*hmph*

I wish that Google Chrome had a bookmark manager. I really need to clear out a bunch of links and it is annoying having to go to each and every one and click on the star and tell it to remove the bookmark.

What is this crap?

What is this? Why make a sequel to Phantom of the Opera? Why? I don’t get it. Also, apparently this is just a rehash of a song from one of ALW’s other, older shows. He took it and retooled it a bit and is using it again. Hm.

Phantom isn’t my favorite musical, but come on… the whole plot of this sounds a bit ridiculous. Let me go find a summary…

“The plot takes place on Coney Island in 1907. According to the official announcement, the events occur approximately a decade after the events of The Phantom of the Opera. In reality, however, Lloyd Webber’s original show was set in 1881, meaning that the time period between the two stories amounts to 26 years. The Phantom has travelled to Coney Island with Madame Giry and her daughter Meg. Beginning his new life in America as a freakshow attraction, he has worked his way up to a position of power and is now the successful architect of a number of Coney Island attractions. Despite his newfound wealth and success he still longs for Christine and manages to arrange for her to come and sing at one of his latest attractions. Christine arrives at Coney Island along with Raoul and their son Gustave, unknowingly returning to the man she feared most.” (taken from wikipedia)

Uh what? No thanks!

no glove, no love.

Glee

You know, for being a show about live singing Glee sure lacks the whole “live” part of things. The songs are so produced and tweaked. I think this is one of my biggest complaints with the show.

Senior Reading

So people have been asking about which portion of my thesis I read for the Senior Reading… Well, here it is:

A twitch played across her face and her lips worked themselves into a smile.  She had smiled and giggled and danced at the ball, but this was the first time in years that she had smiled as herself, as the young girl who had been forced into servitude by her own family. Cinderella heard the moans and groans even though hands and walls and doors muffled them. She crept closer and closer to her stepsisters’ bedroom. The door stood slightly ajar and Cinderella pressed her body against the doorframe and slowly peered into the room.

Marguerite sat on a wooden chair in the middle of the room. Her mother stood over her holding a knife from the kitchen. Her sister, Suzanne, stood propped in the corner, covering her astonished mouth with one dainty hand. Marguerite stared down at the floor and at the objects that lay there. A small glass slipper, the one that Cinderella had lost the previous night, and five toes that still wriggled about. The toes danced a final jig as they were drained of all life and blood. At last they stood still and all was quiet except for the small whimpers that escaped from Marguerite’s mouth. Cinderella glanced from Marguerite’s face to the floor and then up to her foot. Her toes had been hastily hacked off with the kitchen knife. Blood splashed onto the floor from Marguerite’s mangled stumps. Some pooled in the bottom of the slipper and the rest oozed down the cracks between the floorboards.

Marguerite paled and her face lost all sign of expression or emotion. She sat sat and stared at her foot. When she regained control of her voice, Marguerite started sputtering and wailing.

“But… but… Mother! You promised me that it would work. You promised it would work. You said ‘Marguerite, your foot is only a little long. Just let me cut off your toes and you can marry Prince Charming.’ You assured me that limping for the rest of my life would be worth it to marry the damn Prince. “ Her head drooped and tears began mixing with the large pool of blood.

“I’m sorry, dear, I guess I was wrong. Looks like your foot wasn’t too long after all, it was too wide.”

Suzanne, the younger of the stepsisters, shivered in the corner. Cinderella could tell from the determined gleam in their mother’s eye that Suzanne would be next.  Cinderella thought about stopping this odd massacre, Suzanne had always been at least a little nice to her. But just how nice had she really been? Sure, she hadn’t hit Cinderella as hard as her mother or her sister had, but Suzanne had still beaten her. Suzanne had made Cinderella do her bidding for so many years now that Cinderella. She thought it simple. Her stepsisters were finally getting what they deserved.

Their mother shoved Marguerite out of the chair with one hand and snatched at the hem of Suzanne’s dress with the other. Within seconds, Suzanne was in the chair and Marguerite was sprawled out on the floor. She dragged herself to the bed, propped her back against the edge and stared at her mangled right foot and sobbed hideously.

“Suzanne, dear, you know this is going to hurt, but just think. A little bit of pain and then you can be a princess. You can have whatever you want, do whatever you want and you will have hundreds of servants instead of just that lazy, little Cinderella. “ The woman didn’t even bother to clean the blood off the knife which had already started to dry and crust.

Suzanne closed her eyes and pressed her foot into the slipper. The collected blood in toe of the glass slipper squelched as she continued to push. She held her breath and tried to slide her foot in, but then her heel caught on the edge of the shoe. Suzanne gasped and frantically mashed down on her foot. But it was just slightly too big, much like her older sister’s foot. Her mother kissed the back of Suzanne’s head and shushed her. Big, sloppy tears spilled out of Suzanne’s eyes.

The knife dug into the flesh easily and with a quick jerk Suzanne’s mother ripped off her daughter’s heel.  Suzanne’s eyes bulged and she screamed in agony but then quickly stopped herself. She shoved her foot back into the glass slipper, still slick with the mixed blood of the sisters. It was a painful fit, but it fit nonetheless. She stood experimentally, wobbling and sobbing. The shoe rubbed up and down against the raw wound. She only managed to take one or two steps and collapsed.

Cinderella barely stopped herself from giggling at the horrific and ridiculous sight. All three women still wore their wigs from the ball the previous night, but the wigs had slid out of place and were perched precariously upon their heads. They had appeared as magnificent creations of pins, jewels, and curls in the moonlight but now in the daylight they looked like demented woodland creatures. Marguerite’s face was covered in tears and snot and smeared blood. Suzanne wore an expression of determination and anguish, sweat poured profusely from her forehead and she wiped it away slowly as she steadied herself against the wall with her other hand. Their mother surveyed the room, triumphant. Cinderella wondered how she expected this rouse to work; somehow Prince Charming wouldn’t notice that Suzanne had had her heel cut off for the shoe to fit? Cinderella wondered how they could be so completely stupid.

Whatever You Like…

Oh, Daniel Vosovic, you’re still super adorable.

Oh, Leona Lewis

Has Leona Lewis suddenly become the queen of nerd-dom? On Friday, Square Enix announced that they would be using the song “My Hands” from her album, Echo, for the North American and European releases of Final Fantasy XIII. Then it was also just announced that she has recorded the theme song for James Cameron’s movie, Avatar.

Fall/Winter Wardrobe Wishes

First, you should know that I have a huge love for plaid. Something about the colors and the shapes and the fact that it is highly patterned just makes me smile. Add the fact that it is flannel and you have a shirt that I would absolutely love to own. (From the Gap)

Yet another plaid shirt. This one is from Urban Outfitters. Apparently purple looks good on me. And I like the color so I wouldn’t mind having more purple clothes.

I recently discovered the joy of vests. I have no idea why I never had them before but I have two at the moment and I love them dearly. It is easy to just pop a vest on top of a button up shirt or a t-shirt and look slightly more classy. (from Ben Sherman, therefore it is very expensive)

Oh, I have an epic love affair with sweaters and cardigans. I also seem drawn to military style things with lots of buttons and pockets.

There seem to be a lot of cowl-neck cardigans and I really like them. I just might buy one.

I really need some black pants that fit well. I have some now but they are a bit old and faded and I need to replace them.

Or perhaps I will get some blue corduroy pants, instead.

Oh my god. I love these boots and if I had $230 I would order them right now. Or you could order some for me Found these on Urbanoutfitters. (size 8, if you are interested)

Video post!

Royksopp – Happy Up Here. Oh man, I have watched this video so many times lately.

Frankmusik – 3 Little Words I enjoy this song. It reminds me of the 80s and is kind of indicative of the Brit-Pop that I enjoy.

We Are Scientists – After Hours I have the biggest crush on the lead singer. He was on an episode of Never Mind The Buzzcocks where he was completely brilliant.

Architecture in Helsinki – That Beep. Such a fucking weird video.

And just to round out the post with something that may* end up being completely ridiculous.

*and by may I mean, will most undoubtedly be ridiculous. Do you really need to remake FAME?

Schedule pondering

So I am working on figuring out my schedule for next semester right now. I am going to take Biology over the summer and get that out of the way, that leaves me with only 9 hours of required classes left to take. To be considered a fulltime student, which I need to be, I have to be enrolled in 12 hours of classes. The classes in black are the ones that I am taking for sure because they are required for me to graduate. The two in red, Production of Reality and Sociology of Sex, are the two that I could take for fun. I need to take at least one of them to make sure I meet the number of hours I need. However, I could take both of them and have 15 hours of credit for my last semester. I have never taken fewer than 16 hours so I know I could handle it. But I just don’t know if I really want to take 15 hours for my last semester. Both classes are with professors that I think would be really stimulating and add a lot to my academic life. Any suggestions?

Production of Reality (Special Topic): How does social reality emerge? Why are we committed to some versions of truth more than others? What are the possibilities for individuals in shaping their culture and the world around them? This course introduces social construction theory through the lenses of Symbolic Interaction, Dramaturgical Theory and Ethnomethodology. The course will be highly interactive and experimental, inviting students to develop their own ideas and applications.

Sociology of Sex (Special Topic): Drawing upon constructionist and critical social theory, sociological, cultural and queer studies, feminist scholarship, and major figures in sexual research, this course focuses on the idea that sexualities and desires are mediated through social processes and identity categories. Sexuality has both a history and a sociology that increasingly recognizes the importance of sexualities and desires in the construction of the self. Major foci include construction of sexual identity categories, the secularization of sexuality, the transformation of intimacy, the politicalization of sexuality, and organized resistance to the social control and regulation of sexualities and desires. Issues of sexuality and desire (from normative to “unsafe” and “perverse”) will be explored through the lens of gender, race/ethnicity, class, and disability as well as various theoretical perspectives, including queer and critical heterosexual studies.