"I have climbed the mountains and combated struggles, I have subdued the impossible and smashed the shakles" translated from a Palestinian national song
2008-04-14, 1:36 p.m.

I have a few things I'd like to talk about today, so here's the table of contents!

1) I went to my old high school (Leander High) to see my friend Fedora (who attends UT) play the clarinet in a performance by the longhorn band.

2) I saw the masterpiece theater version of Emma, and I'll give a review of that

3) The complete uselessness of my week

4) International Prisoners Day and DAM (both about palestine so I put it under one bullet)

5) A 3rd grader at my sisters school put an 'L' (for loser) on a picture of our oh so loved president and got in trouble.

Ok so let's get to it!

1) My dear dear friend Fedora is in the longhorn band. Because they can no longer afford to play in the Frank Erwin center, they played at Leander High School. I found out while there that the father of one of my Kumon students is the conductor for the band, and being from Leander, he's the one that suggested they use that particular venue. Now, I always attend as many of Fedora's events as possible because she's such a supportive friend, and I'm a fan of classical music. I had a tough time saying yes to this one though. When I walked out of LHS for the last time, there was no remorse, no regrets, nothing. I had the world ahead of me, and so much I knew I was capable of doing. When I went back for Fedora's concert I suffered a massive stroke of nostalgia, and a kind of "I wish that I know what I know now, when I was younger" symptom. It was unexpected, but I found myself sitting on the retaining wall underneath that massive tree in the front of the school and just remember how sometimes I would go my hole day just waiting for lunch break so I could go sit under there. I remembered time I would spend with Stefanie (I miss you so!) with Kalyn (during my senior year basically lived with me, I really miss that, laying out on the couch, doing nothing, dying your hair back to its proper color!), Joanna, who I've been thinking about a lot lately (and I think I saw her older brother at HEB today! I really miss her too), Alex, Matt and Sean (not all these memories are pleasant ; )
I remember the time that Matt hit me with that damn stick and I started bleeding, that time Johnathan almost chocked Stefanie to death, that time Alex showed me that "rock star" hand shake whatever that I knew was totally fake but so adorable, the times Shannon and I was sit out there talking about Anime and how embarrassing it was to like it!, or that one time Joanna actually let me read something that she wrote (very much a privilege). All of that happened under that damn tree, on that red brick retaining wall. I remember that time Rhania kissed that butt ugly dude, Kevin, on a dare from Sean (as I said, not all pleasant memories).

I don't at all wish I could relieve any of it. The good or the bad. My home life was really bad during high school, which affected my behavior. I could have done a lot better at school, though I know I didn't necessarily do bad. I like where I am now, it's a lot better than in high school.
But I do kind of wish I could see some of the people I don't anymore, and all of those memories, every single one, has shaped who I've become today, and for that I am thankful. Though I might not want to relive them, I certainly cherish the good ones for the memories I get to keep, and the bad ones for the strength they've provided me.

And the school is a lot smaller than I remember it for some reason, though it really looks as if the four years between now and then really never happened.

2) So yesterday night at 5 I happened to switch to KLRU and to my (pleasant) surprise Emma, the masterpiece theater version, was about to start. I absolutely love Jane Austen's work, though I don't know that I would have liked Jane Austen herself. I'm a feminist in many ways, and while my emphasis on character is as stringent as hers, while I'm sure we are both proponents of good decorum and manners (I can't STAND people with bad manners. I had RUDE. It's . . .rude!) and we both enjoy people who no matter their situation make an effort to be articulate and pronounced in manner, her opinion of women is so low I believe I would in some form or fashion attempt to smack sense into her.
Her story ideas are great, I love the end of both Pride and Prejiduce, and Emma, and look forward to reading Sense and Sensibility this summer but like Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" I feel that Emma is dated socially. It wouldn't be so bad if Mr. Knightley wasn't such a traditionalist when it comes to womens roles

3) My week (as in ever since last Monday) has been completely useless. No impending test, not impending paper or exam. They're all next week. If I was smart I'd ease the struggles of trials and temptations for next week by completing work this week, but it's still Monday band I have 6 days left. We'll see how it goes.

4)So I thought that I would share this with you guys

that's the pamphlet that PSC will be handing out Thursday in protest of all the Palestinian children being held in Israeli prisons.

ALSO, DAM, an AMAZING Palestinian Hip Hop group whom I've quoted in here, and provided links to videos for, is COMING TO AUSTIN MAY 8TH!! Everyone who is anyone will be there!! SO come! Below is a live version of "Min Erhabe" One of my favorite songs.

Date:
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Time:
7:00pm - 11:00pm
Location:
Scoot Inn
Street:
1308 E. 4th St @ Navasota
City/Town:
Austin, TX

5) This one's pretty self explanatory, and I was INSANE mad when I heard about it. I had to calm down quick though so I could explain myself rationally. I just think it's fucked up that if he were to draw that on bugs bunny no one would say anything. If he had drawn that on Ghandi no one (at least at this particular school) would say anything, but GOD FORBID a smart well educated third grader expresses his frustration with the man imposing TAKS shit on him, and all hell breaks loose.

Makes me so mad.

Alright folks, that's all! (in reference to bugs bunny, get it ; )

Love you all.