The Girl

A soft vibrant nymph,
gently breathing through lips sweet.
Head peeked out at a fast pace,
scarf dripping from her hair.
Pink arm,
petting a blossom that matched her
cheeks.
Would that I could take
a stance with her,
Learn her joyous dance from her.
She smiles on what is good,
comforts all that should be.
A kind word, a girlish blush,
an innocence beyond the common reckoning;
Sneered upon by many,
yet coveted by all.

For Ashley

A Solitary hand,
coaxing the musty reverberations of wood.
An enlightened soul,
surfacing in a plaintive melody.
Sustaining, now staccatto, always swaying,
swaying to the rhythm of a poet's heartbeat.
Oh, the Solitary Hand,
bravely wielding this instrument
of temporary death.

In the room of silence,
a condescending smile closes the open door.
Steady and undying cries pervade the corridors.
They are trying to get in.
The unwanted,
those of shattered hopes,
grope for the light of truth.
Deep in the recesses of time
the groans come:
'Feed us,
else we wither.'
Who will heed the open mouths
of ignorance,
of despair?
Will no one give them the answer they seek?
The room darkens,
but the voices do not fade with the light.
On and on they beg,
for nourishment,
for balance,
for Hope.

My night there is over.
I have heard their outcries.
And I will quench them.

AhhhhHh!!

Lately, I've been just pleh. No, I don't feel horribly ugly, or even fat :D, but utterly worthless!! It's positively the most horrid thing EVER!!!!! The worst thing of it is, I know it's just my blasted pride! Of course I'm good at some things. everyone IS!! But just because you're good, doesn't mean you have to be the best! And that's what my problem is; always comparing, analyzing, making assessments and getting depressed when I fall short.
It's not because of me that I have any capabilities at all, anyway! So why do I feel like I have to live up to other's expectations of how well I do things? Or live up to my own? <--This I think is normal, but not to be so pre-occupied with it, as I unwillingly have been.

Part of the reason? I've been spending rather large amounts of time alone. where I don't really talk and get away from....well, me. Haven't been my normal happy jovial lately, and that is slightly worrying. Ha! Proof that self-centeredness is truly depressing.

My HEro!

My English prof, in answer to my growing concern of sterile writing, commanded me (rather forcefully in fact) to go out and get myself a Mr. Potato Head. *imagine blank stare, jawbones slightly ajar* She says I am to find random things in my room, write each on a slip of paper, and stick them all in Mr. PH. Everyday I pull one out and make myself write about it. A disciplinary tactic, I would assume. I am just tempted to try it. hmmm, I would definitely have something 'interesting' to put here, wouldn't I?

Literature

In my mind, Literature isn’t just a bunch of sentences written by who-knows-what hand and randomly published because it contains a lot of big words. To lawfully earn this title, there must be some element in the writing style; some streak that sets it apart from the rest of the written litter that sadly pollutes our libraries. Literature is something written, yes, and something read, but it’s also something that endures. Standing the test of time, there are the classics that have been with us nearly forever. Shakespeare, Dickens, Longfellow and Austen are household names for most of us. Their legacy of writing excellence is one of our greatest cultural treasures. But it is not after these pieces have lasted for centuries that we say, “ah, their work is great”. The moment one reads “Great Expectations”, for example, he doesn’t need to be told that it’s been proclaimed for 140 years steady. The way it was written, the manner in which it takes you up and fills your soul, was meant to last. It’s automatic. Even in today’s writing, this is the exact thing that separates the good from the bad; will it endure? Does it have the juice necessary to carry it through the deeps of history and back again? This, and only this, is worthy to be called ‘Literature’.

But why does true Literature survive and maintains it’s fresh and unstudied sparkle? Partly, I think, because it is truthful. It teaches us about the depth of human nature. And when reading it, man derives something of worth applicable to himself and his station in life. He can see life on the full scale, through another’s eyes, and it’s fulfilling. Not only is Literature honest, but it tells its truths in an expressive and passionate style. You yearn to read on and on, to explore the secrets seen and told only through the narrator. When an author has achieved this goal and infected others with his ingenuous enthusiasm, he has written a slice of immortality.

See what extensive branches there are in Literature; fiction (which may not be truthful in fact, but is in principle), poetry, journalism, mythology, memoirs, history. All of these strictly follow the theory stated above to the letter. If it’s truthful, expressive and filled with spirit, it will last through the ages, no question about it... That’s what I call Literature.

I have just been informed via junk mail from 'IM Dating', that "women are looking for me"... maybe I'll just keep hiding.

The Catholic Card

All this business about Samuel Alito is driving me completely batty. I mean, so the man is Catholic; is this now a crime in America? What is it exactly that everyone fears about this guy? The abortion shot didn't work, so now it's on to the religion. What ever happened to "non-discrimination", might I ask???? What's with all this talk about a "Catholic Majority in the Senate"? Well, what about a Protestant Majority? This has never been a concern. How can they even make this a big deal? Needless to say, it's all very frustrating; it'd just be nice if our judicial officials would decide whether the rules apply or not.


Official Disclaimer: The author of this post is not in any way, shape, or form affiliated with said judicial candidate, nor does she profess any opinion as to his personal or political worth. There, I've covered myself, so don't sue me.

No More

I have nothing whatever to put here. No inspiration, and positively no confidence. Two slams in one week is plenty. I'm putting you on hold.

Last night I was pleased to discover that there still exists a breed of objective and compassionate reporters in our US, whose real intent is to give an unobstructed, truthful view of their subject matter. Martin Bashir pulled off an excellent report last night on Nightline, discussing abortion and the trade-off of life, face-to-face with one termed "the Abortionist of Arkansas". It was the first I'd ever seen of this journalist, and I was wholly impressed by Bashir's concerned, straightforward and totally objective manner. It was consoling to see this in the present, corrupted, agenda-pushing world of broadcasting.

You mean, my raggy baggy jeans don't cut it???

I come back to school and cringe. Is it just Americans or do all people nowadays have no sense of class or decorum? Or is it honestly that hard to get dressed in the morning that you're wearing sweats to school? I mean, really. Our professors at least make an effort to look presentable; normally a dress shirt, sometimes even dress pants. Hey, get this: I have one prof. whom I have never seen without a TIE!!!!!! In my opinion, school, especially college, is a profession. So please, please, try to be semi-professional about it. Give the same courtesy to your instructors as you expect from them. This is your job at the moment; treat it that way.

Another thing. It is considered disrespectful and out of order if a professor speaks badly to his peers about his students. But why is this permissable from the other side? They deserve every respect and consideration from us. It's a joint journey here. You can't just take take take. Remember, they don't have to teach us. Give your professor the luxury of an unsullied reputation at least, and keep the little teeny, unimportant annoyances to yourself!!! Unless something is seriously wrong, there is no reason to bring it up to people. Okay? Oh, btw, if anyone of you finds me guilty of doing this same thing, I personally give you permission to hit me. Thank you.

You're just so Sanguine!

This is the most annoying thing to hear from melancholics, or sometimes more fittingly called lemoncholics. Honestly, just because someone has a fun-loving personality, and a crazy, spontaneous side, one is not to presume that that individual has no capacity for deep, poetic thought. It just peeves me to think that when I say something silly or -ridiculously- romantic I will hear those melancholics about me quote the over-classic "Sara, you're so sanguine", in the most drawled out and patronizing manner. Well, yes I am sanguine, and ok with it!!! And here is another eye opener for all you mellies: I can and do observe, reason, make assessments and hold my own in an argument. Furthermore, I enjoy doing these things. How would you melancholics out there like to hear "hehe, I just get a kick out of you cuz you're so melancholic" every single time you're in a moody mood? or crack out the incessant dry humor? or fail to see the humor altogether? huh?
Now I am finished. I'll post this, and delete it within three days because after rereading it I'll realize it's too strongly and passionately written. But that's only because I'm so darn sanguine.

The Long Awaited...

Okay all, I'm about to present my dearly beloved essay on Capital Punishment to you. I have thought a long time about allowing outsiders to see my young 'child' but after much consideration, I've decided that you are all semi-nice people ;P and it can't do much harm. Here goes, Persuasion essay for English. ::::::::::::::


For the last three centuries, there has been ceaseless conflict regarding the legitimacy of the death penalty. Some say it is too harsh and barbaric; others rejoin that it has its place and should indeed be used when appropriate. I cast my lot with the latter, and further, I contend that capital punishment is absolutely necessary for the survival of the justice system and maintaining a sense of guilt in the American people. Justice demands serious, permanent action to be taken against grave offenders, that victims of crime should be granted full compensation, and that others be deterred from committing similar crimes by example of the punishment sentenced to previous transgressors. No other form of punishment satisfies these requirements; not parole, manual labor, fines or even life in prison. Only the death penalty has what is necessary to serve justice in severe cases. This statement can be proved logically, legally, historically, and from a religious point of view.

Firstly, consider what justice is; it is the rendering of all that is due in a particular, individual circumstance. When a crime is committed, a burglary, for example, it is imperative that the criminal reimburse all money stolen and the value of what inconvenience his crime caused; this much is commonplace. When a man is guilty of slander, pilfering public funds, or any such offence, there must be a public retraction or repayment, but also some service to the public at large. This could take the form of community work, personally repairing the damage, fines, or short imprisonment. The punishment must fit the crime, however; no lesser and no greater. This is what justice means.

But here I have spoken of minor offenses. The perpetrators now mentioned, if justly sentenced, would assuredly learn from their mistakes and cease to violate the law. Certainly a death sentence has no place among petty theft and character assassination. Its place lies with murder, rape, child molestation, and inexorable felons; those who have committed crimes too great or numerous to remunerate in a single lifetime. Not all crimes can be repaid in the same manner in which they were committed. One cannot subject the offender to the same atrocities that he himself is guilty of. Knowing what vile crimes there are, this would be inhumane and a total conflict of interest. The only just action in the case of murder and brutal behavior is to take the offender’s life, the instrument with which he destroyed the life of another. As for those with innumerable offenses, after 176 years in prison their debt to society may be paid, but no felon will live that long, and his debt would go unpaid. This is unjust. The death penalty is also for those irreformable criminals who are a constant threat to the general welfare. Even persons opposed to the use of capital punishment grant this. “The death of a citizen cannot be necessary, but in one case. When, though deprived of his liberty, he has such power and connections as may endanger the security of the nation….” (Cesare Beccaria).

Human life is of infinite value and an absolute right; thus the constitution, government and judicial courts have always stated, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 3), and if one individual steals this divine right from a fellow citizen, he consequently forfeits his own claim to life; he pays for the life he took, with his own. “If you kill another, you kill yourself” (Immanuel Kant). This is the only way human life receives its full value, and the sole manner in which the victim can receive absolute justice and therefore be ‘avenged’. To assign merely a life sentence to a murderer is to cheapen the worth of innocent life; it is to put taking innocent life on the level of robbery and drug dealing. Furthermore, if death were not the punishment for such crimes as murder, think how many more killings and violent crimes we would face. What would there be to stop criminals in their tracks? Surely not life imprisonment; only so many life sentences can be heaped on one offender. Come on, what’s one more? This is no threat to prospective murderers. The fact is that the sentence of execution deters potential lawbreakers from criminal behavior.

Some say that the death penalty is unconstitutional, violating the eighth and fourteenth amendments on cruel and unusual punishment. However, the American justice system doesn’t think that claim to be true. In the case of Trop v. Dulles, (356, U.S.), Mr. Chief Justice Warren stated:
“Whatever arguments may be against capital punishment, both on moral grounds and in terms of accomplishing the purposes of punishment… the death penalty has been employed throughout our history, and, in a day when it is still widely accepted, it cannot be said to violate the constitutional concept of cruelty”.

And refusing a review in the death penalty case, Callins v. Collins, Justice Antonin Scalia confirmed that:
“The Fifth Amendment provides that ‘[n]o persons shall be held to answer for a capital…crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury…nor be deprived of life…without due process of law’. This clearly permits the death penalty to be imposed and establishes beyond doubt that the death penalty is not one of the ‘cruel and unusual punishments’ prohibited by the Eighth Amendment” (Congressional Quarterly Researcher, Vol. 5, No. 9).

Another reason for the preservation of the death penalty is that of its lengthy existence and success. Capital punishment has been employed as a deterring means for centuries, and from this fact it can be deduced that this form of punishment is effectual and does indeed have value. Obviously it works, or it would have been abandoned long ago. But, even if it didn’t work in deterring other criminals, it has still protected countless innocent persons from potential harm. John McAdams makes a very good point:
“If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murderers, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former”.

There is a also religious side of this debate about capital punishment. Is the death penalty moral? Is it ethical to take the life of a murderer, ever? even if it be to prevent further crimes? The Bible, the highest written authority in the Christian world, says yes. It is written, “Whosoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed: for man was made to the image of God” (Gen. 9:6) and “wrongdoers thou shalt not suffer to live” (Ex. 22:18). It does not mean that the ordinary citizens can go around avenging their lost ones. This condemnation is to be exercised by the government. This is shown if you read further, “For [the ruler] is God’s minister to thee, for good. But if thou do that which is evil, fear: for he beareth not the sword in vain. For he is God’s minister: an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil” (Romans 13:4). It’s interesting to note that the passage says ‘sword’, the instrument of execution; this obviously refers to capital punishment.

It’s also worthy of notice that, perhaps surprisingly, the majority of Americans support the death penalty. A poll taken by ABC News/Washington Post of 1082 adults in April of 2005 shows that 65% of Americans favor the death penalty for convicted murderers; 29% opposed, 6% undecided. And for the abduction and murder of children, a whopping 71% feel that the death penalty should be mandatorily sentenced, as shown in a 2002 Fox News poll of 900 adults nationwide (see citations). We can see that it’s a minority that opposes capital punishment; being a democracy, America is therefore pro death penalty.

So it is seen that capital punishment is necessary for justice to be served in grave cases, for the dignity of the victim to be protected, and for the discouragement of future crimes. Furthermore, the constitution and judicial courts, the Bible and the majority of Americans, condone the legality of the death penalty, as well as our ancestors from centuries ago. With these facts in mind, it’s hard to suppose that even a 29% can be in opposition to the historic means of punishment here considered.

In an Irrational World

My reflections today lead me in the way of conflicting arguments; how people often claim one stance, but simultaneously hold view on another topic that completely contradicts the principle involved in the former. I know you're dying for examples... Certain individuals state that the death penalty is wrong, ruthless and disrespectful to human life. I can see how people have this view of it; not my own but at least, it's understandable. What boggles me, is these same people are pro-abortion!! Apparently, the only human life of value must be outside the womb. If someone hits you, oh, that's abuse. Sue them, why not? You'd probably win. But the unborn? Nah, you can mutilate their young bodies, discard their very souls with no qualms of conscience. And how is this manner of death any more humane than the other?? I mean, really, killing a being before he's had a chance to see his mother's face. Even a convicted felon on death row is allowed his last words. Are our smallest innocent citizens to be refused their first?

The Best Things about Writing College Essays

1) it's convenient way to formulate your thoughts and prove a point; 2) you can come down as hard as you need to in your arguments; it's your 'right', and hey, just get it out of your system cuz profs love strong papers; 3) you know at least one person will read it; 4) chances are, you'll express your idea well and get a good grade. As proof of these statements, an example. I recently wrote a very short essay on the differences between man and woman, emotionally and in society. It was the easiest thing; decide what aspects you want to examine, divide it up into successive points and write. Just spill out what you've been dying to shout out at your fellow students for weeks! :D As a result, my prof told me to go into journalism. Needless to say this surprised me; until I proof-read my neighbor's draft essay. Thank God for a cultured education! that's all I can say. But that is for another post.

So life continues after the weekend. Being in college puts a whole new light on things. I find it interesting that suddenly there is more responsibility, but at the same time, you get away with more. You have to get your assignments done on time, you are held accountable for your actions, but then there is this stereotype that all college students are party animals who are incapable of creditable work. Sorta weird.

Ever wondered just what you are doing with your life? I mean, here I am at 9am on a Monday morning, on a computer listening to the West Side Story soundtrack waiting for classes to start. What the heck am I working for? I have an answer, thank God. But all throughout campus, there are students who have no clue what life is about, much less what they want to do with theirs. What GOD wants them to do. Man, how depressing. I have to stop.

"The most beautiful sound I ever heard. Maria."

In choir, we are now working on the Lord Nelson Mass, by Franz Haydn. It's so magnificent. I feel like a cheater, in a way, not having to learn the Latin. But it soon swells to pride at the mystique and grandeur of the Catholic culture, of which we Americans have no conception. I am so going to Europe. Don't know when, but I'm going.

Avid Lotr Rebirth

Okay, so I've been wasting too much of my time on the computer lately..... but I have found some of the awesomest ;P sites! Go here for a good laugh. I found them highly amusing. Must say I'm now obsessed with Wilbur.

I got a haircut on Tuesday. Why are certain hair types so frizzy? shucks! But I got up early this morning to put curlers in. The frizz is okay now. wait til tomorrow.
Early mornings don't agree with me. Maybe I don't agree with them. At any rate, our relationship is about to be terminated.
Survived yesterday; this is cause for rejoicing. Huge choral concert this weekend. very exited. I get to ride a bus. yea.

Latuh.

Fall is in there air everywhere here in western Minnesota. And my site looks autumny. yay! I'm working on a descriptive essay right now, on Memory. It's actually alot more difficult than it sounds. You have to explain the concept of memory, what it is and how it works and what it does, to someone who has never heard of it. yeah, interesting.
We have to do a poster for Cell Bio again. Rats! The draft is due next Wednesday. SO annoying! Don't get me wrong, I love the lecture, the professors and the learning. I just HATE THE LAB! No, I dislike it with a passion. :)
I'm debating whether or not I should go to English. It started at 2, but my paper' s not finished yet. I guess I could finish it, and get over there for the last half hour, but I'm at a dead end right now, mentally. Gosh, I hate that.

My life is pretty much on the up and up lately. Good things happen in bulk.

I survived the poster and essay due last week, actually caught up with French oooon..Monday, and I love my choir director. The concert on Tuesday was positively fanastic! All the choirs sang wonderfully and the soloists weren't too bad either *winkwink* I just can't express enough how awesome it is to be in an organized choir. Progress is bound to be made. And our director is the coolest!! He really understands the voice and how to use it most effectively. MAN, it's fun!

I have been recently told that I should seriously consider a writing career.
ME: WhAt? I don't even like writing! And I don't unless I have to.
Eng. Prof: Well, I never would have guessed, you put so much into it.
ME: Okay, I just had an opinion about that particular topic, that's why I wrote on it.
Eng. Prof: That's the way you should do it. There are only three people in this class I'm really pushing to go on with writing and you're one of them. You have the gift.
Isn't that weird? Gall, now I'm all jumbled again. I mean, I was gonna do massage next year, maybe cosmotology after that and then maybe go back for an English major. Go figure.
My voice teacher is pushing me too. I'm going to a voice competition the first weekend in November. It promises to be really exciting, and a great learning experience as well. Gosh, there is so much talent here at MSU; I feel very young.

Side note: Chicken Little opens on my birthday!!! Woohoo!

And the Boredom goes ON!

As you may suppose, I have nothing whatever to write here, random or no. You see me now in moment of mental frenzy, attempting to uncover some, however pointless, information from this over-used brain of mine. But none now avails itself to be found, so I leave you as ignorant as when you first arrived. Live well and don't forget to remind yourself of certain things you may not remember.