Isn't it beautiful?

I'm going to paint this on my wall:

"What about little microphones? What if everyone swallowed them, and they played the sounds of our hearts through little speakers, which could be in the pouches of our overalls? When you skateboarded down the street at night you could hear everyone's heartbeat, and they could hear yours, sort of like sonar. One weird thing is, I wonder if everyone's hearts would start to beat at the same time, like how women who live together have their menstrual periods at the same time, which I know about, but don't really want to know about. That would be so weird, except that the place in the hospital where babies are born would sound like a crystal chandelier in a houseboat, because the babies wouldn't have had time to match up their heartbeats yet. And at the finish line at the end of the New York City Marathon it would sound like war."

Isn't it beautiful? The passage is from my favorite book, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Last Day of Sunshine

Today is the last real day of break before going back to school. I think I'll be lazy and watch BBC movies in bed. Perhaps I won't even take a shower. Ew. No, I'll take a shower.

My first staff meeting for the school newspaper is Monday from 10 - 12. Sooooo long. I wonder if I can skip it? Probably not. After it's over, I'm going to Southern Seasons to buy more coffee and then to UNC Chapel Hill to hang out w/ Hannah. It's going to be a good day.

BANG[s] and a Song

Yay! I finally got my hair cut after six months of being too lazy and/or poor to make an appointment. AND, I now have bangs. A guy at work said they made me look like a vampire. What? What the hell? I admit, this picture makes my skin look like I'm a vampire, but that's only because it was taken with my phone in bad lighting. And my nose has all but disappeared here, apparently.

Oh, and I have a new favorite song: Nada Surf's cover of The Pixies' song, "Where Is My Mind." Please listen to it.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

I just finished watching The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, a BBC miniseries based on the novel by Anne Bronte. The whole thing was painful to watch, and I felt so sorry for the heroine -- Helen Huntingdon. She was terribly abused--physically, emotionally, and psychologically--by her philandering alcoholic of an husband, Arthur. Her constancy to him despite his unworthiness was a little exasperating, though. I suppose it's a thing to be admired in her, but I kept thinking that if she'd hurry up and leave him, then she'd be free. In today's society, it would be so much easier to remove yourself from an abusive spouse, but in Britain's Victorian era it would've been quite different. Women were considered the property of their husbands, and the father held legal custody of any children from the marriage, should it end. Because Helen had a son (also named Arthur), she felt trapped and was unable to break free from her husband until he passed away from an illness caused by his self-indulgent habits. 
It never ceases to amaze me that, as sheltered and secluded as the Bronte sisters were, they could produce such timeless literary classics as they did. I wonder what the effect on their work would've been, if their circumstances had been different. Would it have improved or hindered their gifts as writers?

LAST WEEK OF FREEDOM

Next Tuesday, I will sadly relinquish the right to sleep in and drag myself to class. Ungood. Even though winter break lasted a month and a half, it doesn't feel anywhere near long enough. At least I did almost everything on my to-do list for Break:

1) Read at least 3 books --> I'm on the last one now (Alice's Adventures In Wonderland)

2) Make a quilt for Quilts for Kids --> it was a cute, 9-patch, pink and brown one

3) Re-paint my bathroom --> it was blue and is now a burnt orange (it's prettier than it sounds)

4) Make gingerbread men --> I remembered to put the ginger in them this time

5) Become a Zen master --> I bought two books and am practicing my meditation skills

6) Clean my room --> it is no longer gross :)

7) Invent a new color --> unfortunately, they've all been invented by now. . .as far as I know

8) Write a letter to the Queen of England --> she has yet to respond

9) Be able to distinguish every flavor of Jelly Belly jelly beans while blindfolded --> done

10) Take a road trip --> Hannah and I spent a very cold but amazing day in Asheville

Whisper Words of Wisdom

Today I hung out with my Aunt Donna, like we've been doing once a week since winter break started. One of my friends described her as being "like a cup of chai tea," and I think she was right. Aunt Donna is warm, sweet, and comforting, but she has a spicy side too. Today we were in the kitchen waiting for dinner to cook, and she started looking up old music from the '70s that she loved -- particularly a band called Bread. That segued into other types of music that we both enjoy, and we realized that we share a mutual appreciation for black choirs. I love the richness of their harmony and the passion that emanates from the words they sing. The emotion is beautiful. One of my favorites is the song "Let It Be" from the movie Across the Universe.

Spellbound

I realized what the most satisfying part about reading a book is: when you reach the point where you can't put that damn book down.
You begin, say, and you're reading along -- not not enjoying it, but it's a "whatever" feeling. Then, BAM! You realize that your eyes are glued to the page, 30 minutes have gone by since you were last conscious of yourself breathing, and you can't think of anything you'd rather be doing than curling up on your bed and shutting out the world while you finish one of the best works of literature known to mankind. It could be a certain event that happens in the book that grabs your attention, a clever thought brilliantly phrased, or perhaps a gradual shift in your perspective of what you're reading. Whatever it is, it's a revelation, an epiphany, a feeling that you can't fake and is worth pursuing (no matter how long it takes you to find a written work worthy of your efforts).