17 January 2008

Various News and Some Funny Stuff

I've been thinking of starting another blog specifically for things like this. I meant for this blog to be the travel stories and educational adventures and the occasional (okay, frequent) recipe, but I keep posting random songs in Swedish and comedian videos and such. Which is all fine and good, but perhaps I should put it somewhere else. So, if you think it would be a good idea for me to have a blog for internet-things-that-make-me-laugh, comment and tell me so.
Anyway, the website is a collection of Dave Barry's "Ask Mister Language Person" columns, and they are all hilarious. Incredibly sarcastic, and very well written. You will enjoy them. I promise.

In academic news, I had my anthropology exam on Wednesday and it wasn't too bad. I had successfully predicted the exam question: the one question that I would least like to answer. However, that meant that I'd spent some extra time thinking about it, so I was able to throw together a halfway decent essay. It wasn't particularly eloquent, but I have the benefit of being a foreigner so that shouldn't matter too much. Second semester starts the week after next, so it's time to choose classes. I have a decent idea of what I want to take, I'm just hoping that things won't conflict too much!

In social news, I went to see a movie with Katie (from Ireland) and Tobias (who's still from Germany). It's called "Atonement" in English, and they call it "Reviens-moi" in French. Good movie, though I wouldn't have given it the best picture Golden Globe. In my opinion, the best movies are the ones that you can watch over and over again, like "the Importance of Being Earnest" and "the Emperor's New Groove" and "Doctor No." Those depressing historical dramas that win best picture every year can be watched an appreciated once. I prefer the other kind.

In culinary news, I made two batches of hamburger, rice and cabbage (cook rice, cabbage and ground beef and mix them together. Eat with ketchup.), some more zucchini soup, and an omelette. It wasn't bad, but I think I'd prefer it without the egg. I'm still searching for decent pickles. I'm almost done with the current jar, which has way too much vinegar and about ten times as many mustard seeds as a good brine should have. There's only one more brand of sour pickles to try, so I'm hoping that they'll be good.

In musical news, the cathedral choir is going to sing mass at the prison in February. I'm pretty excited, I think that'll be a neat cultural experience. I also finished arranging some stuff for a cappella, and it's nice to get those songs off my mental to do list.

In botanical news, I bought a potted flowering plant at the grocery store. Seeing as how I can barely keep my electronic chia pet alive, this should be an interesting experience. I'm just not good with live plants. It has rather thick leaves and tiny red flowers, and the only word on the price tag is the name of a region. No idea how to care for the thing, but I'm hoping that it'll like sitting on the windowsill and being watered every other day.

In adjective news, I'm sure some other stuff has happened recently, but I just finished my exams and therefore my brain function isn't at its peak. More news when it comes to mind!

6 comments:

Kathleen said...

So what was the dreaded anthropology question?

Kel said...

Q: What is an ethnicity, and what are the limits and uses of this term?
A: It's a stupid, artificial term that was invented by racist anthropologists that the colonial governments hired back in the 19th century. Now it doesn't mean anything anymore, and it's used in biased ways. It's a word without meaning, and therefore has no power.
(Except both question and answer were in French, were better worded, much longer, and more politically correct.)

Anonymous said...

I personally wouldn't really care that much (as you'd probably expect, given my general apathy about decisions such as this, but you asked...) I enjoy both of the types and would probably read them both together anyway.

I was reminded by your post that I learned something that I found amusing. The term a cappella was, in the beginning (of it's use) as it is now, a term that indicated the absence of instruments in music. What I find amusing about this particular term is that the original term was actually a cappella Sistina (at least according to my history book) meaning in the style of the Sistine chapel, because they never used instruments, even the organ, in the Sistine chapel at the time. I think it's pretty funny that the term which then referred to the Sistine chapel now would conjure the mental image of people singing vocal arrangements of popular songs, including, in general, the vocal imitation of drums. It seems...different.

Thought you, and everyone who reads the comments here, might be interested.

Kel said...

Well, I haven't actually been there yet. Perhaps it's perfectly normal to hear beatboxing at the Sistine chapel :)

Jakob said...

psst... for your "about me" thing on the right side of the blog. Check your year:) I made the same mistake the other day signing a form.

Kel said...

Very true! Thanks. It is 2008 after all...