Okay, okay, I shall admit the irony about my previous post. I am still a teenager myself. But I don't scream.

On a better note, the Association for the Education of Jorunalism something-something-something is celebrating its 100th birthday today and had cake (a strawberry cake and a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing) out in the lobby of the comunications building. So I gave my last speech of the semester and then got cake! It made up for a lot of the high schooler idiocy.

The Jesus people were again not present. Perhaps the high schoolers scared them off. Or maybe they simply got tired of preaching to the squirrels...

The landscaping people are digging up the president's lawn again. Why are they doing that? It appears to have something to do with water lines, however. Does the lawn need a new sprinkler system?

Also, back to Paradise Lost, people were taking it far too seriously. One girl was quoting Genesis by chapter and verse. Really? You can definitely tell we are in the Bible Belt... Christian, a fellow Catholic, admitted to trolling the class about Milton being inspired and God not being perfect in trusting satan and commented that everyone's reaction was like, "18 Bibles being pulled out of thin air." Which is the most hilarious and most apt (aptest?) thing I have heard in a long time about Bible-thumpers...

Pardon me while I go laugh myself silly again...

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

Invaded by Screaming Teenagers

"GRRR! Too many high schoolers! Could not get lunch because of them!"

Seriously. We have been invaded. Inundated. Overwhelmed. Swamped. They are clueless (even more clueless than me) and annoying. A much better use for Portal e-mail instead of sending me messages begging me to join the Rugby Club would be to warn us all real college students when irreverent high schoolers invade.

On another note, today is my 220th post.

On another note, I went to the bathroom in the Guillot without Priscilla turning up to haunt me. Priscilla is the ghost of a girl who hung herself in O'Neal Hall, which was there before the Guillot was. Perhaps Priscilla is responsible for the insanely long lines... that might actually be a better method of haunting people.

In literature yesterday, we covered Paradise Lost. There were many sympathizers for satan in there. (No, I do not capitalize 'satan'. He isn't deserving of it.) They were debating many philosophical and theological points and I was scribbling counterpoints in my book- and I usually don't write in my books. It got so bad that people were suggesting that God prevented satan from repenting. Hello? The text said the fires of Hell inside satan prevented him from accepting repentance- that is, that an internal, not an external, force prevented him. I'm not even drawing on the Bible here, peoples!

My personal conspiracy theory: satan hijacked Paradise Lost (which means, I suppose, that he hijacked Milton) in order to have himself portrayed more admirably.

I make a very good conspiracy theorist, although I don't theorize about the usual things.

Also, the Jesus people weren't out on campus yesterday. It was a very nice change. I almost missed them. Today, however, high schoolers were screeching and hanging off the amphitheater... I'm not sure which is more annoying. There's a lot more high schoolers. But they're not handing out literature. On the other hand, they're everywhere...

Grr.

 

 

Can you tell that I found new Dwarf posters for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey? XD Of course I have. I found a very nice collection online, but what else would you expect from a website called www.thorinoakenshield.net? I have a VERY extensive collection of Dwarf pictures. I really don't have many of LOTR stuff in comparison. Seriously, I probably have more of Thorin than of anyone else individually. I'm not really sure how that came about... He isn't even my favorite character. It's probably simply because he is one of the main characters and so there is a lot of very nice art depicting him.

 

ANYWAY. In the above picture, that is Balin on the left and Dwalin on the right. I still think Balin looks a bit like Santa Claus. Without a moustache. And with a sword. Santa Claus who joined the "bikers' gang of Middle-earth", as the producers put it.

And this is Bombur, Bofur, and Bifur, from left to right. I just love Bofur's hat. I know I've mentioned it several times before, but it's just so adorkable!!!

And, no, I don't care that I've posted three Hobbit pictures in one day, since I have more than enough to last me until December 14th.

In other news (yet again), I have discovered the Official Fanfiction University of Middle-earth and the Protectors of the Plot Continuum. I have correspondingly developed an insane love of mini-Balrogs and Elrond. In fact, I think I am deciding that Elrond is my second favorite character of Middle-earth, right after Eomer. If I go insane enough, I will post fanart (not mine, of course) of LOTR charactesr from the Official Fanfiction University of Middle-earth in black leather. Seriously. People draw this. It's apparently called the Black Leather Alliance of Men and Elves. However, I love Elladan and Elrohir and Glorfindel, so I ain't complaining...

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

"Is that ANOTHER Dwarf I hear at my door?"

In other news, now that the premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has come and gone, reviews are leaking out onto the Internet. I am trying to avoid any further spoilers, especially about the plot, though I consider any pictures and stills fair game. I've heard there's a TV spot that shows Smaug's tail and leg, or something like that- bits and pieces of him, at any rate-, but I refuse to go look it up.

Goodness, it it just 15 days away?

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

And so am I.

I am also counting down the days until the end of the semester. Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... and then exams. I have three exams on Monday. However, one of them really doesn't count, and the other two are spaced far enough apart that I can study in between.

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

The thirst for secrets, by a kind of instinctual reaction, seems never to be stronger than in those eras when people appear to reject all mysteries.

 

– T. M. Doran

Honors Forum, 11/26/12

Tonight's speaker was Dr. Barry Morris, current councilman for District 6 of the City of Florence and a Professor Emeritus of Economics here at UNA. Hilariously, what he said to Dr. Brewton's mentioning of his political status was, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." Looks like someone's been reading up on their Ronald Reagan!

Dr. Morris was easily one of our more engaging and memorable speakers. He put a lot of energy and conviction into his talk, and he had a lot of great points to make, even if most of them concerned economics. I guess that's no surprise, when he taught it for over thirty years. I suppose he must get really annoyed at some people's financial decisions and wants to scream, "Economics do not work that way!" I know I want to yell stuff of that sort a lot, but it's usually versions like, "Science does not work that way," "You fail logic forever," and, "You fail history forever."

Speaker of which, maybe I should visit those lovable logic-less Jesus people again tomorrow and give them another run for their money...

ANYWAY. Back on track. Back on track. Dr. Morris said that, in order to love your neighbor as yourself, you have to love yourself first. That is a good point- and one that probably most of us have never stopped to consider before. (G. K. Chesterton would not approve of such thinking failure.) Dr. Morris said our responsibilities are first to those who are dependent upon us- our family- and we are to ensure that they are taken care of first before moving to take care of others. A principle of first and second things, really. In other words, we are to help other people from a position of strength.

Then commenced the economics lesson. Dr. Morris explained with a help of a handout and numbers why buying a Mustang right out of college is stupid, and why investing that money instead is a good idea. His style of diction throughout was very entertaining, such as when his sheet stated, "Crusing the mall is dangerous to your wealth," (good thing I avoid the mall like the plague, then!) and, "Buying beer and pretzels on your Visa card does not constitute proper use [of debt]."

To simplify, I was very surprised that the words "Dave Ramsey" were not brought up at some point during his talk, because everything he said was very much Dave-approved. And I approve of Dave in almost everything.

It is true; you really don't have to have it now. Delayed gratification is a great and important concept that more people need to learn. When I see something I like, one of the first questions I ask myself is, "What would I do with it?" That kills a lot of wants. For instance, while it would be incredibly awesome to have a full-size replica of Frodo's sword, Sting (yes, they sell them. They also sell full-size Andurils), I would do nothing with it. This probably explains why my Christmas list is pretty much limited to LEGO's and books... and a music CD or two... and a Hobbit poster...

NO! NO! BAD ELYSE! VERY BAD! YOU PROMISED YOURSELF YOU WOULD NOT TALK ABOUT THE HOBBIT ON THIS LAST OFFICIAL HONORS BLOG POST! BAD!

...Ahem. Sorry about that. I had to go slap some sense into myself. I need to get this post over with before I have a second lapse of concentration.

After reiterating that one should get one's fiscal house in order to help one's family before helping one's community, Dr. Morris stated that a community is only as good as its citizens. Its politicians do not make it a good place. I suppose he wanted to imply that they don't necessarily make it a bad place. Perhaps I should have asked him why on earth we need two more Wal-Marts in Florence. (I am including the Wal-Mart Marketplace going in next to the Darby Drive parking lot.)

Honestly, I hope the new Wal-Marts fail. I'd also like to know why, after having consolidated Bradshadw and Coffee and put 7th and 8th with the 9th grade at the 'Freshman Center' (which I always thought made it sound like an institution for juvenile delinquents or something), they feel it necessary to build a new structure for the 9th grade. Florence has done more school rearranging around through the years than one would believe possible. Perhaps they should have left the two high schools alone. It was a good rivalry...

I still remember that Coffee lost the last football game with Bradshaw. I have no idea how old I was at the time. My dad went to Coffee, you see.

I guess having just one high school to root for unites the town, but still. Politics is a mess- the dirtiest business on earth, to quote Dr. Saraiva from Set All Afire. It's probably also one of the oldest professions.

I sincerely hope I never get involved in it. Whenever you get near people, there's just layers and layers of stupidity.

Oh, dear. I'm sounding a bit misanthropic here. Time to sign off.

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

"GASP! Is tonight our last forum?"

XP See, I managed to work The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in with school! I am becoming a master at this!!

Although it does appear that the Dwarves (and Bilbo) are recoiling from something... It looks like Bifur will try to poke whatever it is with that big pointy thing on a stick he is holding... Dwalin doesn't look too concerned, though. Then again, he is Dwalin and probably not very concerned about most threats.

I love Bofur's hat! It is just too cool for words. Plus, Bofur has the most adorkable smile of all time, and the end result is just charming. How can you not love Bofur?

The ninth production video for TH:AUJ  has come out, so go check it out! I was reading on The One Ring.net's message boards today, and people are still complaining about how the Dwarves don't have long enough beards. I want to go bang my head against the wall. The defining characteristic of dwarves is probably their shortness, not the length of their beards. As someone who loves to buck common fantasy stereotypes (you wouldn't believe the dragons in my stories), I love the idea of dwarves like Bofur and Dwalin and Thorin and Fili and Kili. (Yes, I have favorites by now. Can you tell?) The portion of axe embedded in Bifur's head, not so much, but all the same...

Oh, and I've had a bit of Fridge Logic (this time I've been kind and provided a clickable definition) concerning their beards. I mean, wouldn't long beards get in the way when they're mining ore or working at the forge? What if they accidentally hacked off part of their beard or caught the end on fire? What if it got stuck in something? Long hair and loose clothing need to be restrained to create a safe working environment! Of course, they didn't exactly have OSHA back then...

Apparently, some sort of Christmas pageant will be held in the Wesleyan auditorium. We walked in today to find costumes hanging up, wooden beams and boards for some sort of inn/stable place, hilarious plush crowns, and baskets of plastic food. While his music was playing, Dr. Mikey wandered over to inspect the loot. I am pretty sure he was thinking something along the lines of, "Potatoes did no exist in 1st cen. AD Palestine," since he mentioned that potatoes come from South America in one of his lectures. It was also on the test, I think...

Also, instead of blogging, I should be looking up stuff for my persuasive speech. Meh. I'm just feeling so demotivated about that class...

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

Evil is the failure to live freedom well.

 

 – T. M. Doran

Since I have finishsed with my little Dwarf a Day project due to having posted all of the character posters for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, I shall have to resort to posting other Hobbity stuff from now on. This little gem comes from The One Ring, and I found it too funny not to share.

In other news, I have the bare minimum of volunteer hours required for honors program now, so I am happy. Hopefully, Dr. Brewton will be happy as well (although I shall do a few more hours before the semester is up).

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

Happy Thanksgiving!

This here is Ori, the younger brother of Dori and Nori. Thank you forever, Professor Tolkien, for giving Dwarf siblings rhyming names. It really does help in learning names and relationships.

Ori is the Dwarf geek. No exaggeration. He's the skinny one whom Dori is always looking out for, who is always scribbling away in his diary, who still has the purple ribbons his mother tied in his hair, and who is so polite. His beard, though, reminds me of Mr. Tumnus... His LEGO minifigure has the same shape hair piece as Lloyd Garmadon, which I find hilarious. It's the stupid bowl cut.

So, if you like geeks and knitted mittens, Ori's your man! Or Dwarf.

Yes, I'm referencing the production vlog #3. Go watch it. It's one of the best ones.

Oh, and I am posting this a day early for Thanksgiving, since tomorrow I shall almost certainly be too busy, going to Mass, running to one uncle's house for lunch, then running to another uncle's house for supper... yeah. I love it, though. I love all of my family. I love seeing my relatives. It's always great fun.

Few things make me sadder than families that don't get along or are separated for some reason.

In Pace Christi,

Elyse