Melodic Robots from Outer Space

2008-07-19T23:14:00.000-04:00

"It is not easy to see how the more extreme forms of nationalism can long survive when men have seen the Earth in its true perspective as a single small globe against the stars." Arthur C. Clarke

2008-07-19T11:49:00.000-04:00

Global Studies - 5.02 Planning a Government - Terms

Aggression	The act of initiating hostilities or invasion The practice or habit of launching attacks
Anarchy	Absence of any form of political authority Political disorder and confusion
Aristocracy	A hereditary ruling class; nobility Government by a ruling class
Autocracy	Government by a single person having unlimited power; despotism
Cooperation	The act or practice of cooperating
Delegate	A person authorized to act as representative for another; a deputy or an agent
Domestic Policy	Policy having to do with one's nation
Economic System	The system of production, distribution, and consumption
Foreign Policy	Policy having to do with foreign nations
Isolationism	A national policy of abstaining from political or economic relations with other countries
Oligarchy	Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families
Plutocracy	A government or state in which the wealthy rule
Republic	A political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them
Trade	The act or an instance of buying or selling; transaction
Treaty	A formal agreement between two or more states, as in reference to terms of peace or trade

2008-07-19T08:42:00.002-04:00

Herb Buns Recipe

I made these for my family this morning; it only takes 45 minutes. I didn't get one though, because we only have four custard dishes. :c They knock you back about 150 calories, so I'm relieved that I had an excuse not to eat one (Though they looked delicious!)

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp herb (I used basil)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400F (About 205C, I think)
2. Whisk together the eggs, milk, and vegetable oil.
3. Stir in the flour, salt, and herbs. Mix until smooth.
4. Pour the batter into six-ounce custard dishes (mist them with cooking spray first!), filling them halfway.
5. Set the half-full dishes on a baking pan, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
6. When you remove these from the oven, poke each one with a toothpick to let the steam out, then place them on a plate or in a basket and serve them hot, with herb butter.

2008-07-18T12:49:00.002-04:00

Words I should know, but don't.

raconteur: a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly
prevaricator: a person who speaks so as to avoid the precise truth; quibbler; equivocator
supplant: to take the place of (another), as through force, scheming, strategy, or the like
finagle: to obtain or achieve by indirect, usually deceitful methods
winnow: to subject to some process of separating or distinguishing; analyze critically; sift

2008-07-16T12:39:00.002-04:00

So, I think I'm an idiot.

I feel pressured to compensate for my sinking GPA with some other kind of recognizable achievement. Maybe that is why I am craving classic lit all of a sudden. I found a great resource for anyone attempting to become well-seasoned in classic literature. Literature.org. How straightforward. I think most of the authors available are American. How disappointing. I sense that junior year will be especially awkward for me. After indefinitely declaring myself a democrat as a sophomore, I'm looking forward to the most conservative set of classes I've ever set out to take in one shot. I'm considering substituting a painting class for my health course as a breath of fresh air. American literature? American history? Really? As if every student living in America, attending American elementary and middle schools, has failed to learn a crumb about either of these.

Mmmmm, speaking of crumbs, I have not eaten all day, nor will I eat all day. Actually, I probably won't eat for a while... I have to lost that weight you see to the right before school commences. HA! Unlikely. Have to give it the good old college try, though.

I've found it really soothing to just study recipes... This website is useful... as well as my pink cookbook.

2008-07-10T01:04:00.001-04:00

I just have to announce that I find my Global Studies professor's comparison of the diverse global community to a Grecian mosaic to be profoundly poetic.

2008-07-09T23:14:00.002-04:00

Crap

I have not started working on any of my summer reading assignments. Not at all.
School resumes the 19th of August, and I have not even put a dent in The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley. I actually don't even have a copy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, while I'm being very honest. I've finally secured a copy of the assignment list, though, and in case my computer crashes and I lose it, I am transcribing it here, because it took me way too long to find it.

Essay - Required for one of the two selections
Content Requirements

2-3 paragraphs*: Summary of plot including in-depth description of setting, theme, and lessons
2-3 paragraphs: Pick 2 characters and describe them in detail. These descriptions should include, but are not limited to, appearance, ideas, general outlook on life, and how they either fit in the novel or help with the plot. Cite specific page number where you arrived at these conclusions for each character.
1-2 paragraphs: Explain why you believe that this book was chosen for a course on American literature.
Author's real purpose for writing this book. (Not a guess. Research and cite sources.)
1-2 paragraphs: Looking at the copyright of the Novel, what was going on in American history during the time of it’s writing?
1 paragraph: Who would(n't) you recommend this book to? Why?

Technical Requirements

Minimum 3 pages
12 pt. Times New Roman font
Double-spaced
1" margins all around
Cover sheet: Your name, book title, ISBN # (0-345-37671-4), date
The above information should not appear anywhere else in your essay (i.e. cannot be used for space-filler/fluff)
Black ink, white paper

*For the duration of this course, a paragraph will be defined as 6-8 complete, grammatically correct sentences.

Summer Reading Project - Required for the second selection
Project options
1) The map
- Using a very large poster board, create a map of the settings of the novel. Plot the characters' movements through the setting, and post specific quotes from the novel where significant actions took place. You must plot at least 7 characters, and at least 10 scenes from the novel. On the back, attach a typed detailed paragraph (6-8 sentences) explanation for each scene.
2) The fairy tale
- Pick 4 specific characters, and write a “Once upon a time” fairy tale for each character. Using the personality and actions that happen in the book, must be portrayed in this fairy tale. Full color pictures (drawn, not computer generated) must accompany every page of all fairy tales. A fairy tale is just not a fairy tale if it doesn’t have the pictures to explain what is going on. Each fairy tale must be at least 2 pages typed, Times New Roman, size 12 font, double spaced, so each fairy tale will be a minimum of 4 pages (2 or more pages are the story, 2 or more pages are pictures)
3) The script
- Because directors are allowed to have a certain amount of creative license with novels, this is a very creative choice. Write a movie/TV script with 90% of the characters left in it (Remember, a TV show is 30 minutes long or about 15 pages) It has to be in script format where each person says a line(see Shakespearean plays) and the setting is explained. At the end explain why you changed the items the way you did.
4) The drawings
- Pick 5 scenes and depict them as drawings on a poster board. The drawings must be as detailed as possible and there can be no white left on the poster board. On the back attach a typed explanation of each of the scenes and an explanation of the scene's significance in the book (6-8 sentences per scene).
5) The test
- You are the teacher. Create and take a test on the book. There must be 40 multiple choice(a, b, c, d) questions, 10 true false questions, 10 fill in the blank questions, 20 short answer questions, and 2 essay questions. No question can be asked about the same topic. The questions (and your answers to the questions, including the essays) must be typed.
6) The poem
- Create a 100 line poem with a specific rhyme scheme that describes 5 of the main characters, one of the themes in the book, and 2-3 scenes.

2008-07-09T22:11:00.002-04:00

And she would not be bothered to feign intrigue at their delectation of her penmanship, especially that of the absurd-looking sycophant.

2008-07-09T14:19:00.003-04:00

Привет, меня зовут Cара.

Hello, my name is Sarah, and I'm studying another language! Russian!
I want to learn Russian because it is the language of the largest country in the world!
(Russia covers an amazing 17.075.400 km! That's over one eighth of the entire planet's land area!)
It was also the language/birthplace of my favorite Romantic era composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Well, actually I shouldn't say favorite, his work is really the only classical music I can instantly recognize and name because he wrote all of the greatest ballets. I do listen to other classical musics though, but only when they feature cellos.

I'm studying the language through two very comprehensive language sites: Palabea and My Happy Planet. These sites allow you to review lessons created by native speakers, and also to work directly with somebody whose interests are inversely related to yours. So for example, I study the lessons available on My Happy Planet daily, and then I go over to Palabea and chat with a Russian native who is trying to learn English. I've had more language-learning success with these sites than I've had with any other resources besides public school.

Пoka! Bye!

2008-07-08T15:08:00.005-04:00

My Back-To-School Wishes

I'm returning to school this year as an upperclassman, and with that in mind, I'm hoping to lend a higher level of class to my wardrobe when I go shopping for new clothes this month.

It's very likely that my budget won't be huge this year, so I'll probably end up buying as much as I can from thrift stores. However, I have a couple of special things in mind from some of my favorite stores, like Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe and Papaya.

I'm very serious about investing in a look that is much more feminine, and more mature, but still very sweet. So the bulk of what I'm buying will be tailored skirts and blouses and cozy cardigans, with a couple of dresses and pegged pants thrown in. I'm having a difficult time deciding how much money to set aside for these sorts of things.

I've fallen in love with these shoes:

2008-07-08T11:40:00.002-04:00

Recipe For a Sweet, Inexpensive Facial Masque

Ingredients

8 ounces filtered water
1 package of instant oatmeal (try a flavoured variety for a pleasant smell)
2 tablespoons organic honey

Directions

1. In a microwave or on a stovetop, heat your water for about two minutes.
2. Stir in the oatmeal until a paste develops.
3. Slowly add honey while stirring.
4. Chill the mixture until it reaches a comfortable, slow-running temperature. (You want it to cool for a while so that it does not slide off of your face)
5. Spread the masque evenly over your face, and leave it on for about fifteen minutes.
6. When you are ready to take it off, gently massage it into your skin for a few moments first. This will cause the oatmeal to gently slough off any dead skin cells, effectively exfoliating your face.
7. Rinse your face with warm water and gently pat it dry with a clean cloth.

2008-07-01T11:50:00.000-04:00

My Playlist for July

Young Love - Find A New Way
Rooney - Simply Because
The Strokes - You Only Live Once
The Unicorns - I Was Born (A Unicorn)
Shout Out Louds - Hurry Up Let's Go
Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland, 1945
Klaxons - Golden Skans
Bombay Bicycle Club - Open House
Okkervil River - Unless It's Kicks
Eagles of Death Metal - Miss Alissa
The Boy Least Likely To - I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes
Architecture In Helsinki - Frenchy, I'm Faking
Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down
The Kooks - You Don't Love Me
The Fashion - Letters From The Ambulance
The Blow - Parentheses
Modest Mouse - Float On

2008-06-14T09:36:00.002-04:00

Le Traitement Étonnant de Lèvre

For lips that are so amazingly soft that you start touching them whenever you are bored, try this treatment. It should take only ten minutes at the most.

After you brush your teeth in the nighttime, many people will say, just use your regular toothbrush and continue brushing on your lips to exfoliate them. Not only is this very uncomfortable, it leaves your lips raw and sore and, um, very ugly. You'll probably wake up with atrocious red scabby lips the next day. Ew.

You do need to exfoliate them, but you have to be gentle, and very careful. First, get a new toothbrush that you'll use only for your lips. Chances are you have an extra one lying around somewhere. Press the tips of the bristles into some petroleum jelly (Vaseline is good for this), and in a smooth, circular motion, gently brush your lips. This should cause you no discomfort at all. It should be pleasant. If it isn't, you are doing something wrong. If you haven't any petroleum jelly, I've read that olive oil and baby oil are good alternatives. (Just make sure you don't get any on the skin around your lips - gross!)

Also, before you go to sleep, put a small dot of mild-formula moisturizer on the tip of your finger and massage it into your lips until it stops being white. For extra pillow-soft oomph, swipe a thick layer of moisturizer across those puppies before you pass out so it soaks into your lips overnight.

To maintain the amazing feeling, use a protective lip balm with some SPF and a yummy flavor during the day.