July 30th, 2007

July has been...well, to say the least interesting. The most boring, yet fun time ever, really. Hmm...what did we have? (lapses into reminiscing)

      Pilgrim Lodge

Was fun, if not completely headache-inducing, as I did translation a lot. And people were not disposed toward using simple nouns. About the time I had to translate "So when I was 8 my hip fell out of joint and I had to go to a special surgeon to get a new plate put in" I pretty much gave up translating word-for-word. I believe that one translated as "When I was 8 I had an accident and got surgery." I met lots of cool people, not just the Hondurans. David, Tom, Justin, Todd and I hung out lots and had lots of laughs. Lemmee tell you this: Jesus Camp counselors are most definitely not polite or PC, but then again neither am I. It was really weird to be responsible for 4 campers--all age 13, and that was the scary part--but I read them stories every night. I learned a lot about Honduras, and all sorts of new words in espanol, so that was cool. Some pics of PL:

The Beautiful Chapel

Left to Right: Todd, Doug, Tom, David, and Justin as "The Four Tenors Who Can't Count"

          Hosting Breidy Madrid

Was a lot of fun. Breidy is the daughter of Pastor Madrid in the ciudad of Colomo (sp?) in Honduras. She stayed with us for a few days in the beginning of July. We did normal Maine things, including ice-skating, an event which unfortunately there are no pictures. It was cool to have her live with us, but also highlighted the fact that I can't really entertain that well, in any language. Guess I really am an introvert. Some pics:

At Pemaquid Point: My brother Timothy, Breidy, and my Dad

Estamos comiendo la langosta. 

Various Harry Potter Events:

It was awesome to go the movie with all my friends, even though we were lame and didn't go opening night (or dress up...sigh, damn that dignity some people have). I still believe that, even though Daniel Radcliffe cannot act, he is rather dishy. I was sad that Tom Felton did not get more screen time, but what can you do? 

As for the book...well *SPOILER ALERT DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU'VE FINISHED HP#7*....I hate that foul foul epilogue. The writing style doesn't match the rest of the book, and no one wanted to see Harry as an adult anyway.  And the robbery and subsequent from Gringotts straddled the line between improbable and impossible, so...yeah. But yeah, the little Snape fan down deep inside me was very very happy with his chapter and how he was eventually redeemed. I did want Harry to die, and was sorely disappointed when he came back. Did anyone else notice that JK Rowling killed off the Maruaders in reverse order? (Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs in reverse). I thought that was cool. But Ravenclaw's diadem was lame...why hide it in such an easy place to find it? Honestly. *SPOILERS OVER* Anyway, here are some pics from the book opening:

Pile'o'books

Me lookin' adorable in a Gryffindor robe...and yes, I just had one "lying around for the occasion"

Other news of July:

Well, I finally met some more relatives on my mom's side of the family this past weekend, which was cool. My aunt Cindy is a riot...and it was informative, as I got to learn about how my mother really was as a child (hitting smaller siblings with a lollipop so hard they fall unconscious, etc). I also pigged out on knishes and pastrami-and-swiss-on-toasted-rye, which is the best sandwich in the world. 

Oh and I won a scholarship/essay contest thing. It was called the KarMel Scholarship, and my essay was a perspective on bi-sexuality. It is Here. And...now I'm off to the Hondo (ie Honduras) for a week to build a house/support the burgeoning crafts industry as I spend too much money on blankets/machetes again. Paz y Amor, chicos!

June 21th, 2007

Happy summer solstice! I, sadly, was trapped inside all day and was not able to enjoy its longness nor its meaning by dancing. I shall try to celebrate at tomorrow's contradance at the YMCA, however...In other news, of which there really isn't any, I'm reading a lot of books. I finished one yesterday called "Naughts and Crosses," which examines the racial lines still present in America from an unusual perspective; it switches the races' roles. Sorta a head-trip for a girl from mid-coast Maine in which there is no diversity. 

I've actually started working out...gah it's annoying. I need mental stimulation for half-an-hour while I'm mindlessly running. I can't just be that mindless for such a long period of time.

Anyway, to go LJ on yo' ass:

Mood: lonely and bored shitless

Music: "I will follow you into the dark" --Death Cab for Cutie

 June 20th, 2007 

Well today was better. I woke up late for work, but that's okay as my mom is my boss. I then broke the gas-door release thinger-majigger in the car, so I have to get that fixed. I then had a massive headache all day...ergh.

But! this was all made better because tonight I went down to The Little Brown Church in Round Pond for their summer concert series, tonight featuring Schooner Fare. I love this folk band of two old geezers who sing about nautical stuff and about peace and other Maine-type things. "Too funky for the folkies but too folky for the NYTimes" as they put it. Nice acoustic sound, punctuated by awesome banjo playing. Anyone who gets me one of their cds for a gift is an awesome person. The finished off tonight's concert with "We the People," a song about listening to the will of the masses rather than the upper-echelon of society. They wrote it in the late 80s, but funnily enough it still applies today...hmm. Anyway, check them out. If you want songs I'll email 'em to you. 

Love and peace and barley oat,

KJ 

June 19th, 2007

Blah. 8 hours of mind-numbing work does not a happy Katie make. The first four hours were spent checking in and out books, which is easy, but not fun after the first fifteen minutes. This was punctuated by long periods where I simply read a book at the desk. Why I'm getting paid to do this I have no idea. The afternoon was spent doing inventory (ie hunting shelves for books like "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Tales of Peter Rabbit") and changing the file status on missing books. Such fun, really. The only good thing was that I wasn't charged for the peppermint shot I put into my mocha smoothie. Yummy.

This evening got a bit more interesting, as I received a follow-up call from Sally Colegrove, the chairwoman of the Honduras Partnership Committee, asking me to be a translator for the Hondurans going to camp next week. I'm to be a counselor-type-thing...yeah. So I'll be gone next week, quite unexpectedly. Thankfully it is not difficult translation, just from some adults to their campers. And I get to go to camp for free! Woo! I'll still be heading to PortCon on Sunday to see some new Smith Classmates, but other than that I'll be incommunicado for a week. 

And now I'm listening to Gogol Bordello, who is awesome. My bands of the moment are Enter the Haggis, Gogol Bordello, and Flogging Molly. 

Peach, man. Peach.

June 18th, 2007

Mood: Tired but on a beach/exercise high.

Well today went well. We all went to the beach (Mae, Avery, Liz, Hannah, Liz's two Lithuanian friends, and I). We went to Reid State Park, a beach in Georgetown.  
In addition to swimming a bit, we also played "Lemon" (I got peter, nathan, and willy mook), talked about the sexual habits of Shakers, went on a massive tampon hunt (does no one carry them anymore? honestly), build a shelter, dug a hole, tanned, stuffed our faces with fruit and vegetables, and drew pictures in the sand. All in all, a good day on a beach in Maine. Here are some pics from today, the rest are on my facebook account. 

June 17th, 2007

Mood: Apathetic.

God this whole summer thing is sorta sucking ass right now. Other than going to funtown with Lucas yesterday I haven't seen anyone. Whatever happened to that mythical "senior summer," with barely any homework and lots and lots of beaches and clam-bakes...? Oh well, have to go to bed now, mother dearest is calling me...

~KJ

June 11th, 2007

So here are some pictures from a party I attended recently. 

 Much dancing occured.

Lounging about on couch. Lucas is entering his "I'm tipsy and whorish" stage.

Erm...not sure about this one. Sorry about the red eyes on everyone, though.  I have a new camera now, so the next batch should be better...

Oh...oh dear. Lucas, darling...

Aves. I love that shirt, btw.

I love this picture.  It's fun to play "match the limb."

Their first attempt. Second attempt was later in the night--further down the page.

Ah! Demonic Aves! 

This is what teenagers look like when watching "Accepted" after being accepted.

Sleepy Time...

...not much to say on that one.  Peter. (and hannah's arm)

Puppies in a pile, I tell you.  Someone ought to wake Aves up, though.  That position doesn't look very comfortable.

Take Two...

Peter goes in for the kill...but not really. This isn't that kind of website, people.

 Whoa...blurz...

And....that's all folks! More later as I finally decide to keep up a semi-livejournal-esque accountings of my sad and sordid little life.