How Erudite of Us

Today was the Brother's prom night, so we dolled him up and took a bazillion pictures. He was very patient, in his schmancy tux. A year ago, I was going to my senior prom... wow. That's kinda daunting. Only a year-- I feel like it's been so much longer...

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But this morning, before that, Shrewd took us over to David's Bridal so she could try on bridesmaid's dresses. I have to say, there is no place on earth with more estrogen than a bridal shop. Build-A-Bear pales in comparison, even. There were four males in the entire shop; one worked there and looked very effeminate, and the other three were nursing.

I've decided that the thing for me to do is have a Roman wedding. Girls get Grecian dresses, very pretty, guys wear togas and get to carry weaponry because that's the only way you get a guy into a toga when he's not going to get plastered with his frat, and at the reception, couches instead of normal chairs. Awesome, no?

Come on, TOGA WEDDING. How can you go wrong?

(PLus, togas are MUCH less expensive than tuxedos.)

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This evening, Mummy, Daddy, Shrewd and I went out to dinner and then to see Shrek III, which was not as good as either of the previous Shreks, but I hesitated to see Pirates because there was talk, a while back, of me and Ryter seeing that together.

But while the movie was bad, we had a very interesting conversation on the subject of weddings, specifically the cost (Daddy thinks he has to pay the full cost of my wedding, to which I said, "I'll pay at least half" and Mummy said, "You may not be able to afford it" and I said, "If I can't afford it I'm clearly not ready to get married," meaning, if I feel the need to have an extravagant wedding despite being unable to afford one I'm clearly not ready for the financial responsibilities that come hand-in-hand with getting married and potentially having children).

The talk of weddings must have annoyed Daddy (well, specifically, the fact that I was saying that I wouldn't let him buy me a house as a wedding gift [he was probably joking, but it's the idea that he feels the need to provide a wedding and gifts as a sort of dowry] and Shrewd said she didn't intend to marry at all), because he changed the subject, and we started talking about religion via a question about Ryter's last name.

Now, follow me here... Ryter has a very Jewish last name... my mom then made fun of me and my sister for "always chasing the Jewish boys" (not fair, Shrewd's at Brandeis, that's all there IS)... I pointed out that he's just Jewish in lineage, but actually Buddhist... she began to pepper me with questions about Buddhism. Because you KNOW dating a person makes you an expert on their religion, I mean really.

Still, we wound up having a very insightful, intellectual conversation on literalism in the Bible, mistranslations, the original texts and the omitted ones, like the Book of Esther, I think it was, which was apparently too feminist for Peter-- and how all of this has led my father to view the Bible as a whole with a skeptic's eye. He's Christian, but he understands other influences on the Bible. It was just the sort of insightful conversation we used to have around the dinner table before we started having dinner around the coffee table, watching TV.

"An important person will offer you support."

100th Post! WOOOOOOO! Parrrrrrr-tay!

Okay, done now.

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Today is the Regifugium, an annual holiday commemorating the flight of the last king of Rome, Tarquinius.

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You can tell I got distracted talking to Writer Guy again because Mistake's not even here and I'm posting wicked late on a Saturday night. Hell, I've posted wicked late most nights this week. Honestly, we start talking and we don't stop until someone has to go do something, like sleep or host a party. This is him. I don't host parties. My room is about 15 ft by 10 ft. Vastly impractical party-having space.

Besides, I have what, five friends? Six, maybe?

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Mummy and Daddy came up to take me to eat seafood at Newick's again (if you go there, get the butterfly shrimp scampi. Trust me), and to go see Agamemnon. Agamemnon was interesting. I actually didn't like it as well as Electra, because Electra had music and singing and the punk theme was really fun. Agamemnon was a post-WWII theme, with Agamemnon as the returning war hero. The chorus was done as the press, and though I disliked their chanting, it worked okay when they talked alone.

There was also lots of kissing. The herald kissed two different female reporters. Or maybe it was the same one twice and I wasn't paying enough attention (She was rather startled the first time. Which leads me to think he grabbed the wrong girl and made up for it the second time. Or he just likes kissing). Then Agamemnon kissed Clytemnestra like four times. Then Cassandra once. Then Clytemnestra again. Twice. And then at the end, Aegisthus kissed Clytemnestra a couple times. There was much exchange of spit. I think if someone had mono on that cast, it would have been disastrous.

Also when the herald first came out, he was talking and praising the gods and he totally did this "Hermesss... god of heraaaaalds..." bit, a bit like saying "you da maaaaaaaaan" that was HILARIOUS. I think all prayer should start with a "you da maaaaaaan!" -esque greeting.

And when Clytemnestra hit the floor and wrapped her arms around Agamemnon's legs, he jumped back a bit, in character, but slightly out in the sense that the rush was probably more due to the dangerous proximity her head was to smacking right into his crotch.

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I made the mistake of mentioning that someone was reading my writing, thus inspiring me to write more, to my folks. My mother drew out the story of Writer Guy and she was way too interested in the matter. Though she at least dropped it when I said "I doubt he's interested in me, I'm thinking friends here." Daddy? Not so much. For a dad who should be protective of his daughters, he is very pushy about the "you should be in a relationship! you should talk to guys!" bit.

Then he switched to lecturing me about writing, and different stuff I should do to improve it, most of which I either knew, or thought was vastly impractical and didn't make sense for my genres anyway.

Grr.


Oh. This I thought was HILARIOUS. And appropriate to today's blog.

I'm an Expert Kisser

I'm a kissing pro, but it's all about quality and not quantity. I've perfected my kissing technique and can knock anyone's socks off. And I'm adaptable, giving each partner what they crave. When it comes down to it, my kisses are truly unforgettable. I must be a natural, then, because I sure ain't been doing much kissin' in this lifetime!

What Kind of Kisser Are You?

"Explore your own world by working together with your friends."

Today is the Caristia, or the Caro Cognito. It's actually a kinda cool holiday, all about reunion with your families. Even the most workaholic fathers spent time with their kids. It was sort of a relaxing, non-religious holiday, a break from all the other holidays.

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So... oh my god. I saw Sophocles' Electra tonight, performed by the Drama department. First thing I have to say: They did a really good job. No one tripped over lines except once, and I forgive Orestes on account of him practically spewing in his rage against the establishment.

Because it was punk rock Sophocles.

I have to say, the girl playing Electra was impressive. She definitely pulled it off. She even managed to scream in time to music without it sounding like she was just being a punk rocker. Or screamo. Clytemnestra wasn't as good at that, because she didn't have as much as a range in her screams. Chorus was also impressive, although there was one girl whose operatic soprano made me cringe. Opera, punk rock, and Greek tragedy all together is stretching it a bit.

But oh my GOD the clothes.

At first there was Orestes' shirtless friend, with funny straps across his chest; that wasn't too bad. Then there was the poofy halter top worn by a chorus member, and the odd hair colors-- but I could tolerate that. Then Chrysothemis, Electra's sister, came out in thigh-high black boots with three-inch-platforms and a swath of pink gauze attached to a black pleather bra that she was perilously close to falling out of.

That was pretty bad, but it was nothing compared to what was to come... In the last scene, the usurper king, Aegisthus, returns home and Orestes murders him. So I figured we'd be treated to another mesh shirt or pants that are quite clearly going to interfere with future reproductive capabilities.

But no.

Aegisthus was wearing a bright neon-green and black striped jumpsuit. And a belt for a tie. No, not a tie for a belt-- he had a studded belt strapped around his neck, so the long end formed a tie. It was so ridiculous that I quite nearly burst into raucous laughter right in the midst of the performance.

Priceless.

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Other than that, my day has been a mixed bag... on the one hand, I cried in front of Group, which was bad and stupid and I hate doing stuff like that, I hate crying in front of people.

On the other, Writer Guy (Mistake called him Facebook Guy but I think Writer Guy works better) and I are getting together to go get lunch next week.

First person to make fun of me DIES. Or... doesn't get a cookie. At least.

I Have a Phlegmatic Temperament

Mild mannered and laid back, I take life at a slow pace.Maybe. Sometimes. I am very consistent - both in emotions and actions. I guess that's kinda true. I tend to absorb set backs easily. I am cool and collected. Aaaaand all accuracy is lost... It is difficult to offend me. Yes. I can remain composed and unemotional. Er-- no. I am a great friend and lover. I don't demand much of others. Sounds reasonable enough. While I am quiet, I have a subtle wit that my friends know well. What is this "subtlety" of which you speak? At my worst, I am lazy and unwilling to work at anything. True. I often get stuck in a rut, without aspirations or dreams. Not so true. I can get too dependent on others, setting myself up for abandonment.I don't really know. I think so.

What Temperment Are You?