This year has been a tough year for a lot of people. Summer brought the fires, and winter seems to be tough in both work and school for a lot of people. Now Christmas has come and I hope everyone gets a little bit of a break, a little bit of the rest they deserve. I hope everyone gets their share of turkey, cookies, and chocolates. I hope everyone gets at least a couple things crossed off their Christmas lists. I hope everyone finds a moment to smile, a moment to laugh, a moment to hug a friend or family member. I hope that no one feels alone, and knows that no matter who they are, there’s someone out there who loves them. Life is far from perfect, but there are so many things worth living for, and I hope everyone stops and thinks about that this Christmas. I hope everyone gets the chance to realize that where there’s love, there’s hope, and where there’s hope, there can be joy. Remember to smile at least once every day – the joy of a single smile can stretch further than you know, perhaps even to someone who really needs to see one.
Above all else, I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas.
Best wishes!

A little tune
in my blood
singing through my veins

A little sparkle
in my mind
whirling ‘round my head

A little thrum
in my heart
sparking hope and joy

A little twist
in my stomach
of anticipation

A song of inspiration
in my soul
My body is its instrument
when I let go

(Written Dec. 11/09)

Okay, so here’s the plan. Friday, December 18th, eeeverybody needs to be at Planet Lazer at 3:15. I have us booked for 2 games for10(ish) people. If you have and bring your Student Saver Card, you get half-off (so if you have one or can steal one, bring it. ^_^ No sharing cards, unfortunately). Afterwards we’ll head to DQ for supper and ice cream (although we might have to detour to the theater first to pick up tickets to make sure we get in later) and then head to the Orchard Plaza 5 theater for Avatar, which I imagine will be starting some time between 6:45 and 7:25.

This is why I hate it. It’s been taken way, way too far: http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/11/26/major-nidal-hasan-had-an-enabler/

My last exam is on Dec 18, and will be done by noon. The end of this semester is cause for celebration, which is why I propose two things: lazer tag and Avatar (a movie in the evening). Also, ice cream should be included in there somewhere. Who’s with me?
(Or if you can’t, please say so?)

Supposedly these are all real news headlines (with commentary added by the collector).

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
(This one I caught in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room and asked who wrote this. It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible!!! They put in a correction the next day.)

(I just couldn’t help but send this along. Too funny.)
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
(No really? Ya think?)

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
(Now that’s taking things a bit far!)

Miners Refuse to Work After Death
(No-good-for-nothing lazy so-and-so’s!)

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
(See if that works any better than a fair trial!)

War Dims Hope For Peace
(I can see where it might have that effect!)

If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
(Ya think?!)

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
(Who would have thought!)

Enfield (London) Couple Slain: Police Suspect Homicide
(They may be onto something!)

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
(You mean there’s something stronger than duct tape?)

Man Struck by Lightening: Faces Battery Charge
(He probably IS the battery charge!)

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
(Weren’t they fat enough?)

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
(That’s what he gets for eating those beans!)

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
(Do they taste like chicken?)

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
(Chainsaw Massacre all over again!)

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
(Boy are they tall!)

(And the winner is…)
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetry: Hundreds Dead
(Did I read that right?)

Also, I laughed at this far longer than I should have:

Then the wind calls your name
And everything is good again
You can run and dance and sing
And frolic and chase with the falling rain
Let go those cares and seize the sky
Release your soul to upwards fly
Claim the heavens of golden blue
Race your heartbeat to a new horizon
Live love laugh, sing scream and cry
Don’t be afraid to be

Academic roosters
Crowing proudly
Crests wobbling
With each cocky strut
Long, arching plumes
Of lauded credentials
Stained with the dust
Of straw and feces

Moved not by reason
But by hubris
Contemptuous in ignorance
Committed to the absurd
Kings of a narrow existence

Fat, complacent hens
Cluck their approval
Their world unchallenged
Their infertile eggs
Hidden safely beneath
Their stained feathers

Blind to the fences
Blind to the world
Content in scratching the ground
Scraping the surface
For artificial rewards
Oblivious to the width, breadth, and depth
Of the vast world beyond

They cannot fly
They cannot sing
They are not free
They cannot rise above what
They have made themselves to be

“Man can believe the impossible, but can never believe the improbable”

Oscar Wilde

I adore Oscar Wilde’s quotable-ness. I’m so glad we’re studying his stuff in English now instead of boring old George Eliot. :3

More Oscar Wilde quotes.