hello, my few faithful readers--i'm surfacing briefly to share some news.

i've officially finished the first draft of my senior project paper. Hooray! it has been a real struggle. i'm not an organized or motivated person ususally, i enjoy bursts of obsession and excitement, but when work gets hard i quit. ("hard work made us quit"--bart and lisa simpson)
but this project...it was a different kind of battle.
and by battle i mean, me being run over by the caravan of tanks
and just lying there...hoping for more tanks...to crush me.
i had some wonderful friends who prayed for me and here i am on the other side, so maybe it was little demons. peni thinks it was, but we all know she's a witch--i mean brilliant.

i love you all, don't be strangers.

please be strange

the saying goes, "women and children first" but there comes a time in every man's life when he's gotta slap on a dress and jump in the lifeboat.

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity! Vive la revolucian! .......sorry, i just took my French Rev, midterm and i think i did really well! Huzzah! In honor of this occasion i thought i'd share the lyrics to one of the famous marching revolutionary songs of the time. it's a toe-tapper to be sure, and full of descriptive language that makes you a little sad our national anthem doesnt have more about the blood of our enemies in it. Enjoy!





Arise children of the fatherland
The day of glory has arrived
Against us tyranny's
Bloody standard is raised
Listen to the sound in the fields
The howling of these fearsome soldiers
They are coming into our midst
To cut the throats of your sons and consorts

To arms citizens Form your battalions
March, march
Let impure blood
Water our furrows

What do they want this horde of slaves
Of traitors and conspiratorial kings?
For whom these vile chains
These long-prepared irons?
Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage
What methods must be taken?
It is us they dare plan
To return to the old slavery!

What! These foreign cohorts!
They would make laws in our courts!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would cut down our warrior sons
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brow would yield under the yoke
The vile despots would have themselves be
The masters of destiny

Tremble, tyrants and traitors
The shame of all good men
Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Will receive their just reward
Against you we are all soldiers
If they fall, our young heros
France will bear new ones
Ready to join the fight against you

Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors
Bear or hold back your blows
Spare these sad victims
That they regret taking up arms against us
But not these bloody despots
These accomplices of Bouillé
All these tigers who pitilessly
Ripped out their mothers' wombs

We too shall enlist
When our elders' time has come
To add to the list of deeds
Inscribed upon their tombs
We are much less jealous of surviving them
Than of sharing their coffins
We shall have the sublime pride
Of avenging or joining them

Drive on sacred patriotism
Support our avenging arms
Liberty, cherished liberty
Join the struggle with your defenders
Under our flags, let victory
Hurry to your manly tone
So that in death your enemies
See your triumph and our glory!

sean showed me the joy of handicapped hedgehogs this week, and we learned what a fleever was.

as you can tell my time has been well spent.

im in DC this weekend visiting my brother. i like it, everything is a monument to someone. it makes me want to do something to get a monument made for me--has the steam engine been invented yet? cuz if not, im pretty sure that would get me a statue or at least a plaque. I'm going to the Smithsonian museum of American History while im here. Greg was angry that i was leaving and sadly pouty. to comfort him i said i'd get him something from the smithsonian. He said he wanted a rocket--the apollo rocket. i said i dont think its for sale. he said it would be if i loved him enough. then he looked sad and i said i would get it. So, if you are in the DC area and you see a honda with a rocket strapped on top being chased by the police, its me! you should wave.