Batter my heart, three-personed God; for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurped town, to another due,
Labor to admit you, but O, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captivated, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betrothed unto your enemy.
Divorce me, untie or break that know again;
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
-John Donne
Monday, November 29, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Art of Sticky Notes
Honestly, who isn't a fan of post-it notes. Not only are they extremely handy, but they are fun and colorful and they make me happy. Here are some pictures from an article in Newsweek. Maybe people have too much time on their hands? Either way, what they've done with their time is awesome... and I must share.
This last one isn't artistic, but the story behind it is cute. The wall, hidden behind all these wonderful post-it notes, is located in Verona and is said to be the balcony where Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet professed their love for on another. The post-its are love notes left behing by tourists. You may find it lame, I find it pretty darn cute and romantic... and now I have the Beatles All You Need is Love stuck in my head... Happy Friday!
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Human Castle
People in Tarronga, Spain really know how to have fun. Every 2 years they gather to build the largest, most intricate castle... made of humans. They call it Castellers. If gymnastics had more of this and less cheer-leading I would most definitely be a bigger fan.
Casteller from Mike Randolph on Vimeo.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Romeo and Juliet in Chicago
Just like I promised in my last post, I have more interesting things to say this time. Wednesday night marked my very first play at Chicago's Shakespeare Theater. It really was everything I hoped it would be.
The bus left school at 3:30pm and we were in Chicago by 5:00pm. The show didn't start until 7:30 so we had time to eat, walk around Navy Pier, and get some coffee at Starbucks. It's moments like these when I absolutely love being an English major. Talking about books and plays over a Cinnamon Dulce latte is good for my soul.
The play wasn't set in Shakespearean time. When I walked into the theater I wasn't sure if the road blocks I saw were actually part of the play or not. I was somewhat disappointed that the actors weren't in Shakespearean costume, but I got over that quickly enough. The stage was amazing as the dark, ghetto street set was contrasted with the bright and beautiful chandeliers insides the Capulet's mansion. I absolutely loved the whole set.
My favorite part of the play was, of course, Mercutio. This character adds so much to the written play, but seeing him perform in the flesh was ten times better. He is hilariously
sarcastic but with just the flip of a switch he becomes terrifyingly serious.
The only problem with the play, I would say, is Romeo and Juliet; especially Juliet. Instead of seeing two innocent but passionate lovers, all I saw was two hormonal, obnoxious (especially Juliet) teenagers. Granted Juliet is only 14 in the play and they probably were hormonal, but you never see them mature throughout the play. Romeo and Juliet are two kids who very suddenly get put in a very adult situation. I would have liked to see Juliet rise somewhat to the circumstance and become a woman. There was little to no spark between the lovers throughout the play, and Juliet began at a pitch impossible to exemplify during the second half, and climax, of the play. Poor acting.
You might think that if the main characters of the play are horrible the whole play is, but you would be wrong. Romeo and Juliet aren't the really the main focus of this play. This is a tragedy, not a love story. The feud between the Montague's and the Capulet's is really the central issue and the actors here did a fabulous job illustrating the anger and bitterness between the two families.
Overall, this play was amazing. I would love to go see As You Like It, playing January 5 to March 6 (hint, hint Samuel Schultz).
The bus left school at 3:30pm and we were in Chicago by 5:00pm. The show didn't start until 7:30 so we had time to eat, walk around Navy Pier, and get some coffee at Starbucks. It's moments like these when I absolutely love being an English major. Talking about books and plays over a Cinnamon Dulce latte is good for my soul.
The play wasn't set in Shakespearean time. When I walked into the theater I wasn't sure if the road blocks I saw were actually part of the play or not. I was somewhat disappointed that the actors weren't in Shakespearean costume, but I got over that quickly enough. The stage was amazing as the dark, ghetto street set was contrasted with the bright and beautiful chandeliers insides the Capulet's mansion. I absolutely loved the whole set.
My favorite part of the play was, of course, Mercutio. This character adds so much to the written play, but seeing him perform in the flesh was ten times better. He is hilariously
sarcastic but with just the flip of a switch he becomes terrifyingly serious.The only problem with the play, I would say, is Romeo and Juliet; especially Juliet. Instead of seeing two innocent but passionate lovers, all I saw was two hormonal, obnoxious (especially Juliet) teenagers. Granted Juliet is only 14 in the play and they probably were hormonal, but you never see them mature throughout the play. Romeo and Juliet are two kids who very suddenly get put in a very adult situation. I would have liked to see Juliet rise somewhat to the circumstance and become a woman. There was little to no spark between the lovers throughout the play, and Juliet began at a pitch impossible to exemplify during the second half, and climax, of the play. Poor acting.
You might think that if the main characters of the play are horrible the whole play is, but you would be wrong. Romeo and Juliet aren't the really the main focus of this play. This is a tragedy, not a love story. The feud between the Montague's and the Capulet's is really the central issue and the actors here did a fabulous job illustrating the anger and bitterness between the two families.
Overall, this play was amazing. I would love to go see As You Like It, playing January 5 to March 6 (hint, hint Samuel Schultz).
Monday, November 1, 2010
HumDrum
Here I sit at the front desk. I've been here since 3:30am and only have an hour left to go. I don't actually have anything to blog about. It's just that I haven't really had anything for some time. Life has been pretty humdrum.
I have officially reached the point in the semester when I'm sick of all my classes. Each and every one. Ok, I'm not sick of Medieval Lit, but I'm so ready for Linguistics to be over. I'm finding it hard to see the purpose in such an intensive study of sounds within the human language. We have them, we use them; what else is there to discuss? Anyway, the fact that it's potentially lowering my GPA does not make me a happy camper.
After Wednesday I will most certainly have more interesting things to say because I'm going to see Shakespeare in Chicago! I've never seen a live performance of his plays, so I'm uber excited.
I have officially reached the point in the semester when I'm sick of all my classes. Each and every one. Ok, I'm not sick of Medieval Lit, but I'm so ready for Linguistics to be over. I'm finding it hard to see the purpose in such an intensive study of sounds within the human language. We have them, we use them; what else is there to discuss? Anyway, the fact that it's potentially lowering my GPA does not make me a happy camper.
After Wednesday I will most certainly have more interesting things to say because I'm going to see Shakespeare in Chicago! I've never seen a live performance of his plays, so I'm uber excited.
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