic image from all the surrounding visual “noise” and then print it cleanly and with colors that are true. The requirements of professional sound recording are similar in many respects.
Yeah, I guess getting the sound is as hard as getting focus and lens adjustments right. Maybe harder because you can at least see through the camera lens as you’re working on it.
Last night, I dreamed that Luna Lovegood had an evil younger sister who could control ghosts. One of them possessed Ginny. Again. Can Harry Potter ghosts even do that?
Last night, my dog barfed twice, and I had to sleep on the floor with him all night. I only got about three hours of sleep, he kept making weird gagging, puking noises and stepping on my face.
Sorry. That sounds awful.
AGH, the Pride Parade was amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen quite so many drag queens in such a short span of time… or been handed quite so many condoms. Nice job, Planned Parenthood.
As well as the condoms, I was handed an equality sticker, a political advertising sticker, Google’s gay alien sticker, a GSA Power! pin, about twelve Jolly Ranchers, and a rainbow flag. I also saw a girl I hadnt seen since arts camp, which was awesome, since she was one of the most badass people I knew.
I also got to color my friend’s face rainbow and write inspirational quotes from Les Miserables all over both of our arms. And we wore sparkly scarves, so that if we encountered any homophobes we could be Sassy Gay Friend at them. And I dressed in red, purple and blue, which are bi pride colors, though apparently no one knows that but me. XP
And I got sunburned all over my face and chest, and a really little kid handed me a lollipop. And I was hugged really tightly by a complete stranger who smelled very strongly of marijuana, which is pretty much a daily occurrence whenever I’m in San Francisco.
But. It was perfect, and amazing, and almost as good as the Giants World Series win celebratory tickertape parade, and brilliant. And yeah.
Well, I went to the Taylor Swift concert in Foxborough, and now I can officially say that I have danced in a storm in my best dress. Fearlessly.
I GRADUATED.
I’m done with High School. I’m leaving this school district where I’ve been since first grade.
It feels so weird. I probably won’t be back in my neighborhood for a while after I start at BU in the fall. I’m only back here right now until I catch my flight back to DC tomorrow.
The day after tomorrow I’m flying to CA, and I won’t post much for about four weeks afterward. Just a bit of a heads-up.
See ya!
Have a good trip!
*fidget* Where in CA? North or south?
North. San Jose area, but with a few trips to San Fransico, Monteray, and/or Oakland if I have the time.
Well, dang. I might’ve run into you.
Did you just leave CA?
Yep. I would’ve had a lot more fun if I had run into you.
Ooh! Ooh! That’s me! Silicon Valley! I was at the airport today! Maybe we saw each other!
You should go to San Francisco/Oakland… *nods encouragingly*
Bad News: I have chigger bites. They itch. Terribly.
Good News: I went to the library after what feels like WEEKS of deprivation! (I had a $27.30 fine and I had to earn the money to pay it before I could get any more books.) And I was too close to closing time to pay my fine today, but they let me check out some books anyway. Volunteering at the library has its advantages.
Neutral News: We (my parents and I) went to South Carolina on an expedition (hence the chigger bites). And apparently we’re going to Florida at some point this summer. And possibly Tennessee.
Where in TN?
MUSELOVER!
IS!
HOOOOME!!!!!!
TELL US ALL THE THINGS
HOW WERE YOUR ADVENTURES
All right…where do you want to hear about first?
Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
wherever you liked best! i don’t even remember all the places you went to so i’m just gonna say that
I’m so glad you’re in one piece! TELL US EVERYTHING!
i’m gonna go make one of those mug microwave cakes. i will tell you all the results. *battle helmet*
you would not believe the thin line between “kind of undercooked” and “BROWN MEANS BURNED” ;_____;
Awww. Maybe this requires experimentation. Alton brown tested some college kid’s microwave brownies once and they were actually not bad.
i think it’s the recipe, because penty posted a chocolate mug cake recipe a looooong time ago and that worked fine. praise alton brown’s light, i am sure he has a solution to this.
I used to get Cricket, and it had a recipe for it in one issue that actually worked! I’ll post it later.
I made one of those once, but I used chocolate chips instead of cocoa powder because we didn’t have any. Er, didn’t work so well.
So last Friday I watched the second episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender with a group of my classmates. I liked it, so in the evening I watched the first and second episodes in full. Now I’m up to the ninth. And I’ve already read some fanfiction. And tried to decide whether Kyoshi or Haru is hotter. I guess I have a fangirlish personality.
Avatar: the Last Airbender attracts more fangirls more quickly than dung attracts flies. It isn’t something to worry about, that show could turn nearly any girl into a fangirl.
I’ve been watching it lately as well, and I’m up to the fifteenth so far. It’s really quite good.
I haven’t been turned into a fangirl yet, though I admit to squeezing at some particularly awesome scenes.
*Squeeing. Dratted spellchecker.
Yay, I’m not the only one who just started watching the show. I’m going kind of slowly though, because I only watch it when my brother isn’t around to give me cake about watching a “kid’s show”.
Without a doubt, best Nickelodeon show EVER.
AVATAR: TLA!!! ♥ ♥ ♥
(It’s Haru, by the way. )
So I’m watching Youtube on the TV and I find this Hetalia cosplay skit with “You’re a Little Bit Racist.” But the Belarus who’s singing one of tthe lead parts is a bit of a falsetto, so my mother asks me if I’m watching Sesame Street.
That’s my news. It’s been very dull around here.
I went to the beach and chased fish. That is all.
Oh, that sounds nice.
Hey, that reminds me… I haven’t been to the beach yet.
This is distressing. I live in walking distance. WHAT HAS THIS WORLD COME TO?
Fixed my problem, my friends and I are going to the beach tomorrow. Yayayayayay.
Yay beaches! *high five*
I’m home! Again! Michigan was awesome, and I really wish we’d spent more time there. I miss my cousins. But I’m home! And THE POLICE FOUND OUR ACCORD! YESYESYESYESYES!
Michigan is indeed awesome. But not as awesome as the people who live here…
That I shall happily second.
Oh help oh help oh help
My summer job starts tomorrow. I’m a lifeguard this summer, which is great and all. The only thing is, I got my certification on Friday after having taken a Crash Course the entire last week. All I did for a week was learn and practice at a pool all day, and then come home and take notes out of the book and study more. So hopefully I know all of this. But I am terrified out of my wits to go to work tomorrow. I just have this fear of not doing something right or missing a sign that someone is in distress or drowning. Plus one of the head lifeguards told me that in her opinion, the course I took isn’t very good, that you don’t necessarily learn the skills re well. She did say that they took me anyway because I’ve worked for the camp previously as a counselor for four years so they know I’m responsible and whatnot. I suppose that is some comfort, but I’m still insanely anxious…
You’ll do fine. If you hear a lot of gasping, look up (I was a lifeguard for the kiddy pool last Spring. It went fine until a bunch of toddlers fled their Water Babies class).
You have such an interesting life.
Also, while I’m here, it’s so strange to see you posting at the same time as everyone else.
I miss being in your time zone!
I miss you being in my time zone!
Woo! Went to the National Zoo!
How can it be that that post in not yet pink? The National Zoo is AWESOME.
Done.
It is indeed awesome. I used to walk up there and watch the otters when my mind needed some restoration.
I spent the day in NYC with my boyfriend the other day, it was really nice. We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was sort of his going away party; he’s working at a camp now.
Also, I ate sauteed weeds for dinner. Yes. Sauteed weeds. Lambsquarters and pigweed and quickweed and lady’s thumb and violet leaves. Delicious, man. Try it some time.
I went walking in a big open field by my house that once had a building there; now it doesn’t but it’s mowed by the town and it has paths and stuff. S’cool. I found some wild strawberries by the graveyard. And I found a stone that had been propped up by the path that said SMILE, with a yellow smiley face. And there was another one that said DREAM. The paint had run a little but it was still incredibly cool; it’s such a nice thing to do. Putting happy thoughts in random public places…
After that, I walked over to the only restaurant in town and joined my mom and dad. We were seated at a picnic table with several other random people, since the picnic tables are mutual seating.
We knew everybody we sat with.
The Illumiminati strike again!
81 (Kittymine)~ I’m certain you’ll do well. The fact that they hired you means they’re confident that you’re going to be able to do what’s needed in any situation. I’ve never taken lifeguard training or anything, but I know sometimes when I’m nervous I’m alert but I don’t really see what’s going on…make sure that you’re really taking things in so then you can pick up on stuff, and if you’re uncomfortable tell whoever you’re working with and ask them if they have any tips. I’m sure you’re going to do swimmingly, if you’ll pardon the pun.
I played with noise and microphones today. I’m apparently now “the queen of the microphones” because I need at least three of them. two for the concertina (one on each end), one of which can be pulled up for singing, and another tiny one that we clipped under the tailpiece of my violin for when I’m playing that critter. The only challenge will be if I play concertina and sing at the same time, but when I do that the concertina will be a supporting role, so I should be able to take the second concertina mic, put it right over the bellows to catch most of the sound coming from both ends, and then use the second concertina/singing mic to sing into, and we should be good.
At any rate, I’m monopolizing an entire soundboard with my toys.
81.1 and 85: Thank you for the support guys. As it turned out, I’m having a great time as a lifeguard and the other lifeguards are wonderful and have lots of advice to offer, particularly when it comes to teaching the kids to swim. We all sit down together and share ideas.
– Giant spider on wall above bed
– 3:30 am, can’t catch it and bring it outside or parents will know I am awake
– look away
– spider is gone
– AN UNEASY TRUCE
Sleep well, little squid.
Spiders don’t want to eat you
and eat things that do.
“SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK” etc.
Nonsense. Sleep is for the wise.
A rift appears in the fabric of the Great Woven Beyond. Can MuseBlog withstand such a fundamental division of belief?
I believe that sleep is for certain animals, including all humans–weak and wise. I don’t know about giant space squids, but they’re certainly not weak…
Seconded.
Oh I agree, I am quite fond of spiders. But I was worried it’d fall/climb into my bed and I’d squish it in my sleep (I move around randomly a lot). And I am not as fond of spider mush. Still no idea where it’s gone though, and since it was rather large for a dotted wolf spider that is surprising.
Although I AM actually considering figuring out where it’s day hiding place is and giving it a name. Our house is plagued by ants every year and I wouldn’t mind a guardian for my room. I could name her Shelob.
My best friend’s father brought a spider home from work once and named it Bitey.
Why can’t your parents know you’re awake?
Because they think I go to sleep by like 1:30 or something ridiculous. But if they found out they might start turning off the internet at night or something D:
My solution to this is usually to sleep in the living room. Unless there’s a spider there too, in which case the hallway is usually a good choice.
Either you’re loopy from sleep deprivation, really daring, or American spiders are mostly harmless.
I think they are. (On the other hand, I seem to have grown up with none of the usual creepy-crawly phobias, so maybe I just had an oblivious upbringing.)
Seconded. I’m pretty sure the only poisonous spiders where I live are black widowss and brown recluses. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a brown recluse, and I’ve only seen a wild black widow once, and that was in the forest, so I don’t worry. But I’ve always loves bugs. When I was little, I had a hair clip with a spiral on the side, and I always assumed it was a snail. Snails were cute, so I liked that. I didn’t realize other people wouldn’t.
Snails are ADORABLE. Google baby snails and like the 5th result makes me squee every time (the one with the little snail that looks like it’s kissing the big one).
I like spiders and it’s a type I know is not venomous to humans. We’ve never had a brown recluse encounter in my house/yard although there are probable some in the woods somewhere. There’s a couple other that can be dangerous but aren’t that likely to be indoors, and I’ve NEVER seen/heard of a black widow variant around our area, although technically they can/used to live in this sort of environment.
But I like insects in general and on principle don’t kill them, so I either put them outside or let them fend against the rest of my family.
As it is, I haven’t seen him since, though I was at a sleepover last night so not in my own room.
In the past I’ve also gone to move bugs from the wall next to my bed to outside/at least the floor, but when I opened my hand up it wasn’t there and I’d accidentally dropped it on my bed. But I couldn’t find it so I just went to sleep.
I am currently near the DC area visiting the set of grandparents in the US. Still not sure why I agreed to drive down with just my dad. Will probably not be able to Kokon or anything cool like that. Uhhh….I have a bunch of stuff to do before I go off to college. And I spend a lot of time talking about that with myself. And the wall. And the post on Jordan I really need to write, God I am such I horrible procrastinator.
How bout this? If anyone wants to know what I did during my gap year, just ask and I’ll answer, since I can’t seem to write it by myself.
What did you do during your gap year?
WHAT DID YOU DO ON YOUR GAP YEAR
What did you do during your gap year?
You did realize everyone would want to know, right? (This post is to avoid miles and miles of “WHAT DID YOU DO IN YOUR GAP YEAR” comments.)
OMG I’M SCREAMING
THE NEXT BOOK IN A SERIES I AM OVERLY INVESTED IN GOT LEAKED EARLY
I TRUST NO ONE
SPOILERS AROUND EVERY CORNER
AGEHJKNNJKVSRN
HALP
WAIT
IS THIS REFERRING TO WHAT I THINK IT IS
BRB SHUTTING DOWN INTERNETS FOREVER, CAN NOT READ ANYTHING ONLINE EVER AGAIN
YES IT IS AMAZON GERMANY TROLLED US ALL AND SHIPPED EARLY SO NOW GSEJKDHBN
CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!!
at least i won’t be spoiled here! i spoiled all four of the other books for myself i will not ruin this one fadksjhgsjk ;___; i’m not even done with the third book yet omgmgsfnjf *CLINGS TO YOU*
I HAVE NOT EVEN STARTED THE THIRD
IT IS STILL OUT AT THE LIBRARY AND IT IS A PROBLEM
I was going to try to google my way to an online pdf but with new spoilers out THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS *HUGS*
What is this referring to?
A GAME OF THROOOOONES NEW BOOK: A DANCE WITH DRAGONS
Calm down, guys! We’re only two weeks from the American release anyway! Just… avoid discussion forums, OK? *prays*
To quote GRRM himself on the subject:
“I am not happy about this. My publishers are furious. If we find out who is responsible, we will mount his head on a spike.”
And supposedly there are a lot of false spoilers circulating as well, adding to the general panic and confusion.
Further update: People in Japan are receiving their pre-ordered copies too, and apparently the book’s reached shelves in a lot of Northern German bookstores.
I’m going to be away from the Internets for a week starting Sunday, which means I should be able to avoid temptation. And when I get back, the American release will be only two days away.
GEORGE IS GONNA BE SO MAD
I WOULD BE MAD TOO
INSTEAD I’M STICKING MY HEAD IN THE SAND LIKE AN OSTRICH
“Crown for Cart King!”
88.4- BAHAHAA HE IS THE BEST. EVEN THOUGH HE TOOK HIS SWEET [ahem] TIME ABOUT ADWD.
88.4.1- WHAT IS THIS MADNEEEEESS
BUT YEAH SRSLY I AM AFRAID TO GOOGLE ANYTHING. FINALLY GOT MY GRUBBY HANDS ON A COPY OF A STORM OF SWORDS AND STARTED IT AT LIKE 1:30PM… AM NOW OVER 400 PAGES IN NOTHING CAN STOP ME NOW
I should have started watching FMA a long time ago.
What’s that?
Fullmetal Alchemist. It’s a totally epic anime.
Don’t feel bad, I know it’s FullMetal Alchemist, but when I see the abbreviation online, I always thing “Force Mass Acceleration”.
Er, think.
Yes, you should have. For that matter, I should have too. *highfive*
This is in response to the question asked earlier about why boom microphones on a movie set keep recording even when there’s no dialogue happening. (Jadestone’s guess was starting down the right track, by the way.) I sent the question to John Santa, a very Muserly soul, who is a producer, sound man extraordinaire, and an accidental bluegrass musician, and he really does talk exactly like this:
This is such a great question!
Thanks for asking and I hope you’ll stick with me cause the answer is a LITTLE on the long side, but worth it I think!
Here goes:
When we go to the movies we sit in a room and a series of pictures goes by our eyes VERY VERY quickly. We are sitting in a movie theater (or our living rooms) and these rapidly moving pictures flash by us and because it is SO fast our brains see those quickly moving single images as one continuous flow, the same way we see movement in our real lives. But we also RELATE to what we see and laugh and cry, even though we KNOW we are only watching a series of quickly moving images. This phenomenon is called “willful suspension of disbelief,” and it is the process by which we LET ourselves be caught up in the moment of the lie we call film making. We KNOW those actors aren’t really married, and yet we cry when they split up.
Now I know that doesn’t seem like part of your question, but it is, and here’s why:
That audio recorded on the set is called “guide audio” and it’s recorded because later the film makers will replace the guide audio with the actors’ voices in a process called “looping” or ADR (additional dialogue recording), and without the GUIDE audio they wouldn’t know WHAT the actors were saying and (to some extent more importantly) HOW they said it! The reason they replace the audio later is the director and actors have more control over the QUALITY of the audio in post production (in the studio) than they do on set (in the field/production).
And the reason they record audio even when no one is talking is even a little more fascinating. The room you are sitting in, and the world you are living in, has a background or ambient sound called “room tone” in the movie biz. If you listen to where you are right now and pay attention to it, you might hear a TV in the background or the air conditioner or a bus going by or kids playing in the park across the street. Because this is not at the forefront of our consciousness, we don’t pay any attention to it at all in our lives, but when the editors cut the movie together if that background sound is suddenly GONE, and there is nothing there (literally NOTHING as in NO SOUND AT ALL) the effect is so jarring and unnatural it shocks the viewer OUT of their willful suspension of disbelief! So the audio department’s job as part of the film making team is to help create this total experience that allows the audience (YOU!) to easily believe what they see (and hear–even if they are not aware of it!!!) is REAL.
And THAT is why you laugh and cry!!
Hope this answers your question!
That’s fabulous! Thanks for the response, I’ll be sure to pass it along to my friend as well
John is a hoot. Why isn’t he on MB?
But WAIT, there’s MORE!!! (Oh, dear, I’m beginning to sound like him. See, this is what sleep-deprived conversations will do to you.) Here’s John’s reply to the reply to the reply or wherever we are on this. (I hereby confess that on the previous occasion I tidied up his capitalization, but this time he’s on his own.)
thanks for turning me pink!!!
i am DEEPLY honored!!
i also had intended to say in my answer i thought the original question displayed a pretty high level of observational powers, almost on the Sherlock Holmes level so please know i found that VERY impressive and quite sophisticated!
(i mean it’s one thing to SEE it, but whole ‘nother ball game to NOTICE it, you know???) so to the original poster: nice work Detective Holmes!
So…
i wanted to throw something out there you may or may not know (and forgive me if you do) but it occurred to me reading your responses you MIGHT just be unaware that
(wait for it….)
audio in FILM, unlike VIDEO, is NOT recorded onto the actual film strip, it is recorded to a separate machine!
in years past the industry standard machine for that recording was called a Nagra (pronounced nog-rah) made by a Swedish company and the audio it recorded was married to the film later in post production. if you have ever seen any of those old boring science or social studies movies in class where at the beginning there is a count down in black and white–
5 4 3 *BEEP* 1
with the beep –actually more of a BOOP sound to be honest–on the two second mark, well that was they way they used to synchronize the audio to the film stock.
now days we record with digital devices but the concept is the same: they STILL don’t record sound directly on the film stock the way audio is embedded/recorded in video tape.
it is married (conformed) to the film later, sometimes using the two beep sync method i described above or using SMPTE Time code, which is an industry standard by which each individual frame of a film is electronically assigned it’s own unique number.
SMPTE
(pronounced smpte)
(ok that was a joke)
stands for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and if you’ve seen that cool looking white clapper board/slate thingy that has a red digital number read out running on it REAL REAL FAST at the beginning of a music video, THAT is the SMPTE TC (time code) numbers being visually displayed to (c’mon now say it with me:)
SYNC THE AUDIO TO THE FILM!!!!
ah…y’all are just SO smart….
Thanks again!
I knew sound was recorded separately, but nothing about how it was done or what was used (except, y’know, mics). The thing about the countdowns is especially interesting! I never really considered why they were there, except to get people to pay attention on time. Never would have guessed it was a sound cue!
I took my band final today. My band director has a pretty out-there sense of humor, so I think I’ll include some questions here.
Fill in the blank
23. Millie was feeling hungry and a bit bored, so she decided to kick out some phat beats for excitement, but when she discovered how hard the ___ was, she destroyed it and went to her local supermarket to buy some Doritos. ( Answer: Drum set )
24. Viola played viola for four years in her high school orchestra. Later in life, she formed a ___ with a few of her elderly (and sickly) friends in the nursing home. ( Answer: Chamber group )
33. *picture of conductor*
What is the role of the figure shown?
A. Violinist
B. Conductor
C. Fencer
D. Pirate
( The sad thing is, someone did choose “pirate” )
And my favorite:
26. Brian loved brass instruments. He played the trumpet, but decided he liked the French horn. He didn’t have enough money to buy a French horn, so he settled on playing a dirty old beat-up trombone he found in the trash. After a freak slide accident cut his trombone career short, he stole a tuba from a music store and was arrested for grand larceny. Which brass instrument of the orchestra did he never get a chance to play?
A. Flute
B. Saxophone
C. Euphonium
( Answer: C. I wrote “French horn” below the question, though )
Great, right?
Honestly for questions where I think one answer is absolutely hilarious (like the pirate one), if I know I’ve gotten pretty much all the other’s right I’ll put down the ridiculous answer for one question just for the sake of it.
Those questions are hilarious though, our math teacher in BC calc threw in a lot of stuff like that
I answer questions incorrectly sometimes, like in language arts a few years ago when I knew that the teacher claimed the mood of a certain passage was “funny” when really it made me want to cry. Also in science when my teacher didn’t bother checking anything in the textbook. I put the correct answer instead of the one that was actually correct.
I would have circled Conductor and written in Pirate after it. (Like a Conductor Pirate!)
87 (FantasyFan) – I would love to hear about your gap year. Please tell as about it in impossible detail.
90 – That is fascinating and it makes a lot of sense. I had no idea that *all* dialogue was replaced with ADR; I thought that was only the lines that had problems, or where there was extra external noise that they didn’t want.
That’s what I thought as well, which is why I was confused. I guess that idea came from knowing that tv shows generally (as far as I know, which is to say, doctor who and a few others) record audio at the same time as video (and redub over some of it, but not all). Interesting that it’s everything for movies. Even more work than the impossible amount I thought!
Hi, MuseBlog! I went to the beach, went to the aquarium, knitted a hat!!!, learned about the Portugese man-o-wars that might wash up on the coast, built three invincible sandcastles (or at least they were until the tide came in), had a weird dream about Paperclip, caught sand crabs, released sand crabs, was not stung by purple jellyfish, saw fins in water, decided they were dolphins, hummed the Jaws theme anyway, rode the boogie board because I don’t live close enough to take surfing lessons, listened to my sister talk in her sleep, built another sandcastle complete with underground tunnels, packed up, and left! I meant to post a while ago, but there was this beautiful storm outside with lightning and thunder. It was like the sky was cracking open.
Before I left for the beach, I meant to post something saying, “I’M KNITTING IN THE ROUND!!!!!” , but I never got the chance. Alas. But I finished my hat, and it’s going to a kid in an orphanage somewhere! Hopefully their head is big enough.
88- I know how you feel. My mom staggered my entry into the HP series (one book per summer so I would mature with it and not read it all in one gulp) so in third grade I once spent an entire recess running around with my hands over my ears yelling so I wouldn’t hear a bunch of boys trying to tell me what happened. The same thing happened in sixth grade, at a robotics session. I hid in the girl’s bathroom for about an hour. My youngest sister, who is five, knows just about everything from books one to four from prolonged exposure to the rest of us. She even knows what happens at the end of book six. *snifflesob* I keep telling her that it doesn’t really happen, and I keep telling the rest of the family that this is not good!!!!!!!!!!!! but of course they don’t listen. Oh, did I mention that my dad randomly spouts nonsense from HP movie trailers? Before #6 came out, it was all “Voldemort has a mission for Malfoy” and now he’s convinced that Harry and Voldemort jump off a cliff together” because he saw it in the trailer.
91- Those are hilarious!!! I once saw a clipart picture of a saxophone labeled under “brass instruments”. I screamed and smashed the keyboard for a long while.
Kittymine- The way they told it in my Red Cross babysitting class, there was going to be an accident every five minutes, all the kids have food allergies, and you need to set up your own personal business with business cards and a logo and a webpage and there are toxic chemicals lying around everywhere and the kids will eat anything and they will choke on their Cheerios and even in the unlikely event that none of that happens, you will end up with a kid who misbehaves and won’t do what you say, no matter what. I’m sure you’ll be fine as a lifeguard. At my pool, I can’t remember any instance when someone was in danger of drowning/drowned. I’m sure you’ll be fine and even if something does happen, you’ll do fine and there will be other lifeguards to back you up. I hope. Hope this helps!
I’m experimenting with new gravatars. Are these nice squiggles, or do you like the rutabaga better?
These are nice squiggles, but I think I like the rutabaga better. I’m not sure, though. I really like both. Hm…
Yes, I like the rutabaga.
AL–The squiggly lines are cool. It kind of reminds me of an abstract sort of piece of artwork. I see a random kid with spiky hair, grinning.(And I thought you were a rutabaga the whole time and didn’t even know it was a rutabaga! *sob*)
One thought: Quarries are warm. Especially compared to the ocean. So it doesn’t matter that I illegally trespassed when there was a gate with a lock on it, right?
Yes, that does matter.
Well, it didn’t used to have a gate….
I don’t think that’s relevant…
Regarding the Kennedy Space Center/Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts mix-up on the last thread, it showed up in Overheard in DC, so apparently it is pretty common.
2012 Science Olympiad events were released, and ornithology is not on the events list. Ornithology is not on the events list. lasdjhl. I spent so long studying birds last year… For nothing. Anyway, the list, for anyone interested, is as follows:
Anatomy & Physiology (Respiratory, Excretory, Digestive)
Astronomy
Chem Lab
Disease Detectives (Food Borne Illness)
Dynamic Planet (Earth’s Fresh Water)
Experimental Design
Fermi Questions
Forensics
Forestry
Gravity Vehicle
Helicopters
Keep the Heat
Microbe Mission
Optics
Protein Modeling
Remote Sensing (Human Impact)
Robot Arm
Rocks and Minerals
Sounds of Music
Technical Problem Solving
Towers
Water Quality
Write It Do It
Not bad events. Forestry and Fermi Questions sound fun.
Robot Arm… we never had that when I was doing it.
It’s a new event. I think it’s replacing sumobots, which is good, I guess, because we always end up getting our butts kicked in sumobots.
Today I watched Fullmetal Alchemist, Die Hard, and Raiders of the Lost Ark back-to-back. All for the first time. BEST DAY EVER
You… you’ve never watched Raiders? Muselover, you have led a deprived childhood.
And the soundtrack! Ohhhhhhh
Actually, I’m kinda glad I waited this long. That exploding head still gets to me…
And Agent Lightning, I owned the soundtrack many years before I watched the movie. John Williams is a GENIUS.
When we watched the movie, my mom covered my sister’s eyes for that part. She still resents it, but I envy her.
This is what everyone tells me when they learn I’ve never seen more than a few bits and pieces of any Indiana Jones movie.
Well, I’m finally giving in to the peer pressure of the Internet and reading Homestuck…
There are, in my experience, two types of Homestuck fans.
Type 1: The ones who struggle valiantly through the mess of stable time loops and plot contrivances until Act 5, when they run up against the interminable, seemingly pointless and confusing Troll Arc. They promptly go “what the cake” and cease reading, to move on with their lives as normal people.
Type 2: The ones who manage to get through the Troll Arc through sheer masochistic determination. They emerge from the other side changed. The mere mention of the number 413 makes them twitch, and they read horoscopes for amusement. They concoct elaborate cosmological theories to account for the events of every update, which are promptly torn to shreds by the next update. They write raps from the point of view of Andrew Hussie, whom they refer to as “AH” (or occasionally “HUUUUSSSSSSIIIIIIEEEE!!!!!”) and expect everyone to know what they mean.
…I’ll give you one guess as to which category I now belong to.
Yay, I got knitting patterns from the library, and i’m knitting another hat for my sister!
Speaking of sisters… has anyone ever heard of a children’s series called Geronimo Stilton? Or listened to the audiobooks? If you have not, I envy you. My sisters are convinced that it is the best contribution to literature since Harry Potter. I am not.
Re: gravatars: I have a lot more squiggles I’ve done on Paint. I’ll look through them and see if there’s any else that might look nice, or maybe integrate Paint squiggles with the rutabaga photo. Hmm…
They’re even worse as books. They make some of the words BIG and talk in an EXCITED way. (Picture yellow dots around ‘excited.’) SQUEAK I want some (yellow) CHEESE!
The early ones are better than the newer ones. Some of the early ones had very clever storylines.
Now I feel like one of those grumpy old “Everything has gone downhill” people.
I do not think most things have gone downhill since I was younger, but I do think that the following things have:
– Geronomio Stilton
– The “Real Kids, Real Places” mystery series
– “National Geographic Kids” (nee “World”) Magazine
– The (Living) Seas pavillion at EPCOT. (I also think the park was cooler as “EPCOT Center” than as “Epcot”, but that was before I was even born, so it’s different.)
– The History Channel
– SOME, but only SOME of the programming on the National Geographic Channel
I have heard of it, and in my long experience with children’s books and TV shows I can safely say that it is certainly not the most annoying piece of children’s – dare I call it literature – out there.
Aw god, Geronimo Stilton…*dies*
Oh dear god… there are Geronimo Stilton audiobooks? You poor, poor rutabaga.
I’m back from a three-day tour of fabulous Nebraska and South Dakota! Yeah, it was somewhat dull. My dad thought it would be interesting to go around to some of the various dams which are trying to deal with the flooding. Lot of water. The Oahe Dam, the largest in the series of dams along the Missouri River, is having to open their release gates for the third time in the dam’s history, releasing 160,000 cubic feet of water per second. Mostly, though, we drove down two-lane highways and looked at cows. Last night we stayed in Brewster, Nebraska, wherein I met all 13 current full-time residents (9 adults, 4 children). That was relaxing, and it got nice and dark at night.
It’s a truly wonderful situation to be in where half the cast can show up to rehearsal cosplaying Doctor Who/Torchwood and no one bats an eyelash. We had this odd LARPing thing going all day and it was brilliant.
I’m addicted to House.
High five for watching the best TV shows (IMO). The Big Bang Theory, House, and (if I’m not mistaken) The Office!
Haha, once my science teacher mentioned lupus and half the class burst out laughing. We’re horrible people.
“It’s not lupus… it’s never lupus!”
I just babysat for the first time. I was kind of nervous about it, but it went okay.
I’ve known the child and her parents for…uh…since I was born. My mom is her mom’s best friend. But I was still a little nervous cuz it was my first time babysitting without anyone (i.e. an adult) there, which doesn’t really count as babysitting.
She paid me thirty dollars.
I babysat for 6 hours, so I got five dollars an hour…which is way better than what I expected. Yay!
I think the child may have called me a drag queen. Said child is six.
…
Five dollars an hour is great. Someday I shall be able to get minimum wage…
Going to the 18th century tomorrow, by way of mah boat.
Good stuff. I’m hitching a ride with a friend, and then my twin (not Alice, a different one) is going to come camping with me too! Yay! SO EXCITED.
Anyway, won’t have internets until I’m home on the 4th/5th, when I’ll fill you in on all the details you probably don’t care about.
have fun!
send us a postcard…….FROM THE PAST
I saw the Tower of Time today!
So many of my teachers have had posters of that mural showing the evolution of life on Earth in their classrooms over the years, and now I saw the real one at the National Museum of Natural History!
Some miscellany:
– YES. SMITHSONIAN. You understand. Some people like giant squids. Some people are freaked out by them. So what do you do? You display yours in a glass case with opaque sides under signs clearly indicating what it is so that if people WANT to see it, they can come over and look as closely as they want, and if they DON’T, they don’t have to and can just walk by and go about their business. Everyone is happy.
THAT is how you do it. AMNH and Yale Peabody Museum, take note.
– The whole ocean area is very well done, very light and airy, it feels like you’re swimming. And of course, I’m a sucker for hydrothermal vent displays.
– The dinosaurs are better in New York, but the displays on ancient sea life are better in D.C.
– Actually, going in to see the Hope Diamond when you’ve seen it before is very nice. You’ve already seen it, so you take the time to look at everything else in the gallery that everybody else is ignoring because they run to see the Hope, and those displays are actually really cool. And in your head you don’t expect it to be gigantic, because you’ve already seen it and you know it’s kind of small, so you think “It’s going to be really small”, and when you see it, your brain goes “It’s bigger than I thought!”
– Oh, and they have an ancient Egypt section, too! Unusual for a natural history museum, but completely welcome.
– Meteorites! Oh cake yes, the meteorites! Lots of samples, great exhibit layout, lots of big, touchable ones, a ton of information, but not enough to be overwhelming, and TEKTITES! Love the tektites.
We went to the Smithsonian a few years ago. I sadly don’t remember a whole lot, but I do remember that it was quite fun.
I love to pet the touchable samples! And I did exactly the same with the Hope as you did.
I want so badly to be you. Care to switch?
Reach out your hand and I’ll try to pull you through the computer so you can be here, too.
I agree it’s awesome. I saw the National Museum of the American Indian today, and saw maybe half of what was there. *sigh* I want to go back, but I’m leaving tomorrow.
Well, I’m back!
Wordle, if you please, GAPAs.
Bacon?
Breath?
Nightshade? Godless?
Harry? Heroes? Grilled?
Lydia?
Potter. Greece, Egyptian, mythology, Egypt, myths. Berries, pie, bacon, donuts, cookies? Girl (Eva)?
My letter to Muse. IT’S INSANE, YO!
Space!
Oops, meant to cut my name out.
THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU
THE WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL WORLD ENDS WITH YOU
…What? The world ends with me? I hope I’m not the last person on Earth to survive a catastrophe; what gives you that idea?
Oh! Forgot to mention that Shelob made a brief appearance last night. On my floor this time. No idea where she’s gotten to now.
probably in her lair, tbh
What does TBH mean?
To Be Honest.
She hungers for sweeter meats… hobbit meats…
*GOLLUM! GOLLUM*
Aaugh, my wristttt…. I hurt it working in the garden a couple days ago, and now it won’t let me draw or type or anything. I tried, and now it’s hurting on me. My ulna feels like it’s popping… I wonder if it would be better if I took the brace off for a bit. *tries*
Lat night I dreamed that I lived in the future, and someone figured out how to get a really, really good view of atoms, which in turn showed how to go faster than the speed of light because of some scientific law, which distinguished, elderly scientists thought was impossible, and some government scientist figured out how to create atoms from scratch, so of course all food was made from scratch so that no-one would have to die to be eaten, even a plant, and we wouldn’t take up so much space on the earth, and I was overjoyed, but then I took a tour of the lab and realized she was just putting food into something that cooked them and claiming it had amazing properties to make money, so she tried to kill me, so I had to fly away in bird form but got to tell someone working there first, who told me to try to come back the next day if I could, so I did, and so on, for 6 days, but on the seventh I couldn’t, and the nice government woman thought I’d died, and I was so horrified I woke up. Then I tried to fall asleep again, but I ended up dreaming that I was on NationStates and found out that an online friend of mine I hadn’t spoken to in ages had an account, as did ZNZ, and we sent telegrams, and it was nice, but then I found out they were trying to take over the world again and I wanted to stop them but first I had to remove the atom-food-labs because they (the labs, not the people) had infiltrated The Land Where Everyone Worshipped Tardigrades (which actually exists on NationStates now). It was strange…
I’m going through alternating phases of “I stack up quite well for college applications! My essay doesn’t have to be the best essay in the history of college essays, it just has to be pretty good,” and “EVERYTHING IS RIDING ON MY ESSAY EVERYTHING AND I AM A BORING PERSON WITH NOTHING TO SAY AND I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS KIND OF WRITING AND I’M NOT GOING TO GET IN ANYWHERE.”
Hi, I’m emotionally volatile surrounding the future. How are you?
Well, I know for a fact you are not a boring person, and you have plenty to say, so you’ll have to come up with something better to taunt yourself with.
Seconded.
Well, today I got cornered by a bunch of teenage boys who demanded my wallet.
I recognized one of them from the second grade. He used to eat a lot of paste.
Aaaaaaand these are next year’s classmates. Goody.
Did you notify the police?
Well, at least you have a decent response if they insult youYes, can you at least tell someone what happened?They were picked up by a school board truck a moment later, having apparently broken into a classroom. A lot changes when you leave for three years.
Gah. I have two very large books to read in the next five weeks and countless stories waiting to be written, yet I’m sitting around on MuseBlog. Even though I’ve read everything posted recently. Even though I’m rapidly approaching ‘extremely bored’. What is wrong with me?
Super 8 is, quite simply, pwnage. Anyone who doesn’t like it can go get eaten by the Cloverfield monster or something like that.