His Dark Materials

So I just finished reading His Dark Materials, the trilogy that The Golden Compass is a part of, and all I can say is: It's just a story, and a good story at that. Sheesh.

Some people's kids, that's all I have to say. Man, if anything I'd love to have a little more on what happens to Will and Lyra afterwards. The book I have (all three in one volume) has little excerpts called Lantern Slides which is just snippets on parts of the story that isn't told in the story itself, and there is one about Lyra at age eighteen. Unfortunately it's just a paragraph, and doesn't really say much other than she's studying the aleithiometer and can somehow communicate with Will. Gah! I hated how it ends! It's so infuriating!!

And I want a daemon! That's so cool! I want a constant companion that goes everywhere with me. It's so cool!

Now, I have four books I can read next. Well, three since one of them is a sequel (The Year of the Griffin) so I think I'll write some more of Samurai, then decide on what book to read.

Ooooh, that would be a great discussion. Hey, Winston! I need you to help me with this debate on what book to read next! No, Francis, I don't want a joke book. . . .Rupert, you're the one who needs a book about keeping one's self clean! Compared to you, our shower is germ-free!

Okay, maybe not. There are things living in our shower. . . .

Oh, and it's Mastah Genius Day! So go find a Mastah near you and break their dishes, play in their laundry, and tinker with their doomsday devices! Happy Birthday Mastah!

Much Ado About Nothing

Friday was a good day, yesterday. It's so nice being a science major. Your classes get cancelled because your teachers have to be present at the high school science fair being hosted by SUU. I had no classes yesterday, it was so nice. Though, I did work on some homework. Well not some, just one homework. I was sweating bullets over a stupid poem analysis paper, trying to figure out what to write and how to put into coherent terms so I don't sound so vague.

Which is a very difficult thing to do. Poetry is already vague enough without having to try to explain your interpretation of it. It's so difficult it should be shot. Don't worry, I got it done though.

On top of having no classes, I got off of work early. I believe due to the increase in gas prices, people are limiting their driving around town to when they absolutely need it. That and the sun setting at 7:30 pm. Needless to day, we were short on labor so after I stocked candy and popcorn and ran the last stack of returns, I was free to go home. Of which I then went to Off the Cuff and laughed so hard I'm surprised my cheeks aren't sore.

Oh, Mom, they were doing this one game in which the audience chooses a one-syllable name, and the comedians all sing a song to it so that the last word of the line they're saying rhymes with the name. They keep going until a person fails to come up with a new rhyme, or says one that was used before, and then they start all over again with a new name. I yelled out Spock on a new round and they used it! It was so funny, and they got really far on his name. It was a great night.

Well, yeah, that's all. . .off to buy a present for Mastah now. Her special day's tomorrow!!! Which means she'll probably get it in a couple of days becuase the Post Office on campus (yes, I'm lazy) isn't open on weekends. So, yeah, expect, er, something soonish Mastah!

If I were home I'd make you cookies, but, alas, you'll have to be happy with something else.

>:D

I can make a hangman's noose.

I thought I knew how before but I really didn't.

I can make a hangman's noose.

My uncle showed me how yesterday.

>:D

Oh Rupert. . . .

As the crow flies

"As the crow flies" is the worse thing for any hiker to hear when they are hot, tired, thirsty, and yearning to see the car appear in front of her.

Seriously, I'm hiking along and then I want to know how much further to some point or other along the trail so I call to my Uncle--minus the falling trees but that's another story-- "Hey, Uncle, how much further?"

To which he glances at the GPS and says, "Half a mile away. . . .as the crow flies."

Gah! It's torture! For those of you who do not understand this jargon, "as the crow flies" is basically a beeline to the endpoint, but because there are lovely obstacles called canyon walls, a hiker needs a pair of wings to make that beeline that is only a half mile.

So, yeah, that's a hateful statement. It basically means that you'll be hiking double, maybe even quadruple, the distance indicated on the GPS. The things I put myself through.

So yeah, went hiking this weekend. Yeah, I'm pleasantly sore, and sporting a blister on my heel. We did two hikes, one was six and a half miles (not as the crow flies) and the second one was a 15-mile loop. The first one, Tillman Wash, was pretty fun with cool pools and alcoves to scramble around. We also hiked out to the edge of the reef, and my uncle, papa bear, and a friend of my uncle's decided to play the role of boy scouts and began pushing rocks over the side of the cliff. And we're not talking about little or medium-sized rocks, these were basically small boulders. It was cool though. I could actually feel the cliff shudder when these hobbit boulders hit the bottom of the cliff. Which was about a five second count, by the way.

The second hike, the 15-miler, consisted of two canyons: Crack and Chute Canyon. Crack Canyon was fun, but the hike over the San Rafael Reef and through Chute was not. It was long, sandy, and very hot. Crack Canyon had a bunch of obstacles and one place where you had to rappel, and it was much more fun. All in all, we (Dad, Uncy Luap, Bee, Katie Sue, and me) decided that Crack Canyon is fun to do, just go down it and then back up. And Chute Canyon is good for taking kids on it just to hike through a canyon. Chute Canyon has no obstacles or anything.

So, yeah, there's my report. I'll see if I can get a hold of some pictures we took from Dad and I'll post those later. Those canyons were very pretty. Nature is so pretty. . .and hiking is AWESOMELY FUN!!!

Anywho, Francis, go find an Easter egg. I'm sure you'll find one somewhere that the kiddies haven't found yet. . . .

Tormenting kitties

So, the other day I gave Midnight a belly blast (known as rasberries to the other weirdoes out there). It was rather funny. She didn't run away or scratch me or anything like that, she just gave me a look of "What did you just do? WHY did you just do that? You're an idiot, go away."

And then Mom started tickling the bottom of her paws, and she started growling at us. And then we would play with her tail and she would get annoyed, but she never scratched us. All she did was get up and stalk to some other corner of the bed. Which Mom and I would just follow her and then bug her some more.

And then Mom and I were smelling a bunch of candles from some company called Scentsy (or whatever), and I had Midnight sniff a couple. The first one she sniffed, she closed her eyes and leaned away as if she didn't care for it. But then I gave her another one to smell. It was called lime and lemon. Ha ha! She totally flinched and ran off! It was so funny! She really didn't like that one!

Hee. I love my Kitty.

Yes, Winston, I love you too. Yes, you can go read the encyclopedia. I'll quiz you on what you didn't learn so don't pay attention to the important things! Good goat.