Sleep

I just want to crawl in a hole until this storm that's raging can pass over, colliding with my surroundings while I peacefully sleep, unaware of the tumult that's engulfing me. I just want to rest, carefree and blissfully.

But I'm too late. I'm already aware.

I already know the stakes.

I already know the consequences of a decision that I will either have to make or one that will be forced upon me.

This next year of my life seems so trivial in the grand scheme of things, yet for the present (carpe diem) I'm reluctant to act on this observation. I'm hesitant to up and leave a life I've established, teammates I've worked with these past few years.

Why must all these things happen at once, so quickly? Overload.

Father Time seems to have betrayed me.

Empire Falls

Or, more appropriately, A Waste of My Time.

Seriously, why the heck am I reading this book?

Does it have literary merit? No.

Does it have a point? No.

Am I interested in reading about a dilapidated town with discouraging residents? Perhaps if it was written well.

Honestly, what's with the Russo's diction? It's unrefined, coarse, uncreative, and common. Much of his subject matter is so Freudian it makes me sick.

Empire Falls represents a lot of things that I don't care for in a novel, especially in contemporary fiction. It's cliche and very discouraging.

I'm very disappointed, Kidle, VERY disappointed. I had much better expectations for AP Literature.

I'm not even bothering to finish this book. If you really knew me, this would be saying quite a bit.

Quiz Bowl Camp!

It was pretty good. I learned a lot, actually, especially about poetry. Now I know all these poets and famous lines from poetry (like Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard is full of good quotes). You learn some quizbowltastic* facts at ACE, too. Some of my favorites?

• Mussolini started out as an elementary school teacher. Does anyone else find this a bit scary? It's like saying Hitler used to run a day care in his backyard or something. (OK, perhaps the Hitler part is worse...but still.)
• Kepler got a chunk of his nose cut off in a duel with some other astronomer. Apparently Kepler was like, "I'm the greatest astronomer!" and some other guy was like, "No, I am!!" Kepler may have been the better astronomer, but he was not the better swordsman...
• Samuel Coleridge wrote Kubla Khan while high on opium. While writing it, a man from Portlock came and interrupted him but he got the wrong address and when Coleridge went back to finish his poem, his high had worn off. Sadly, he couldn't finish it. (You are very welcome for that bit of information. Now go and power that question in a quiz bowl match.)
• The chancellor of Germany before Hitler, Papen, greatly underestimated his successor. Here's how it went:

Hitler: Papen! Convince Hindenburg to make me chancellor!

Papen: LOL, yeah he's so old he won't even know what's happening. I think he crossed the Alps with Hannibal.

Hitler: ROTFL!! But seriously, will you help me!?!?

Papen: [thinking Hitler is a weak leader and that he can use Hitler's failures to make himself president of Germany] Yeah, OK!

...do I need to finish the rest of the story? Obviously he underestimated Hitler, seeing as how Papen isn't even mentioned in most textbooks.

• Andrew Marvel's "To His Coy Mistress" talks about vegetable love. Seriously. I don't even know what it means:

"My vegetable love should grow/Vaster than empires, and more slow"

• If you were to travel to a black hole, time would slow down. Also, black holes are bald. ("No Hair Theorem.")

I'm probably forgetting some others...oh well.

*Quibowltastic is an original Bianka Rose. It's going on the same list as hupix, I do declare.