An Appreciation of Friends Post

     Over the last couple days it's struck me again that friendships are something to be treasured. Part of that is probably because Courtney was home for Thanksgiving, and your siblings can be friends, too, right?
     Also Caleb just got back from Mexico, seeing people he knows down there, and then Mattie shot his senior pictures this afternoon, which turned out really well.

     Daniel's daughter Grace arrived safely yesterday morning, really happy for him and Chrissy, they'll be fantastic parents. His sister Emily also just announced that she's pregnant, which is also cool. And Amanda's son Hayden was born last month, meaning that I now have a nephew.
     According to Facebook, it was nine years ago today that Ashland and I became FB friends, so it was neat to see the video that they compiled for the "friendaversary" (which is a stupid made-up non-word). "It feels like we've known each other for forever," she said, and it really does. 
     It was a little over ten years ago that I met them at camp the first time.

     Mini Parks and Rec marathon tonight with Caleb and Courtney, which was sort of like visiting friends again; not sure how I would've gotten through that first semester at RSU without the folks from Pawnee. Also, it was a way to keep in touch with NSU BCM friends.

     The first teaser trailers for Toy Story 4 released earlier this week/late last week, and of course Woody, Buzz and the rest were movie-friends I've known basically my entire life. I'm not sure whether I like the idea of a fourth movie, the trilogy wrapped things up so nicely, but I'll watch it. Anyway, "You've Got a Friend in Me" has been stuck in my head all day today, which is always pleasant.

     The sequel to Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph Breaks the Internet, opened a few days ago, it looks really good. Ralph and Vanellope make a great team.   

Happy Birthday, Blog

     I created this blog on this day in 2012. I'd been thinking about it for a year or two, and it was the middle of a boring day in February with nothing else much to do. (Also, Facebook was going through one of its redesigns, and there was a rumor that the then-popular Notes section would be deleted, so I wanted to keep my favorites.) Mom was visiting with Trinnica, and everybody else was playing some kind of war game in the backyard with Jonathan.
     Sometimes people wonder about how it got titled this way; so I put out an explanation of the title right up front. It's a Princess Bride quote, from the novel, not the movie.

     The series finale of Parks and Rec, "One Last Ride," aired on this day in 2015. It's one of the most perfect series finales ever. I watched season 7 live, even though I hadn't really met anyone in Pawnee yet, because it was a way to stay connected with everybody at the NSU BCM. (Stephen, Elizabeth, Susan, Bucky and Daniel were especially fans of the show.) I'd just moved to Claremore and RSU, and the humor was a welcome distraction from the roughness of that semester. (There's good people there, but I'm not really a fan of the city of Claremore.) And it was good homework in studying camera angles and shot placement.
      Speaking of NSU ministries, Tom Tucker finally completely retired from leading CCF a couple months ago. And Ryan Galdemez became the pastor of Grace Baptist after Geoff Brown left.

     It's been raining and raining and raining some more all week - cold and gray and drenching weather is hard to be productive in. But at least there wasn't an ice storm, like it seemed there would be earlier in the week. 

     Mom, Amy, Trevor and I went to the Gilcrease Art Museum in Tulsa Friday night because there was a traveling exhibit of Norman Rockwell original art, behind-the-scenes photographs, sketches, and the actual Saturday Evening Post covers themselves. It was amazing.
     The afternoon was spent running errands in Okmulgee, which was useful. 

      Being book hunters, once we heard about the Oklahoma City Library System's annual book sale at the state fairgrounds, Mom and I decided we needed to go. It was spectacular. I found some Faulkner, and a history of Broadway for Susan, and a handful of Shakespeare that matched good copies we already had. Mom found Peterson field guides and I don't know what all else. I found a lot of guides for writing different genres in the Fine Arts section; hopefully some of them will be helpful.
      It was awesome. People were very polite; always apologizing after running into each other due to the intense focus of finding good titles. Going to Oklahoma City always feels a very long way away, when it's only about two hours west. Probably feels that way because the landscape changes a lot. 
     Caleb accidentally locked himself out of the truck while at a photoshoot with a friend, so we drove back home through Henryetta so he could get himself unstuck. That's the usual way to get to OKC, it seems like. Nice to drive through Henryetta again; felt like we should be driving back from a Knights ballgame. High school basketball playoffs started last week; it's a little weird to not be actively covering them. 

   Songs of the Day this week include Bowling for Soup's "1985" and Dustin Lynch's "Cowboys and Angels."

     It's the final day of competition for the 2018 PeyongChang Winter Olympics. NBC's overage seemed a little lacking, mostly because there wasn't many of the inspirational stories shown, and because Bob Costas retired. Mike Tirico did better than I expected, but it still felt wrong. The Russian figure skaters had an epic battle in the ladies' event, and the Americans were all entirely without personality or talent. Snowboard cross was awesome, as usual, and snowboard halfpipe and the speed skating events. The commercials were amazingly inspirational. And the U.S. women's hockey team beat Canada in a shootout in the gold medal game, which is great. 

   The production of Texaco Mornings will be in two weeks. That's exciting, but also completely terrifying. It felt a little strange to write your own press release talking about your own play, though. But the Okmulgee Times people were happy to run it, and hopefully it will draw some more people to come see it.
     Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be back from the Olympic break this Friday, and it will air their 100th episode March 9. It's been fun to follow their Instagram and Twitter for memories. American Idol returns for its 16th season March 11; I'm predicting Luke Bryan will be my favorite judge this season.

The Best of 2017

Favorite Country Song of the Year -
     Tie between Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood's "The Fighter" or Brad Paisley's "Last Time for Everything." It came out in February 2016, but I also liked Dan + Shay's "From the Ground Up."

Favorite Music Video of the Year -
     Either "Last Time for Everything" or the Dancer's Version of "The Fighter."

Favorite Non-Country Song of the Year -
     Definitely not new, thus sort of breaking my rules for this category, but Nickel Creek's "This Side," I suppose. It has great mandolin.

Favorite Unexpected Happening of the Year -
     Definitely Ashland visiting for a weekend in June. Becoming part of a racing news website (Frontstretch.com) in October as basically a general-assignment backup reporter was also cool.

Favorite Semi-Expected Happening of the Year -
     Graduation Day actually happened. There were a lot of times I wondered if it ever would. Still haven't figured out what comes next, though.
     Also, finishing a 5K in early April. Next time, try to do it without walking.

Mixed Emotions Semi-Expected Happening of the Year -
     Josh and Sara's wedding was a good one, but weddings are weird to attend.

Most Disappointing TV Show of the Year -
     13 Reasons Why was awful, but it was research for a project in Pop Market, so I forced myself to finish it. Inhumans was such low production quality that I gave up halfway through the pilot, and The Good Doctor felt like a typical hospital show only with an autistic lead character, which undercut the premise too much.

Favorite New TV Show of the Year -
     Definitely The Gifted. 

Favorite Movie Seen in Theaters -
     There was a lot to choose from this year. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 did a fantastic job at building onto the world of space in the MCU. Wonder Woman was amazing. Cars 3 was a typical sports movie (both good and bad), but it brought the series full circle. Spider-Man: Homecoming integrated Peter Parker into the MCU in a great, yet fairly-low-stakes, way. Thor: Ragnarok wrapped up his trilogy nicely, though it was too comedic. Justice League was about what I expected (disappointing and choppy), but there were some good human moments. The Last Jedi was disappointing.
     Wonder Woman wins.

Personal Growth Moment of the Year -
     It wasn't that big a deal, but asking Brittany out was a big deal for me. The timing was terrible, so nothing happened, but getting to that point where I'm open to going out with someone was good.

Strangest Skill Learned -
     How to braid a girl's hair. Might come in useful in the future, though.

Quote of the Year -
     Heard on the radio years ago, from Haddon Robinson: "Sometimes, with God, the quickest way from one place to another is a circle. And sometimes you have to mark time to make time." 

Parks and Rec Quotes - Season Four, Part One

     Recapping the best quotes, quips, descriptions and comebacks from season four of Parks and Recreation. It literally picks up right at the moment where season three ended, so the last scene we saw was at Li'l Sebastian's memorial service afterparty.

Episode One - "I'm Leslie Knope":
     "....Wait. What does that mean for you and Ben?" - Ann, after Leslie is asked to run for city council. "I don't know, but I think it's gonna be really bad!" Leslie frowns. "Do you wanna go back to saying 'yay'?" "Yes please!" "Yay!" (Ann is a good friend.)
     "So did you get a chance to look at my sample position papers? How do you feel about my stance on Egyptian debt relief?" - Leslie. "Uh....well, it probably won't come up in a local city council election. But....your thoroughness, as always, is impressive." William the Political Manager Guy.
     "Aw, Ann - you beautiful sophisticated naive newborn baby...." - Leslie. "...What?" - Ann.
     (The office is staring in shock at an email.) "Whoever this is - sent it to every woman in the entire government!" - Leslie howls. "Oh...he's gotta be so embarrassed. I mean, that is a crazy accident." "No, Andy, he did it on purpose!" she snaps. (Sewage Joe is being his normal horrible self again.) Chris and Ben rush into the Parks Department. "Chris! Jerry's making us look at dirty pictures on his computer!" April tattles. "It is exactly because of that lewd photo that I am here. Ben and I are launching a full investigation, and I want to apologize to all the women. And Jerry. If I could go back in time and cut your eyeballs out, I would." "Wow, that is so sweet," April says, looking almost impressed.
     "For a female perspective on this scandal, we turn to: a woman!" - Perd Hapley. (He then asks what's happening, she tries to make a joke.) "I do not know what you mean, but, it had the cadence of a joke."
     (Leslie snatches phone away from Ben and hangs it up.) "Ben, I need to talk with you." He looks stunned, as only Ben Wyatt can. "...That was my brother. He just had a baby girl-" "That's horrible. Or good. Full disclosure, I didn't listen to whatever it was you just said."
     "Wow, you....opposite of broke up with him." "He gave me an eclair, Ann!" Leslie pleads.
     "Ron isn't here. His ex-wife Tammy came, and he got scared and ran away," April answers Ron's phone. "...Well, as acting manager of the Parks Department, I declare that everything you are saying is stupid!" Andy then asks for advice. "I don't know what to do," he finishes. "Me neither." she answers, sipping some tea. "You give such great advice! Babe, I love you." (She frowns at camera, noticing it's been following her.) "You're welcome."
     (Leslie knocks on the door of Ron's cabin.) "Ron," Leslie says, taken aback by his beard. "What are you doing here?" he growls. "I'm...running away from my problems," she falters. "Come on in."
     "All right, enough chitchat. Everybody get back to work!" April hollers. "You are not my boss," - Jerry. "What'd you just say to me?" "Ma'am...." (He scurries away.)
     "Given your hunting ability, and my chocolate supplies, I figure we could stay out here for two, three....years?" - Leslie.
     "If any of you need anything at all-" Ron addresses the office on his return, "-Too bad. Deal with your problems yourselves. You're adults."

Episode Two - "Ron and Tammys":
     (Leslie stutters repeatedly over the word "jail.") "Are you broken?" Ron asks.
     Not many notable quotes here.

Episode Three - "Born & Raised":
     "Support for Pawnee Community Radio comes the Muriel Fatright Korbel Foudation and SweetumsCares, a nonprofit group that puts umbrella hats on homeless people when it rains," an announcer for WVYS says.
     "I wrote a book," Leslie says proudly in an interview segment, holding up her copy of Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America. "The first historical guide to Pawnee. I wrote it as a reference for myself, but then my campaign adviser said we should make it a big wide release. So we had people contribute, we added pictures and we removed a lot of my poems and emotional ramblings and pictures of unicorns and here it is!"
     "Usually I only read nautical novels and my own personal manifestos, but I'm proud to make this exception." "Thank you, Ron! I expect all of you to buy additional copies, but I wanted the first copy you own to be delivered - and signed - by me." (April flips through her signed copy.) "This goes on for like, seven pages." "I started thinking about you as a woman, and as a person, and I got carried away." "Okay, mine just says 'Get Well Soon,'" Jerry complains. "Aren't you sick?" "No." (She frowns at him.) "Something's off."
     "Do you think there's actually a mistake in here?" April asks Ron. "I doubt it. If there's one thing's Leslie's not, it's sloppy. She's also..." (he flips through the book) "not brief. This is gonna take forever."
     "At the risk of bragging, one of the things I'm best at is riding coattails. Behind every successful man is me, smiling and taking partial credit," - Tom.
     "Anyone find any mistakes?" Ron tiredly asks Ann and April. "Yeah, actually. In here it says that Pawnee is 'great,' but in reality, it's terrible," April replies. "Let Tom know we haven't found anything." "Hey, I'm thinking of getting a new phone. Do you guys like your phones?" Ann asks, determined to become their friend. "I've never used a phone in my life," April says while texting.
     "This feels like gotcha journalism!" Leslie complains on Pawnee Today. "In what way?" Joan Callamezzo asks disinterestedly. Leslie points at the big screen behind them. "In that way. You put 'GOTCHA' in big red letters over my face."
     "That was despicable. I am horrified by her tactics. That said, the show was very lively," Chris says after Joan's show finishes filming.
     "I could leave," Ann explains in an interview segment. "But I am GOING to get my one minute of small talk, damn it! And it will be CASUAL and AMICABLE!" she yells.
     "You're the first one to tell me that 'businesses' need 'customers' to make money." Tom says to Ben, defending himself from reasonable criticism. "I was the first one to tell you that?!" Ben answers, incredulous.
     "YOU MIGHT AS WELL GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM!" Kerry the Irate Public Meeting Guy yells at a booksigning event. "I AM back where I came from!" Leslie yells back. His response? "THAT SENTENCE WAS CONFUSING!"
     "Well, I've made some progress!" Ann tells the camera. "I am up to four seconds with April. And nine second with Ron." (Montage of asking random questions, like where she could find some good new music. April's answer was "The Internet.")
     "Eagleton is a town full of rich, snobby jerks. There's a whole chapter about them in my book." - Leslie.
     "Wow....that was....as long as it was loud," Ben mumbles his commentary of a drunk Joan Callamezzo's karaoke.
     "Everyone in the universe loves a gross medical story. BOOM! I win!" Ann grins. (She finally got their attention by making up a tale about a guy who gets his arm caught in a Pringles can. It's very bloody.)
     Everyone eats waffles from JJ's Diner during the office's release party for Leslie's book.

Episode Four - "Pawnee Rangers":
     "I've got a question. What do you think of asking Ben to join us today?" Donna asks Tom. It's Treat Yo Self Day, and our introduction to the term. "WHAAAAATTT? NOO!!!! This is our thing!" "But he really seems like he could use a day off. He's like a skinny little rubber band that's about to snap in half." "Exactly. He doesn't know how to relax. Donna, you and I are relaxation professionals! There's no way Ben can slow down enough to keep up with us."
     "I don't know how to relax! The sound of harps makes me nervous!" Ben complains while at the spa with Tom and Donna.
     "I've taught them well....I've created an army of little Leslie Knope Monsters. I'm so proud! And a little annoyed. But mostly proud," Leslie says during an interview, about the Pawnee Goddesses club after the girls get her to be nice to Ron and his Pawnee Rangers club, which she didn't want to do.
     "When did kids get so interested in 'fun'?" Ron asks in perfect seriousness.
     Leslie's ad for a new club for Ron to lead to make him feel better - "Are you tough as nails? Would you rather sleep on a bed of pine needles than a mattress? Do you find video games pointless and shopping malls stupid? Do you march to the beat of your own drummer? Did you make the drum yourself? If so, you might just have what it takes to be A Swanson. Pawnee's most hardcore outdoor club starts today."

Episode Five - "Meet and Greet":
     "...I take it we're having a party?" Ben asks after walking in to a house full of skeletons and jack-o'lanterns. "Dude! I knew there was somethin' I forgot to tell ya!" Andy grins. Ben then decides that he's going to hide in his room. "If you need me, I'll definitely be awake. Because...you know, I won't be able to sleep, because of the party. So...y'know. All right...bye."
     "My family is very non-confrontational. My parents' method of problem-solving is to kind of keep everything bottled up and just subtly hint at what's bothering them. And after thirty-six years, they are still divorced." - Ben.
     "Shouldn't my face be on these rugs?" Leslie asks. "It's always been a dream of mine to be on a rug. So, no." "Tom, now is not the time for you to explore your weird dreams."
     "You can text without looking at your phone?" Jerry asks Chris incredulously. "I think it's rude not to maintain eye contact with people who are speaking to me," he answers.
     "I know I should be chasing your vote, but I stand by my decision to avoid salad and other disgusting things. And I think I have a lot of support in the community for doing that," Leslie tells a group of Pawnee businesspeople.
     "In Pawnee, when in doubt? Slam salad!" - Leslie.
     "Hi there, is there a project you're working on?" a Lowe's employee asks Ron. "I know more than you." "All right..." the alarmed employee gives up.
     "When April and Andy married, I didn't get 'em a wedding present. In my experience, wedding presents are nothing but kindling on the divorce bonfire.But I think I found a way I can really help them make a home." - Ron.
     (Ron delivers a heartfelt monologue.) "Are...you okay?" Ann asks. "Great! I'm gonna go around this house and fix everything I can find! You wanna help?" "I really do."
     "I have one sister. We steal each other's stuff, hack each other's Twitter accounts, set each other's clothes on fire... There are no rules," April muses.
     "We need to deal with what's bothering you," Andy barges into Ben's room. "Oh, please, come into my room..." "See? You're angry at me, and you're not talking about it, and I'm gonna beat you up until you do, because I'm mature." (Andy kicks Ben's chair and begins to beat him up.)
     "I grew up with five brothers, and we fought using the Dwyer Method, which was yelling, wrestling, crying, followed by lots of hugs. And then more wrestling, but the fun kind, and then more crying, when the fun kind of wrestling got out of hand." "Um....can you....let me go?" Ben asks, in chokehold. "Not til you tell me what's wrong!"
     "I'd say you got the handle on that torque wrench," Ron says approvingly to Ann. "Yeah, well, the flange was a little warped, so I just goosed it with a triple-three boltsmack." "That was nonsense." "I know, but it's so fun to talk like that!" (He hands her toolbox.) "Here. Keep this. You earned it."
     "Does it hurt?" Ben asks Andy. "Yeah, man! You broke my nose! But I don't even care anymore. Just get it all out there. Go." "All right.... Maybe you have to start thinking about how your actions affect me? Like, tell me about stuff happening at the house. Stop referring to my bedroom as a common space. Stop using my comforter for your pillow forts. Just...respect me." "Absolutely!"
     "Tom Haverford is a selfish, unctuous, sleazy, self-promoting, good-hearted, secretly-kind-and-wonderful tiny little person." - Leslie.

Episode Six - "End of the World":
     "For a while in the 1970's, our town was run by a freaky cult," Leslie explains. "Every few years, the remaining members of the cult predict the world's gonna end. And they have an all-night vigil in the park.It's super annoying."
     "Tonight the followers of Reasonableism will be joining together to await the return of Zorp, the giant lizard god who will destroy the earth with his cleansing fire of judgement. Also, light refreshments will be served," Leslie said during a department meeting.
     "Why does the cult call themselves the Reasonableists?" Chris asks. "Well, they figured that if people criticize them, it'll seem like they're attacking something very reasonable," Leslie answers. "That's...weirdly brilliant..." Ben muses.
     "Headline idea: 'It's the End of the World as They Know It, But Pawnee Feels Fine.'" - Leslie. "It's a little long." - Shauna Mulway-Tweep. "Okay. How about 'Zorp Schmorp, Doomsday Prediction Falls Flat as Citizens Spend Pleasant Evening Enjoying One of Pawnee's Finest Parks'?" "Somehow, longer..." Shauna then asks if Ben is single, Leslie awkwardly stumbles all over herself trying to answer that question, and Shauna wanders over to Ben. "What's happening?" Ann asks. "The world is ending."
     "Can I speak with you about a personal matter?" Leslie asks Ron. "Normally, no. But given that there's only twenty minutes until the end of human existence, also no."
     "What's wrong?" Lucy asks Tom. "I don't know....after this is done I'm gonna be broke and I'm not gonna have a job...." "Well, if it's any consolation, this is honestly the best party I have ever been to." (She kisses him.) Tom is stunned for a minute, then he grins at the cameras. "You saw that. You saw that too!"
     (Andy and April arrive at the Grand Canyon) "It's so much more beautiful than I ever could have imagined." "Yeah....I'm trying to find a way to be annoyed by it, but I'm comin' up empty."

Episode Seven - "The Treaty":
     "I need a few more volunteers. Andy, will you be Iceland?" - Leslie's planning the Pawnee Central Model UN Meetings. "The bad guys from Mighty Ducks 2? Don't think so." "How 'bout Japan?" "The bad guys from Karate Kid II? Even worse. How about Germany? They've never been the bad guys." "Why don't you be Finland." "Okay." "And I'll be the Moon," April says sarcastically. "You're gonna be South Africa or....Pakistan." "I'm the Moon or I quit!" "April." "Moon or quit, man." "Fine. You be South Africa and you can also secretly run the Moon." "The Moon accepts your ridiculous proposal."
     "Uh, no, Leslie and I aren't dating any longer, but, uh...we're friends. So, uh...it's fun. It's just fun. It's fun... It's...fun - It is fun." At this point Ben silently pleads for help from the cameraman.
     "Sometimes your relentless cheeriness is confusing," Ann tells Chris.
     "I just wanted to say...that I thought it was really cool how everything fell apart in there," April tells Leslie, who is despondent in the hallway. "and also, maybe you should talk to Ben." "No. He's being a jerk." "Please? When Ben gets upset he becomes a really bad roommate. He takes really long sadness baths and makes me late for stuff." "I hate it here. I can't wait to graduate." (April grins.) "Yeah, but summer's gonna totally kick ass."

Finals Week in Review

     Time for a recap of this week, I suppose. It's Caleb's birthday, I think they went to the climbing gym, which is a blast. I spent most of yesterday packing. And last night was full of hymns for some reason, which is always nice. Sometimes you aren't exactly sure what words to pray, so you have to sing instead.

     Monday afternoon was the Psych final, and Dr. Marrero walks in holding a piece of paper. "I've got the current grades right here," he says. "If you like yours, you can walk right out of here right now and that'll be what I enter into the system."
     I had a 91.5, which equates to an A, so I gratefully bolted. "Meep meep!" I chirped, Roadrunner-like, as a smoke trail followed me out of Baird Hall.
    It wasn't quite an all-nighter Monday night, but close. I had an essay due for Gothic Film and Lit, and an origami picture book to write/draw for Pop Market Tuesday morning. It was titled THIS Is How You Do That: The Essential Top Secret Survival Manual, complete with a copyright page and back-cover blurbs from famous people. For the blurbs, I mainly used characters that I've played - Matt Kojak, of course, is the host of the game show Go With the Flow, from our SWAT skits. Tyler Crickenburg, from Tent City, became a cable-celebrity dog trainer. And Nicole Martin, better known to her friends as Soda, is a novelist from my fiction, main character in a couple novels. (Her siblings are recurring characters in short stories.) About half the class listed the book in their favorites, which I was happy about. Coale said in his critique, "Nobody else but Wesley would even try coming at this project from this angle, much less pull it off so well. I loved it, made me smile." If I can think of enough examples, I'm going to keep working with this idea. The other half of our Pop Market final was a short story, and I was blank on good ideas. So I just condensed and tweaked part of the Panthers soccer story I wrote a couple years ago. I'm still planning on expanding that one, because it's such an awkward size right now at 9,000 words.
    Dr. Mackie said my essay last week on the characteristics of Southern Gothic lit was one of the better papers I've done while here, which is good.
     Dr. Dial-Driver ordered pizza and we had lunch during Capstone as our "final"; it was a good time to just hang out with everyone for a bit, though there were several comments of the "I feel like I'm forgetting iimportant homework of some kind" variety. Sitcoms were discussed, and we all listened attentively to weird Dial-Driver stories. Afterwards Lauren and I went treasure hunting through Dr. Mackie's piles of giveaway books in the office, where I found a collection of Hemingway's early short stories.

     In TV news, ABC is bringing American Idol back next year (SQUEAL OF EXCITEMENT AND PULSATING GUITAR STRINGS). So....yeahhh, I might be a little excited about that. (Or still mad that I missed the apparently-series finale last spring.) So there's still a chance that I could try out. Also, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was renewed for a fifth season this afternoon, which is really awesome. (The cast's acting ability is amazing - Mallory Jansen was the highlight this week, depicting the torrent of Ophelia's turbulent emotions.) Called Trevor afterwards, and we talked about the episode for about 45 minutes.

     Helped out with the Chi Alpha pancake feast Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the Assembly of God, held in their gym, Tuesday night I worked as a server of meals, mixer of juice and chopper of bananas, while Wednesday night I was mainly behind the bacon grill.
    Could never fall asleep Tuesday night, which was frustrating. But I was able to take an hour-long nap Wednesday afternoon.

     The conference finals of the NHL playoffs are set - in the Eastern Conference it'll be the Ottawa Senators against the Pittsburgh Penguins, while the Western Conference will be claimed by either the Anaheim Ducks or the Nashville Predators. I'd really like a Canadian team to win the Cup, since it is their trophy and all, and they haven't won since Montreal in 1993. So for that reason I like Ottawa. But if we're going by jersey design, that'd be the Penguins, and then Carrie Underwood's husband Mike Fisher is captain of the Predators. And then the Ducks - hey, they're the Ducks. QUACK QUACK QUACK!

     Hung out with Brittany this morning, which was cool. Crashed the Directing final this afternoon, because she'd suggested it several weeks ago. And also it was a way of supporting her efforts in that class, and Coale's, too. Plus it was a way to be encouraging to David, showing up to an even-more-niche-than-usual RSU Theater project - even one audience member is better than nothing. Brittany and Coale did well, both in directing their pieces and acting in other people's.
    Everyone adapted the opening scene of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, mostly sticking with the actual text, the way Joss Whedon's Much Ado does. (This opening scene is where the audience hears the prophecy about the imminent destruction of Thebes.) They were staged readings, since it was a class. There were a couple press conferences, while other scenes crafted it as coffee-shop gossip.or a conversation between stoners. Halfway through, however, a tornado warning was declared for Rogers County, and the sirens began wailing. Since the auditorium basement is one of the two shelters on campus, a never-ending stream of random people kept streaming through the doors and interrupting the scenes. But the show must go on, so the actors continued on anyway. It's an Oklahoma thing - weather is part of living, and unless it's necessary, life goes on as usual during a storm.
    "Hey, remember that Texaco play you wrote about a year ago?" David asks me during while the actors are doing final troubleshooting rehearsal just before they got started. I remember it, sure, because I was proud of that one. (That usually doesn't happen with creative projects.) But I haven't had much time to work on it since, other than translating it into prose. "Okay, do you think you could revise it over the summer? I want to do an Original Recipe [program] for fall, but written by alumni. And I know you write well." So that'll be a project to work on coming up.

     Today's "Article to Make the Reader Go 'Hmm...'" is from The Atlantic, trying to match social media sites with the Seven Deadly Sins.
     I graduated from high school five years ago tomorrow.

Events of Today

     Woke up this morning at 4 a.m. after falling asleep about 1 a.m. Watched Netflix for a bit, then decided to take a pre-dawn walk around campus, shoot some pictures while things are still quiet. (Thirteen Reasons Why is terrible, by the way, which is about the way it goes with Netflix original series.) The pictures weren't the greatest nature photography ever taken, but it was enjoyable, and it brightened people's Facebook feeds.      Hung out with Brittany for about an hour just before lunchtime, that was cool. Conversation topics included people misspelling our names and trading stories about church camp and stupid ways to injure oneself.
     Then I went for a walk through the nature reserve, since it was a beautiful day.

     Cody and I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 this afternoon, which was just as irreverent and hilarious as I expected, with as much emotion as a Captain America movie. (That part surprised me, but in a good way.) It was very good, in other words. "Lol, that's awesome!" was Ashland's response to my immediate-reaction report.

     I might have gotten a paid internship with the Creek Nation for the summer, so that would be something known, at least, about what the future holds.
     Playoff hockey on TV tonight, St. Louis topped Nashville 2-1 in a nasty hardfought game five, and Edmonton-Anaheim on right now. There's a horse called Patch running in the Kentucky Derby tomorrow, who I might root for because he only has one eye. NASCAR is at Talladega this weekend, so that should be a good one.

     Ashleigh, Drew, Ja Li Si, Stephen, Susan and TJ (I'm not sure who all else) graduated from NSU tonight, and Maddie graduated from TCC. Also, Matt Freeland and his wife just graduated. Courtney had an interview with College of the Ozarks that went really well, so that's exciting, too.

3....2...1...

     Somebody said that it couldn’t be done       But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
      Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
      On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
      That couldn’t be done, and he did it! 
Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
      At least no one ever has done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
      And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
      Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
      That couldn’t be done, and he did it. 
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
      There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
      The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
      Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
      That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

     My notes for today's Pop Market: 

     Captain America: The First Avenger and Guardians of the Galaxy were on TV last night, so it was good to rewatch them. Iron Man 3 is on right now, which adds a nice near-symmetry to the college experience. It was a fantastic way to end my freshman year. The First Avenger came out in 2011, just before we discovered the MCU, and Guardians was an interesting way to start my junior year - which was, uh, eventful. It's maybe my favorite MCU movie, partially because it's so irreverent; makes a good change of pace from everything else. (Cap and GotG reviews on the writing blog.) 

     Also did some work on the book review blog this afternoon, cleaning up unnecessary labels and tags.

Firefly Quotes - Part One

     Whatever else you can say about them (which is usually quite a lot), Whedon shows are very quotable, and they really make you think. Firefly, especially. Basically, the plot is a Western, that just happens to be set in space....five hundred years into the future. Our main characters are basically outlaws who lost a civil war six years earlier, torn daily between remaining anonymous to the ruling Alliance and making a living. It's like if Han Solo actually had a crew to boss around, instead of just Chewie. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., especially the first and second seasons, in a lot of ways is a tamer version of Firefly. The U.S. and China were the superpowers that led the exploration into space, and so culture is a weird mix of the two, most noticeable by the random strings of Chinese whenever harsh swearing was required. (Creative workaround censors, that.)
     So here's the collection of corralled quotations from the sole season of the adventures of the crew of the Serenity. (Captain Malcom Reynolds, second-in-command Zoe Washburne, her pilot husband Hoban Washburne, mechanic Kaylee Frye, mercenary Jayne Cobb, prostitute Inara Serra, preacher Derrial Book, doctor Simon Tam and his borderline insane sister River.) Though the show's run was only fourteen episodes long, the amount of quotability necessitates that this project be broken up into two parts. However, like G.K. Chesterton wrote in Orthodoxy, it's somehow more fun that no more can be added.
     Pretty shiny, ain't it? (By this point of the English language, "shiny" is catch-all slang like we use "cool" today.)

Episode One - "Pilot/Serenity":
     (Bored while on lookout for a scavenging mission, Wash is playing with two toy dinosaurs.) "Everything looks good from here. 'Yes, yes. This is a fertile land,' (says the triceratops). 'We will thrive. We will rule over all this land' (the control panel) '...and we shall call it....this land....' (switching to T. Rex now) "'I think we should call it your grave!' 'Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!', the triceratops cries. 'Eh ha ha hah....mine is an evil laugh. Now die!'" the T. rex gloats.
     (Mal commands Kaylee to blackout the Serenity's power.) "Going dark!" (She climbs a ladder and shuts down the power.) "Okay, now I can't get down."
     (Jayne and Kaylee are arguing about Mal's plan of taking on passengers to ensure respectability.) "No, it's shiny to meet new people! They've all got their stories...." "Kaylee, will you stop bein' so cheerful, please?" - Jayne. "I don't believe there's a power in the 'verse that could stop Kaylee from bein' cheerful. Sometimes just want to duct-tape her mouth and dump her in the hold for a month." Mal replies. "I love my captain," she grins.
     "I know somethin' ain't right..." Zoe complains. "Sweetie, we're crooks. If everything were right, we'd be in jail," Wash points out.
     "What were you in that war you failed to win? A sergeant, yeah? I think you're still a sergeant. Still a soldier. A man of honor in a den of thieves," - Badger the crime lord, contemptuously (but accurately) describing Mal.
     "I don't see why we didn't leave him in a pool of his own blood," Jayne complains. "'Cause then we'd be dead. You can't get paid if you're dead," Mal answers.
     "Now we've got a boatful of citizens right on top of our stolen cargo....That's a fun mix," - Zoe to Mal. "Ain't no way in the 'verse they could find that compartment, even -" (passenger walks by) "even if they were lookin' for it." She looks at him. "Why not?" He frowns uncomfortably. "'Cause." "Ah. Yeah, this is gonna go great..." "If anybody gets nosy, y'know, just....shoot 'em." "Shoot 'em?" "Politely!"
     "So....would you like to lecture me on the wickedness of my ways?" - Inara asks Shepherd Book, following an awkward introduction earlier. "I brought you some supper. But if you'd prefer a lecture, I've a few very catchy ones prepped. Sin, and hellfire. And one has lepers."  (Talk turns to Mal.) "He is not wildly interested in ingratiating himself with anyone. Yet he seems very protective of his crew. It's odd." - Book.
     (While being held at gunpoint.) "This is not my best day ever," Mal mutters.
     (Same scene, after Kaylee is shot in the stomach.) "Welllll....that ain't hardly a mosquito bite." - Mal. (Arguing leads to Mal changing course and running from the Alliance to give Simon enough time to operate on Kaylee.) "When this is over, you and me are gonna have a personal chat," Mal growls during the operation. "That'll be fun. Dope her," Simon tosses a tranq gun across the surgery.
     (Coming across a surprise he didn't expect.) "...Huh." - Mal.
     "What the hell is this?" - Mal. "This is my sister," - Simon.
     (After explaining to everyone else that River was extraordinarily gifted, and thus subjected to experimentation by the Alliance, Simon rescued her.) "Will she be all right?" Inara asks. "I...I don't know. I don't know if she'll be all right; I don't know what they did to her...or why. I just have to keep her safe."
     (At the end of his patience, Mal punches Simon.) "Saw that comin'," Jayne grins.
     "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?" an Alliance mole asks Jayne. "Gee, I never been in trouble with the law before," he answers innocently.
     "Well, we may not have departed on the best of terms....certain words were exchanged....also...certain bullets..." - Mal to a crime lord named Patience, who shot him the last business deal they had.
     "There's obstacles in our path, but we're gonna get through this. We will. We'll get through 'em," Mal tells his crew.
     "Testing....Captain, can you hear me?" Jayne asks over a radio headset. "Yeah, I'm standing right here," Mal answers. "Coming in loud and clear!" "That's cause I'm standing right here."
     (During a tense standoff between Mal's crew and Patience's people after their transaction has finished.) "I'd appreciate it if you all would turn around and ride out first." (Shootout commences.)
      "You might ask Mal to drop you off somewhere else - Whitefall ain't exactly the middle of civilization," - Wash. "I'll be all right, you don't have to worry about me," Simon mumbles. "Zoe's out there. I always worry. So - It ain't out of my way."
     (After shootout) "Zoe?" "Armor's dented." "Well, you were right about this being a bad idea." "Thanks for sayin', sir."
     (Everyone is yelling frantically at Wash to pilot faster while being chased by horrendous pillagers called Reavers.) "If everyone could just be quiet, please-" he says evenly. "Can we get Kaylee to the engine room, please?" Protestations before Zoe and Jayne go to carry her from the surgery. "How are we doing?" the captain asks after a minute. "I don't mean to alarm anybody, but I think we're being followed."
     (Extremely weak Kaylee is directing instructions to Book and Jayne. Book is decently familiar with mechanical things.) "Jayne, open the port jets and cut the hydraulics." (He looks around helplessly.) "What the hell is-" "Look! Look! Look where I'm pointing!" (He opens box, which is full of complicated wires.) "Okay, now it's really simple...." she instructs, Jayne stares at her open-mouthed in disbelief.
     (After Wash pulls off a risky, daring escape maneuver and they sail off to safety) "I knew I hired you for somethin'," Mal nods approvingly.
     "You really ought to let the doctor look at this," Inara scolds Shepherd Book while stitching up a cut above his eye. "It's not bad." "Well, I'm sure you'll be fine." "I didn't say that." (Pause; he's near tears.) "Is this what life is? Out here?" She nods. "Sometimes." "...I've been out of the abbey two days. I've beaten a lawman senseless, and fallen in with criminals....I watched the captain shoot a man I swore to protect, and....I'm not even sure if I thought it was wrong..." "Shepherd-" "I believe, it's just -" (weak smile) "I think I'm on the wrong ship." She stares at him a minute, biting her lip. "Maybe. But maybe you're exactly where you ought to be."
     "I didn't think you'd come for me," River says to Simon. "Well, you're a dummy," he says.
     "But he did try to make a deal with you, though, right? How come you didn't turn on me, Jayne?" "Money wasn't good enough." "What happens when it is?" "Welll....that'll be an interesting day." "Imagine it will." (Jayne leaves cabin, Simon enters.) "So where do you plan on dumping us?" "There's places you might be safe. But you want the truth, though, you're probably safer on the move. Hey - we never stop movin'." (Simon frowns.) "I'm confused....no, wait, I think maybe you're confused." "Maybe it's become apparent to you that the ship could use a medic. You ain't weak. Don't know how bright you are, top three percent, but you ain't weak, and that's not nothin'. You live by my rules, you keep your sister from doin' anything crazy, you could, maybe, find a place here. Till you find better." "I....I'm trying to put this as delicately as I can....How do I know that you won't kill me in my sleep?" "You don't know me, son. Let me explain this to you once: If I ever kill you, you'll be awake. You'll be facing me. And you'll be armed." "Are you always this sentimental?" (Mal shrugs.) "Had a good day." "You had the Alliance on you, criminals and savages....half the people on this ship have been shot or wounding including yourself, and you're harboring known fugitives." "Well, we're still flyin'..." "That isn't much." "...It's enough."

Episode Two - "The Train Job":
     "After the Earth was used up, we found a new solar system and hundreds of new Earths were terraformed and colonized. The Central Planets formed the Alliance and decided that all the planets had to join under their rule. There was some disagreement on that point. After the war, many of the Independents who had fought and lost drifted to the edges of the system, far from Alliance control. Out here, people struggle to get by with the most basic technologies. A ship could get you work. A gun would help you keep it. A captain's goal was simple: Find a crew, find a job, keep flying," - First voiceover introduction, from Shepherd Book.
     (In a bar on some backwater planet.) "Your move." - Jayne. "That's a bold move." - Zoe. "I live on the edge." - Mal. (We then see that they're playing Chinese Checkers.) And then a drunk guy loudly proclaims that it's been six years since the Alliance won the war, "sending those nasty Browncoats runnin'." He then takes a closer look at Mal. "You know....your coat is kind of a brownish color..." "It was on sale." "An' you didn' toast. You know, I'm thinkin' you musta been one of them Independents." "And I think you weren't blessed with an overabundance of schooling. So why don't we just ignore each other until we go away?" Mal smiles. Drunk Guy continues insulting him until Zoe clobbers him from behind, bringing most of the bar's patrons threateningly to their feet. "Jayne?" Zoe calls for help. "Hey, I didn't fight in no war. You guys are on your own." "Fine. Let's do this." Mal shrugs. (He's then thrown out of a holographic glass window. Into radio:) "Wash, we've got some local color happening. A grand entrance would not go amiss."
      Later in same fight, Mal, Zoe and Jayne are perched atop a cliff. "See? This is why we lost. Superior numbers!" "Thanks for the reenactment, sir."
     "Uh-huh....funny how you always find yourself in an Alliance-friendly bar on U-Day when you're just lookin' for a quiet drink." - Zoe.
     "....This isn't home." - River. "No. No....we can't go home. If we go home, they'll just send you back to the Academy. This is safer now." - Simon. (River shakes her head in fear at going back, then nods in agreement that his plan is a good idea.) "We're on a ship," he says hopefully. "A mid-bulk transport, standard radon and accelerator core, class code 03-K64. A Firefly," she recites. "Well, that's somethin'. I can't even remember all that," Mal comments, leaning on the doorway. After a chat about Mal's brawl, River watches him walk down the hallway. "Mal. Bad. In the Latin." (She's right.)
     "That young man's very brave," Shepherd Book talking of Simon's attempts to nurse River back to health. He then delivers a monologue of expositional details, asking why Mal is harboring known fugitives. "Because it's the right thing to do. And shouldn't you be delivering religiosity to the heathens or somesuch?" "Oh, I've got heathens enough right here," the preacher smiles. Mal sighs. "You're welcome on this boat. God ain't."
     "What did I tell you about barging into my shuttle?" - Inara snaps at Mal. "That it was....manly and impulsive?" "Yes. Except the exact phrase I used was 'Don't.'"
     "That guy's a psycho, you know." - Zoe. "Niska? Well, he's not the first psycho we've worked for. Probably won't be the last. You think that's a commentary on us?" - Mal.
     (Shepherd Book is studying the New Testament in the kitchen when Inara comes in for a cup of tea. "I wish I could help. I mean, I don't want to help help - not with the thieving, but - I do feel awfully useless." - Book. "You could always pray they make it back safely." - Inara. "I don't think the captain would much like me praying for him." "Don't tell him," she shrugs. "I never do."
     "Sir, I think you have a problem with your brain is missing." - Zoe.
     "Soo.....what are we doing?" Simon asks Kaylee. "Oh! Crime," she answers breezily. "Crime...good. Okayyy.....hmm. Crime..." he mutters, taken aback.
     "Time for some thrilling heroics." - Jayne.
     (Having just realized that the cargo they just stole was medicine for a town which desperately needs it.) "This is a nightmare..." Mal moans.
     "That sounds like the Alliance....unite all the planets under one rule so that each can be ignored or interfered with equally." Mal.
     "....Did he just go crazy and fall asleep?" Wash asks incredulously after Jayne collapses in the middle of threatening everyone. "I told him to sit down," Simon shakes his head. "You doped him!" Kaylee marvels. "It....it was supposed to kick in a good deal sooner. I just didn't feel comfortable with him being in charge. I hope that's all right."
     (Jayne, still loopy from the drugs, has just shot an adversary in the kneecap.) "Nice shot." - Mal. "...I was aimin' for his head...."
     "A man learns about a situation like ours...well, then he has a choice." - Local Sheriff, talking about the crew's return of the needed medicine. "No, I don't believe he does," Mal answers.

Episode Three - "Bushwhacked":
     (Arguing amongst crew whether to see if stranded ship needs help or not.) "If there's folks on board who needed help, why ain't they beamin' no distress call?" - Jayne. "It's true...there's no beacon." - Zoe. "Which means its likely no one's looking to find her." - Mal. "All the more reason for us to do the right thing." - Book. "How's about you just say a prayer while we slide on by?" Jayne asks Book. "Shall I remind you of the story of the Good Samaritan?" Book asks Mal. "I'd rather you didn't. But we'll check it out," Mal decides. "Could be survivors. And if not, well, then nobody's gonna mind if we take a look around, see if there was something of value they might've left behind." "Yeah! No, uh....someone could be hurt," Jayne nods enthusiastically.
     "Oh, yeah, he's a real beast. It's a wonder you're still alive," Simon says dryly to Jayne, after they capture a scrawny guy who attacked him earlier. "He looked bigger when I couldn't see him."
     (Kaylee is asked to defuse a bomb.) "Yeah, sure, I can do that." (Pause) "That is, I think so...." (Another pause. Then, muttering) "Besides, if I mess up, it's not like you're gonna be around to yell at me..."
     "This looks like an illegal salvage operation, Captain Reynolds." - Alliance Officer. "It does? Well, that's discouraging..."
     (Zoe is being interrogated.) "You fought with Captain Reynolds in the war?" "Fought with a lot of people in the war." "And with your husband in the war?" "Fight with him sometimes, too."
     (Mal is being interrogated.) "I find it odd that you'd name your ship after a battle that you were on the losing side of." "May have been the losing side, but I'm not convinced it was the wrong one."

Episode Four - "Shindig":
     (New intro from here on out.) "Here's how it is: Earth got used up, so we terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths, some rich and flush with the new technologies. Some? Well, not so much. Central planets, them as formed the Alliance, waged war to bring everyone under their rule. Few idiots tried to fight it, among them, myself. I'm Malcolm Reynolds, captain of Serenity. We got a good crew: fighters, pilot, mechanic. We even picked up a preacher, and a bona fide Companion. There's a doctor, too; took his sister out of some Alliance camp, so they're keepin' a low profile. You got a job, we can do it. Don't much care what it is."
     (Mal tries to warn Inara that a bar brawl is brewing over a game of pool.) "I'm having fun, actually. It's interesting watching the game. As with many situations, the key seems to be giving Jayne a heavy stick and then standing back."
     "Planet's comin' up mighty fast." - Zoe. "Well, that's cause I'm coming down too quick. It's no big deal, only that we're probably going to crash and die." - Wash. "Well, when that happens, let me know." - Mal.
     (About a ball she's planning to attend.) "I don't suppose you'd find it up to the standards of your outings. More conversation, and somewhat less petty theft and getting hit with pool cues." - Inara.
     "Look at the pretties!" Kaylee squeals. "What am I looking at? The girls, or the clothes?" - Wash. "The clothes, please." - Zoe.
     "You backed out of our deal last time. Left us hanging." - Mal. "Hurt our feelings." - Jayne adds. "I had a problem with your attitude is why. Thought you was....what's the word...." Badger stops his harangue Mal-ward, stuck for the right word. "Pretentious?" Jayne suggests. "Exactly! You think you're better than other people!" "Just the ones I'm better than."
     "She blushes. Not many in your profession who would do that." a nasty man named Atherton Wing, to Inara.
     "You're supposed to make me look respectable." Mal hisses at Kaylee, both very much out of their element at Inara's fancy ball. "Yes sir, Cap'n Tightpants!" "Okay....help me find our man....he's kind of stocky and he's wearin' a red sash crossways." "Why's he do that?" "Maybe he won the Miss Persephone Pageant. Just help me look!" "Is that him?" "That's the buffet table." "Well, how can we be sure, unless we question it?"
     (River has just ripped off the labels of most of the galley's canned-food supply.) "Shh. No harm done, we'll just - be having a few mystery meals." - Book.
     (Mal has found the guy he's looking for, a large man with a snooty accent named Sir Warrick Harrow.) "The sash?" "It indicates lordhood." "And it's - doing a great job." "Whom do you represent?" "Fella called Badger." (Sir Warrick looks offended.) "I know him. I think he's a psychotic lowlife." "And I think calling him that is an insult to the psychotic lowlife community."
     (Mal and Inara are arguing again.) "What I do is legal. And how about you, how's that smuggling coming along?" "It may be illegal, but at least it's honest." he snaps.
     (Mal punches Atherton Wing, who's just insulted Inara.) "Turns out this is my kind of party!" (He then learns that he accidentally challenged him to a swordfight duel, and panics.)
     "...This taking up as my second, does that mean we're in business together?" Mal to Sir Warrick. "It means you're in mortal danger. But, you mussed up Atherton's face, and that has endeared me to you somewhat."
     "....Up until the punching, it was a real nice party," Kaylee says quietly.
     (Badger knocks on the hull door, Jayne reluctantly lets him in.) "The captain's gone and gotten himself in trouble," Badger announces. Cut to crew meeting. "A duel?" Book asks, not believing Badger's story. "With swords?" Wash is equally astounded. "The captain's a good fighter, he....he must know how to handle a s-sword..." Simon mumbles. "Think he knows which end to hold..." Zoe frowns.
     "He insulted you. I hit him. Seemed like the right thing to do. Why'd this get so complicated?!" Mal, to Inara. (Later, same scene.) "I actually thought that I was defending your honor, and I never back down from a fight." "Yes, you do! You do that all the time." "....Well, I'm not backin' down from this one." (She then teaches him how to swordfight.)

Episode Five - "Safe":
(Slightly expanded version of Mal's intro; the third of the series.) "Here's how it is: the Earth got used up, so we moved out and terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths, some rich and flush with the new technologies. Some? Well, not so much. The central planets, them as formed the Alliance, waged war to bring everyone under their rule. Few idiots tried to fight it, among them, myself. I'm Malcolm Reynolds, captain of Serenity. She's a transport ship, Firefly class. We got a good crew: fighters, pilot, mechanic. We even picked up a preacher for some reason, and a bona fide Companion. There's a doctor, too; took his sister out of some Alliance camp, so they're keepin' a low profile. You understand. You got a job, we can do it. Don't much care what it is."
     "I will not have it in my house. But since your mother's already ordered you one, I guess  I should give up the fantasy that this is my house." - Gabriel Tam in a flashback, talking about ordering a piece of expensive technology for Simon's use. (Perhaps a computer?) He then stipulates that Simon can pay him back by becoming a brilliant doctor. (Young Simon is played by Zac Efron in his first role.)
     "So. She's added cussing and hurling about of vial-things into her repertoire. She really is a prodigy." - Mal, about River. "It's just a bad day..." Simon mutters. "No, a bad day is when someone's yellin' spooks the cattle. You ever seen cattle stampede when they got no place to run? It's kinda like a...meat grinder. And it loses half our herd." "She hasn't gone anywhere near the cattle." "No, but in case you hadn't noticed, her voice kinda carries. We're two miles above ground and they can probably hear her down there. Soon as we unload, she can holler until our ears bleed. Although I would take it as a kindness if she didn't."  "The human body can be drained of blood in 8.6 seconds given adequate vacuuming systems." - River. "See, morbid and creepifyin', I got no problem with. Long as she does it quiet-like."
     (Unloading the cattle for the sale.) "Hope this corral's strong enough to hold 'em....Shepherd's a purely figurative title, ya know!" - Book. "Next time we start smugglin' stock, let's make it something smaller." - Zoe. "Yeah, like those black-market beagles!" Wash agrees.
     "When a man engages in clandestine dealings, he has his preference for things bein' smooth. She makes things - not be smooth." - Mal, about River. "Right....I'm very sorry if she tipped off anyone about your cunningly concealed herd of cows," Simon answers sarcastically.
     "Does it seem that every supply store on every border planet has the same five rag dolls and the same wood carvings of - what is this, a duck?" - Inara. "It's a swan!" Kaylee defends it. "And I like it." "You do?" "Yeah. It looks like it was made with, y'know....longing. Made by a person who really longed to see a swan." (Inara smiles.) "Perhaps because they'd only heard of them by rough description."
     "This is the last time with cows...." Mal mutters, picking carefully through manure. "I believe there was some idea with beagles. Don't they have smallish droppings?" "I believe so, sir. Also, your disreputable men are here." - Zoe.
      (Caught up in a skirmish wholly not of their doing for once.) "It never goes smooth! How come it never goes smooth?!" Mal complains.
     (Book has been shot, badly.) "Where's....the doctor?" he wheezes. "We don't make him hurry for the little stuff. He'll be along shortly," Zoe tells him in her best nursing voice. "He...could hurry....a little...."
     "'Dear Diary: Today I was pompous and my sister was crazy." (Flips book to new page) "Today we were captured by hill-folk, never be seen again. It was the best day ever!'" - Jayne rummaging through Simon's things.
     "We're headed for help, right?" Kaylee asks about Book. "Captain'll come up with a plan," Zoe nods. "And that's good, right?" Zoe allows herself a small grin. "It's possible you're not recallin' some of his previous plans."
     (Very agitated Jayne, in an Alliance hospital.) "This place gives me an uncomfortableness..."
     (After getting kidnapped by a community of hillbillies, River has a moment of reality and she shares a memory of berrypicking with Simon.) "I took you away from there. I know I did. You don't think I do, but...I get confused. I remember everything. I remember too much, and....some of it's made up, and....some of it can't be quantified, and - there's secrets -" "River. It's okay." "But I understand. You gave up everything you had to find me. You found me broken, and...it's hard for you. You gave up everything you had-" (she breaks down in tears.) "Everything I have is right here." (She smiles again.) "You need to eat, to keep up your strength. We won't be here long. Daddy will come and take us away." (Simon turns away.) "I'll get better. I'll get better!"
     (Flashback again: In his efforts to rescue River, Simon has found himself jailed. His parents have never believed his idea that she is being tortured, and Dad comes along to bail him out, in an awful mood.) "I'm sorry, Dad....You know, I never would have saved River's life if I knew there was a dinner party at risk." "Are you trying to destroy this family?!" Gabriel rages. Simon answers, sadly: "....I didn't realize it would be so easy." (Simon is then disowned.)
     (These hillbillies have turned out to be some kind of cult, and they think River is a witch. She's about to be burned at the stake until the Serenity saves the day dramatically.) "WELL, LOOK AT THIS! APPEARS WE GOT HERE IN JUST THE NICK OF TIME!" Mal has to shout to be heard over the engines. "WHAT DOES THAT MAKE US?" "BIG DAMN HEROES, SIR!" Zoe yells back. "AIN'T WE JUST!" (By now they're within normal speaking range.) "Sorry, folks, but you got somethin' that belongs to us, and we'd like it back. Cut her down." "She's a witch," the community leader protests. "Yeah, but she's our witch!" Mal snaps.
     "So finally a decent wound on this ship, and I miss it.... I'm sorry." - Simon. "Well, you were busy tryin' to get yourself lit on fire. It happens." - Mal. "Captain? Why did you come back for us?" (Mal looks surprised.) "You're on my crew." "Yeah, but you don't even like me. Why'd you come back?" "You're on my crew. Why are we still talkin' about this?"

Episode Six - "Our Mrs. Reynolds":
     "I married me a powerful ugly creature," Jayne says to outlaws holding up their wagon. "How can you say that? How can you shame me in front of new people?" Mal asks, disguised as a woman. They aim their pistols at the outlaws. "Now, you think real hard. You can luxuriate in a nice jail cell, or, if your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet, I will end you." - Mal.
     "What are you doing on my boat?" a startled Mal yells at a young woman with red hair. "But....you know I am to cleave to you." "To what about who?" "Did the elder not tell you?" "Tell me what....? Who are you?" "Mr. Reynolds, sir....I'm your wife." (Mal is stunned speechless, and the credits intro plays.) "Could you repeat that, please?" (The woman tries to explain.) "Okay, I'm sorry - go back to the part where you're my wife?" "I don't please you?" "You can't please me - you never met me!" (Zoe and Jayne enter cargo bay.) "Zoe, why do I have a wife?" "You got a wife?" Jayne asks. (Zoe calls everybody into the cargo bay.) "Who's the new recruit?" Book asks. "Everybody - I want you all to meet Mrs. Reynolds," Zoe introduces the crew to the woman. "You got married?" Kaylee squeals. (Inara looks angry and like she wants to throw up.) "Wow, that's, uh....Congratulations?" Simon stammers. "We always hoped you two kids would get togeth - Who is she?" - Wash. (Eventually they all figure out what happened, Mal doesn't react well and the woman runs away crying.)
     "Hello? Woman...Person?" Mal calls through a hallway before eventually finding her. "Are you gonna kill me?" "What? What kind of crappy planet is that, kill you?" "In the Maiden's Home I heard talk of men who were like that, if they weren't pleased with their brides-" "Well, I ain't them! And don't you ever stand for that sort of thing. Someone tries to kill you, you try to kill 'em right back." He sighs. "Look, wife or no, you are no one's property to be tossed aside. You got the right, same as anyone, to...live and try to kill people." (She stares, confused.) "I mean....y'know...That's a dumb planet!"
     (Later, same scene.) "I'd be a good wife." "Yeah, well....I'd be a terrible husband." (She scrambles off to the galley to cook.) "Hold it! I never even-" "My name is Saffron," the woman says demurely.
     "Can I come in?" - Mal. "No." Inara's tone is even icier than normal. (He enters her shuttle.) "That's why I don't usually ask." "What do you want?" "I just need someplace to....hide."
     "Every planet has its own weird customs. A year before we met, I spent six weeks on a moon where the principal form of recreation was juggling geese," Wash tells Zoe. "Baby geese - Goslings! They were juggled."
     (Mal goes to his cabin, is surprised to see Saffron there.) "Hey, you're, uh....uhhh.....there you are. Didn't you see that you got a room of your own?" "And I'm to sleep there?" "That's the notion. Assuming you're sleepy." "But we've been wed. Aren't we to become one flesh?" "Uh....no. No, we're still two fleshes, and...I think that your flesh ought to sleep somewhere else." (Saffron knocks him out with poison lipstick, and this later indirectly knocks out Inara as well, once she tries to revive him. Inara spends the rest of the episode awkwardly explaining away this incident by claiming she tripped and hit her head.)
     "She's a pro!" Kaylee admires Saffron's explosive-rigging capability. Inara explains that Saffron also apparently had Companion training. "Okay, everybody not talking about sex, stay in here! Everybody else, elsewhere," Wash commands.
     "One day, you're gonna tell us all how a preacher knows so damn much about crime," Jayne says to Book.
     "You gonna kill me?" Saffron asks once Mal tracks her down. "Can you come up with a terribly compelling reason for me not to?" "I didn't kill you." He has her pinned, with a gun to her head. "Promise me you're gonna kill me soon." "Aw, you already know I ain't gonna." He lets her sit up. "You know, you did pretty well. Most men, they're on me inside of ten minutes. Not tryin' to teach me how to be strong and the like."

Episode Seven - "Jaynestown":
     "What's going on here?" Simon asks Jayne. "I was looking for some tape." "So you had to tear my entire infirmary apart?" "Apparently." "You are like a trained ape! Except without the training."
     (The gang runs into a lifesized statue of Jayne, gape in astonishment.) "...Jayne?" Mal asks. "Yeah?" "You want to tell me how come there's a statue of you here, starin' at me like I owe him somethin'?" "...Wishin I could, Cap'n..."
     (River is sitting at the kitchen table, scribbling in Book's Bible, when he enters.) "What are you up to, sweetheart?" "Fixing your Bible." "I - uh - what?" Rapid-fire River talk, full of technical jargon and delivered at the speed of sound. "River! You - you don't fix the Bible!" he finally yells at her. She stares back, confused. "It's broken. It doesn't make sense." Book sighs. "It's not about making sense. It's about...believing in something, and letting that belief be real enough to change your life. It's about faith. You don't fix faith, River - it fixes you."
     (A bar erupts in a ballad praising Jayne as a conquering folk hero.) "Um....Jayne?" "Yeah, Mal." "You...got any light to shed on this development?" "No, Mal," Jayne looks just as dumbfounded as the rest of them. "This must be what going mad feels like...." Simon mutters. After the song is finished, Wash says, "We gotta go to the crappy town where I'm a hero."
     "Y'know....you're pretty....pretty," Simon tells Kaylee. (They're both pretty drunk by now.) She looks at him, startled. "What? What did you say?" "Nothing. Just that you're pretty....even when you're all covered in engine grease."
     (Book had taken his hair out of the bun, which terrified the daylights out of River, so she's hiding.) "Please, won't you come out?" "No! Can't. Too much hair!" "Is that it?" he asks Zoe. She chuckles. "Hell yes, Preacher. If I didn't have stuff to get done, I'd be in there with her."
     "You confound me some, that's all," Kaylee tells Simon. "You like me well enough, we get along, and then you go all stiff-" (Simon tries to defend himself, too confounded to speak) "See? You're doing it right now. What's so damn important about bein' proper? Don't mean nothing out here in the black." He thinks for a minute. "It means more out here. It's all I have. My way of being...polite or whatever...it's the only way I have of showing that I like you. Of showing respect."

Capstone

     Just sent in my completed Capstone project and portfolio ten minutes ago. I think I may throw up or cry now from the strain of final assembly/repairing/tinkering with it basically nonstop all weekend* (yes, I know it's technically early Wednesday morning). It's as polished and academic-sounding as I could make it, and deadline was roughly ten later this morning. So I beat the deadline. And now I anxiously wait for two or three weeks before hearing the verdict of the Capstone Committee.

     The topic was country music as poetry, and 92 songs were mentioned in about 35 pages. That was just scratching the surface, though, because I had to assume readers aren't familiar with the genre. Nineteen more songs were mentioned/alluded to in a seven-page short story supplement. (It's not a good story, but it's adequate.)
     Nine songs were from Brad Paisley, and I could have included way more from him. Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney and Garth Brooks, too (only four examples from each of them).

     In other news, it was a very stormy Oklahoma spring day, full of hail, so it seemed entirely appropriate that "The Thunder Rolls" and "Blown Away" were Songs of the Day.

*Facebook status from Sunday night - "Type type type, worry type worry, pace around apartment, tap tap tappity tap worry, get snack, go for walk, type, delete most of what has been written, worry, go for another walk, type some more...." Except for the excessive worrying due to the stress because Capstone is IMPORTANT, this is a pretty typical work pattern for a writer. 

Wesley's Favorite TV Couples

     Yeah, so I don't like Valentine's Day all that much. But I can't sleep, because I'm too worried and scattered to work on homework, so I figured it was a good time for a blog post. This won't be ranked numerically, but instead will just be a list of my favorite couples I can remember from TV shows. Since viewers get to understand characters so much more deeply in television compared to movies, that allows for deeper depth to character interactions. And so they work better, when they work.

Jesse Cochran-Katsopolis and Becky Donaldson-Katsopolis, Full House (and Fuller House)

     So, most people know that before Becky was part of the Katsopoli branch of the Tanner clan, she was Rebecca Donaldson, who grew up on a Nebraska farm with three hockey-loving brothers, and was introduced to the show as Danny's cohost on Wake Up, San Franscisco. But in the first season, Jesse's last name wasn't Katsopolis, either - it was Cochran. (So we don't actually know what Pamela's - Danny's wife, the girls' mother, and Jesse's sister - maiden name was.)
     Becky adds a much-need dose of common sense to the household, which balances nicely with Jesse's creativity, irresponsibility and vanity. Their actual kids didn't turn out all that great, their parenting advice was well-intended but sometimes off, and they may not have had a perfect marriage - why did they live in the attic for eight years? - but hey, they care about each other, and they're still together, ready for whatever adventures might come along.

Joe Talbot and Sam Kepler - Wishbone

     The show never made that much of a big deal that Sam was always hanging out with Joe and David, but the books hinted that there might be something between them.

Mal Reynolds and Inara Serra, Firefly (and Serenity)

     Because Serenity was a movie that was a sequel to a TV show, this bends my criteria a little, but it can stay. And technically they weren't ever together, since they loathed each others' careers so much. So that led to tons of insult-hurling matches (because snark is their love language) and cold-shouldering, but over and over they - somewhat unwillingly - showed that they cared about one another deeply. They would just never, NEVER admit that. To anyone. Especially each other.

Clint Cassidy and Nancy Nichols, Doc

     Montana cowboy-doctor and Manhattan nurse. It was just weird enough to work.

Nate and Beverly Jackson, Doc

     Clint's landlord and his wife didn't have a huge role on the show, but they played a big part of what we saw of life outside the clinic, eventually adopting Raul. Their marriage was another example of a couple sticking together through whatever rough patches of life inevitably occurred. Plus they were always there to listen if one of their friends needed to talk.

Cory Matthews and Topanga Lawrence-Matthews, Boy Meets World (and Girl Meets World)

     I never got into BMW, because I was just a little too young generationally, Sabrina and 7th Heaven were more interesting, and Cory drove me nuts, but somehow I got pulled into occasionally watching the sequel series following the adventures of their daughter Riley. But it just seemed like a list like this list wouldn't be complete without Cory and Topanga because of their standing in 90's pop culture. So that's why they are included. Also, it's kind of cool that Cory followed in Mr. Feeny's footsteps to become a teacher, I guess.

Phineas Flynn and Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, Phineas and Ferb

     Until the next-to-last episode of the show (a flashforward to all the gang leaving for college), this was another couple didn't technically exist....but it totally did. (Didn't realize they had this many kissing scenes during the show's run.) Isabella's Jupiter-sized crush (and Phineas's inability to recognize that) were one/two of the many, many running jokes on P&F, and it's just a FANTASTIC show. Maybe Parks and Rec-level, and that's saying something.

Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter, Marvel Cinematic Universe (more specifically Captain America: The First Avenger; Agent Carter, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War)

     Why? Because they're both amazing characters. Because these movies are amazing.  Because the MCU works like a television series, given the enormous scope of the storylines (and Agent Carter was a TV show). And because they were both waiting for the right partner. (This is a fantastic edit.)

Andy Dwyer and April Ludgate-Dwyer, Parks and Recreation

     They're the best. Even stupid BuzzFeed posts about them are sort of not awful. They don't always make sense, but the show would have missed a lot if they hadn't been around. (And who doesn't use Frisbees as plates? C'mon, Ben, get with the program!) And their wedding was one of the highest of many highlights from Pawnee. I mean, the vows - "I guess I kind of seem to hate most things, but I never really seemed to hate you. So I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Is that cool?" "Yes, that's cool! And I am the luckiest man in the galaxy." (See, I knew keeping track of Parks quotes would be useful later on.)

Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt, Parks and Recreation

     Leslie is....she's Leslie Knope. And Ben Wyatt is....really, really boring. But they work really, really, really well together. Like waffles and whipped cream. Have I mentioned before how much I love this show?

Ann Perkins and Chris Traeger, Parks and Recreation

     LITERALLY, one of the BEST couples EVER from Parks and Rec. (Literally.) Dude. Seriously.

Matt Saracen and Julie Taylor, Friday Night Lights

     Matt was just a good guy. Julie was, at least at first, a female version of his best friend Landry - in other words, perfect for him. Plus, her family accepted Matt (sort of) into their lives, giving him that stable structure he didn't have. And sure, she went a little off the deep end, but she was redeemed by the time the show ended.

Eric and Tami Taylor, Friday Night Lights

     I think Coach and Tami have the best marriage that I've seen on TV, ever. They routinely put each others' needs above their own, even to the point where both have sacrificed their jobs when the other had a better career opportunity. They try their best to parent their daughters the right way and steer them in the right direction. They offer advice (and sometimes tough love) to the teenagers in their lives, routinely going well out of their way to improve the kids' lives if they can. Most of all, they're rock-solid loyal, even when opportunities arise to not be that way.

 Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  

     FitzSimmons is (almost) inseparable, even if that means being stranded, desparately lonely at the academy; being marooned on different planets due to alien technology, or trapped in a box in the bottom of the ocean thanks to the betrayal of a former friend. They've survived gunshots, undercover assignments, explosions, ghost attacks, killer viruses, and major brain damage, among other things. They've witnessed their makeshift S.H.I.E.L.D. family fall apart and rebuild itself, only to fall apart again, and more than one close friend has died in horrific ways. But they've kept the group together as much as possible, serving as the glue of the team. And they aren't just science lab rats anymore, either - they're full-out field agents who have shot people, which is pretty much all in a day's work when you're part of a television-show spy agency.

Inauguration Day

     Man, "Inauguration" is a terrible word to spell. And it reminds me of Tolkien's dragon Smaug. Anyway, Donald Trump officially became the 45th President of the U.S. late this morning. I watched the swearing-in ceremony for the same reason that I watched the results on election night - because that's what you're supposed to do, because it's respectful.
     Do I think he'll be a very good president? No. But Hilary would've been worse. I watched on CBS since that seemed like the most legitimate of the networks, occasionally flipping to CNN.

     When Obama was inaugurated in 2009, we'd been in Grandpa's trailer for about a month after the fire, and we were in the middle of clearing out the house, sorting through what could be salvaged and what couldn't. While watching George W. Bush exit and Obama enter, I was reminded of a line from the tail end of Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: "So this is how liberty dies - with thunderous applause." (I remember this from the novelization, which I think has Bail Organa saying it. The movie has Padme Amidala saying this line. Doesn't matter who said it, it still worked well. Also, Star Wars movies have REALLY long titles.)
     When Obama was re-elected in 2012, I was reminded again of this line, and again saddened. NSU, or at least the freshmen I knew slightly from classes, were extremely vocal about their liberal tendencies. Not being very experienced with dealing with this, it was one more factor to deal with in making that first semester so hard. RSU is more extremely liberal in the overall atmospheric viewpoint, but at least NSU allows differing views to be presented for consideration, thus "liberal" in this case being occasionally positive in the sense of "open to new ideas." RSU has more of a "If you disagree with this, keep your #$%ing mouth shut" vibe.
     Anyway, back to January 2009. It was raining, and I hadn't started college anywhere yet, because it was the middle of my freshman year of high school. I was fifteen, and the Okmulgee County homeschool drama group had just wrapped up a musical re-imagining of the story of Joseph as a This Is Your Life-style talk show. Cody was the host, and I played Joseph the interviewee in the present day. (Most of our best improvised lines in rehearsals were cut for not passing audience standards.) Roy played Joseph in flashbacks. Quinton played my assistant Stew.  While a bunch of us guys were playing basketball in the gym during the wrap party, I was on defense when a pass deflected off my hand, breaking my left pinky. It was almost healed a month later while watching the Obama inauguration, which I remember mainly because we were watching the CNN feed, and the Tahlequah Cable people had just installed the equipment earlier that morning. Having cable was An Event, since we never had it before or since. (As a family, I mean, that I can remember. In Missouri when I was a toddler we had it, and then in Tquah and Claremore I've had it while at college.) But I'm rambling again.
     Things that hadn't happened yet: Marie's incessant pestering finally convinced me to create a Facebook account four months later. I didn't know Jed or Jon, though I'd met them. I hadn't met Jessica or Amanda, and Josh and Marie were about the only people I felt safe hanging out with from church, since the Soukups had quit (the older guys in the youth group seemed to enjoy making our lives miserable, though I think part of that was just us overthinking.) Dylan hadn't moved to Tulsa yet, and neither had Samara. I hadn't yet been to Washington, D.C., though occasionally I would spend a couple days in Westville taking care of Nano. Sport and Sunny were still alive, and Sunny's daughter Eclipse had just died. I was just starting to dabble with guitar, figuring that it would be a good way to keep myself busy during the downtime (ha!) of the remodeling.

     But being in Tahlequah meant that I couldn't be part of the Okmulgee County spring drama production, The Hysterical Account of the Trojan War. It was really weird to watch as a member of the audience, sitting in the balcony of the First Baptist-Okmulgee sanctuary with Quinton, Alton and Brenna. There was a new girl named Jessica who moved from Florida who joined the group that semester, and to tell them apart Jessica Ashley became Little Jessica while new-girl Jessica became JB. She was best friends with Annette (they would write a play together called Tinker & Bell and the Fight for Neverworld) and eventually Alton and JB fell in love, becoming the target of many jokes, and they got married a couple years ago at Trinity Baptist in Morris.

     The Boy Meets World sequel series Girl Meets World had its series finale tonight. Just like Alton-JB were the couple of our Okmulgee homeschool clique, Cory Matthews and Topanga Lawrence were the couple of late-90's TV, which I knew well, being the child of youth pastors during the late 90's. I was more a fan of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and 7th Heaven, so I never really got into BMW, and not having cable, couldn't catch reruns to get into it. (I discovered MacGyver when I was about 13 and Full House in college, so that covers all of the 90's between all those shows mentioned.)
     But one day, while sick, I flipped the TV onto the Disney Channel (ack!) and a Girl Meets World episode was on. It wasn't good, but it was better than most Disney Channel shows are. So I would occasionally watch whenever there wasn't anything else to do. It was horribly written, and not realistic at all, but there was something that it did really, really well - and I never could quite put my finger on it.  The plot features the adventures of Cory and Topanga's daughter Riley, her best friend Maya and their friends, with occasional appearances by Shawn, Eric, Mr. Feeny, and pretty much everybody else who ever had an important role on BMW. These adventures reminded me a little of what me, Sam, Dylan, Marie, Jed, Jon and Manda got into during high school.
     Did the Tanners of Full House do a better job of parenting than the Matthews? Probably, but sitcom parenting is a little iffy at the best of times. (I would vote Nate and Beverly Jackson from Doc as the Best Parents on TV, though the Camdens of 7th Heaven and the Taylors of Friday Night Lights are also good candidates.) Is it as well-written as Parks and Rec? Certainly not. But GMW has that "....Well, whatever IT is, you've got a lot of it" (to quote Michael Jordan in Space Jam) stuff that both of those shows do. All these shows may be ridiculous, but viewers care about those characters. So, it kind of worked.

     Will Friedle played Cory's older brother Eric in both BMW and GMW, but there was also an ABC Saturday-night TV movie he was in called My Date With the President's Daughter. He played the pretty-average-but-quick-witted teenager Duncan. At the mall, when he meets and awkwardly asks out a pretty girl named Hallie, she asks if he's into sports. "Oh, yeah," he nods. "What kinds?" "The usual - bungee jumping....karate....rock climbing. Y'know, the basics." It was part of the Wonderful World of Disney that created such not-exactly-classics-but-they-sure-stick-in-my-mind-that-way as the Tony Danza-led Trash Pickin', Field Goal Kickin' Philadelphia Phenomenon; Slam Dunk Ernest; Angels in the End Zone (starring David Gallagher - Simon from 7th Heaven - and Matthew Lawrence, who played Jack on BMW); Angels in the Infield, the 1999 version of Annie (which is the best) and the 1997 reboot of The Love Bug (which stars John Hannah - Radcliffe on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - as the villain.) There was also a movie called H-E Double Hockey Sticks that also starred Friedle that I really wanted to see, but we had to go somewhere that night, and so until I learned the title just now it's bugged me forever, since I didn't know how to search for it. (Update: Found it on YouTube!)
     Anyway, between those two events, they reminded me of My Date With the President's Daughter, and it seemed like a great time to rewatch it. (Plus I didn't feel like studying.) The verdict? This movie is ridiculous, but it's supposed to be, and the writing and acting isn't top-notch, but it gets the job done. And it unfortunately could never happen now, because of social media and cell phones. And it is much, much funnier now than it was when I was five. Dabney Coleman(WarGames, Principal Prickly in Recess) is the President, and basically everything that could possibly go wrong on his daughter's first date does. Coleman makes a good fictional President.
      The next Monday at school, Duncan's friends give him a hard time about missing a dance, asking what he did instead. "Saturday night....I had a date with the President's daughter, got chased all night by the Secret Service, my dad's car was stolen, got into a brawl at a dance club, put on a magic show at a biker bar - that was pretty cool - uh....was on television, and oh, right - I kicked Steve Ellenger's butt!" That pretty much sums up the plot.

     I've pretty much tried to stay off of the internet, given all the tension and stress about the inauguration and all. Unfortunately I can't completely hide from people in general, but that level of tension is pretty thick around campus, too. Also, the power went out all across campus this afternoon, which happens with some regularity, just like in Morris. That didn't help anyone's mood. I had some time to plot out a fiction project a little more, and work on this post once the power came back on. Maybe tomorrow will go easier.