Christmas 2005

Chances are many of you, if any, won't read this post, unless you're reading a couple posts behind the posting...or something.

Merry Christmas. Happy New Year will happen, well, at the new year. But for now Merry Christmas, and God bless you all.

Two Days 'til Christmas

There are two days in between today and Christmas Day. That'll be the day I get to get up at 5:00 AM, ride with my parents up to Washington (Olympia to be exact, as I recall) and hang out there all day doing Christmas things with the extended Lower side of the family, then ride back down that same day. Should be fun, actually. I'm going to be taking the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to read on the recommendation of a UP friend, and I'll be taking A Prayer for Owen Meany to read when that's finished with.

Honestly, Christmas is so close, but it doesn't feel so close just yet. Maybe because I felt when I got out of school after Fall Semester that I had a longer break, or something. Oh well.

Any commentators got an issue to bring up? I don't mean personal issues, but political/religious/social ones...Feel free to bring one up, as I'm outta topics for right now. I'll post something about Alice when I'm done reading it.

Good day and God bless.

Finals Are Over

Finals are over. I've moved into Christie Hall from Kenna Hall. It's been an interesting last week of the first semester. Honestly, I don't have too much to say at this point. It'll be a good next semester living on the same floor as...well, as a bunch of people I know. I don't have much to say right now...Good day and God bless.

D.Lo Responds to Post Comments (Part 54)

Welcome to another edition of the post-where-I'm-just-resonding-to-post-comments.

d r w said: Sometimes I think DSL is "LSD" backwards for a reason...Great Blog D-lo. How about a new top five...top five Chesterton Quotations anyone?

Heh. Actually, I sometimes marvel at the different acronyms that can be made with those letters. For instance "DLS" (De La Salle, an often used abbreviation for my high school, "De La Salle North Catholic") or "LDS" (the Mormon church.) There's probably one for each permutation (one for each possible arrangement of the letters)...there are six permutations, leaving two two be found...That'll be covered later. As for Chesterton quotations...I'm not sure I could pick just five, but if you can tell me via comment, I suppose.

k-po said: i have a trolling story - uncle scott asked me one sunday if i was trolling for men since i had taken a shower that sunday. what kind of thing is that to say to a mother of 2. i told him my sisters would kill me if i considered "trolling" so i need to wait until my boys are grown - then it is "trolling away" kind of like anchors away - i will be off and trolling - watch out men she's trolling....again. what a troll.

That's awesome...Kinda mean, though, yeah. And yeah, your sisters probably would kill you...they tend to be vicious like that. (j/k). Thanks for making me laugh, k-po. How are the boys anyways? I will probably be able to hang over break, or something. (But don't worry, it won't be a hangover break.)

And now for a question for the commentors/readers: Does anyone have the words (serious words, not just fillers) to fill in the acronyms SDL and SLD?

Trolling

So, in the last post I was talking about how I was at the Cove at 1:00 AM studying. I actually went longer, and including distractions (i.e. people around, and people back in Kenna) I wound up going to bed around 3:30 AM.

nana said: why are you out of your room at 1;00 a.m.? you may say it is for studying but i don't buy that. Your are trolling, man. admit it.

love you anyway

I actually got curious as to what nana meant by "trolling," so I did a google define. Trolling is defined by google (type in "define: " to see!) as one of the following:

a) Providing people with false information in order to get help from people who want to give it.
b) Fishing with "an array of baited lines or lures behind the boat.”
c) Starting trouble on Internet message boards.
d) Doing LSD.

I’m guessing you didn’t mean b), because although it is called the Cove it is quite inland. I'm going to guess you meant d). Not to worry, not too many drugs to be had on/around the UP campus--but I do know of places I could go to if I wanted some beer. (And no, I won't doing that either.)

At the Cove

Can't post long. I'm at the Pilot House working on Physics. Just thought I should post something b/c I am checking e-mail(s)/Facebook. Nothing new, really.

This is why you start Physics homework earlier.

The Things I'll Never Learn (Part 5000)

Welcome to this installment of The Things I'll Never Learn--those life lessons that you know pretty much from the start, or from some point in your life, but that you have to keep realizing, because they keep escaping you. In this installment is:

Never take anyone for granted. There are a myriad of reasons for this lesson. This posting in particular is brought on by my Mom's recent time in the hospital (not serious, but still) which reminded me that I often take for granted that people will be there, and that's not really the case...Of course my Mom isn't the only one I've taken for granted, but that's hte example I present here. Never take anyone for granted.

As far as things I'll never learn go, that one's...well, it's definitely on the list.

Five Favorite Songs, Anyone?

You know that/those song(s) that you listen to, and when you're listening to it you don't want to miss a single note, beat, measure, line, etc? The ones that you marvel over, and listen to a million times, and hear the different instruments in? You have a "top five"? I'm not sure if I do really, but I'll make an attempt to define what my top five are:

Jars of Clay - Fade to Grey: A song that's good for when I'm sad or happy and is a great song to worship with. Awesome vocal line, and the way all the instruments come together is awesome. And the bassline rules, especially near the end.

The Echoing Green - She's Gone Tragic: An electronica peice that uses the title's "she" as a parallel to the greater humanity--and suggests that we all need to "stumble into the Light." Good bass, great synths, and a song that I would dance to if DJs only had the courage to play it.

Delirious? - Deeper: Probably my favorite worship song that was written, more directly, as a worship song. It rocks out while speaking, like the first two, to humanity's need of God. Fun to sing and edifying.

Headslider - Trouble on Your Mind: Unlike the rest of the list, it's not a peice of "Christian music"--but it makes the list because of its incredible groove and good vocals, and because the bassist was able to go from playing for an almost drum'n'bass style back to old jazzy-swingy bass, and back again.

Fold Zandura - Return: It makes me want to dance, or something, even though it's poppy-quasi-hard rock. It seems to be dealing with the themes of salvation and even the final completion we will have in God, after we're gone from the earth. The way in which the guitars work together I find intriguing.

So here's my question--and give your reasons for each if you can--what're your top five songs of all time? My list happens to have worked out mostly in the "Christian" subculture of music, but I certainly don't expect anyone else's to. Good day and God bless.

Math Tests and Shakespearean Sonnets

Just to warn the parents of the blogger, the first paragraph is going to hit a bit hard. Know that I'm going to start devising some uber-review method for the Calculus and Physics finals sometiem this week(end). Why? Because I got a math test back today. It wasn't a good Calc class, if for no other reason than that I got that test back. I got a 76%. At least it's no lower than the last grade. You're wondering what could hit harder than that? Err, well, this doesn't hit harder, but it's still kinda sad: The Class Average was a 70%. Which means even with a C, I'm above the average. :\ Remind me not to complain about that solid B I'm getting in Orr's English class, and how I haven't yet gotten higher on one of his (graded-beyond-participation) assignments. The worst thing is how much of this 76% wasn't not-studying even but was stupid mistakes. Like forgetting that I have a term with a coefficient of 5, and leaving the 5 out of the answer. I still need to study more, but part of it's that bad habit of not checking for stupid mistakes. Both things to do on the final.

I'm going to answer a comment from k-po now, because it'll make me feel smarter.

k-po said: Tell me what [terza rima] means

I'm really psyched to answer this because it proves Terza rima is a poem with an interlocking rhyme scheme, known as the rhyme scheme employed in Dante's The Divine Comedy. It goes as follows:

a
b
a

b
c
b

c
d
c

And so on. I'm not sure quite how it's supposed to end, though. Perhaps with a heroic couplet. As for the other form it gave you--the sonnet--there's the English / Shakespearean Sonnet and the Italian Sonnet. An English Sonnet is 14 lines with the rhyme scheme:

a
b
a
b
c
d
c
d
e
f
e
f
g
g

The rhyme schemes vary except for the couplet at the end. I believe it's also written in iambic pentameter. While there's no set way that the poem presents its problem or its solution, often the entire poem presents some problem which the heroic couplet at the end resolves. Shakespeare's "My mistress's eyes..." is an example of a Shakespearean Sonnet.

In an Italian Sonnet, also in iambic pentameter, the form is as such:

a
b
b
a
a
b
b
a
c
d
c
d
c
d

In an Italian Sonnet, the problem is traditionally presented in the first eight lines and solved in the last six. Mark Jarman's "Unholy Sonnet" is an example of an Italian Sonnet. The rhyme scheme does not vary. (I did have to look up the sonnets section to remember some of the rhyme scheme things.)

Hope that helps. Good day and God bless.