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� Cordelia, unless otherwise noted. Do not reproduce in any form! Thanks.
Sunday, August 18, 2002
Coincidence? I think not!
You are Elizabeth Bennet of Pride & Prejudice! You are intelligent, witty, and tremendously attractive. You have a good head on your shoulders, and oftentimes find yourself a lone beacon of reason in a sea of silliness. You take great pleasure in many things. You are proficient in nearly all of them, though you will never own it.
One of Jane Austen's most memorable female characters, you have a striking resemblance to Lizzy Bennet from Pride & Prejudice. You know your place, but you're perfectly happy to question it. You set your standards high, you're smart and, though you're a little judgemental, you only do so when it's justified. Unlike her younger, frivolous sisters, Lizzy is a desired lady, and she striked gold by riding off into the sunset with Mr Darcy himself - perhaps classic literature's sexiest man. So slap yourself on the back - if she can do it, so can you!
Hmmm... I just seem to be short of one small detail. Mr. Darcy. *sighs*
Too sick to blog anything. Bah. I hate summer colds.
Okay, will attempt to exert self in interest of any readers I might have left.
Right. So... I bought some of my textbooks for fall the other day. I've dumped everything on my main computer desk shelf unceremoniously onto the floor, and have reverently placed the books (which take up less than a quarter of the shelf) on there alone. I know that I will eventually clutter up the shelf, but I want to revel in the fact that these are my textbooks, my wonderful wonderful textbooks! Yes, I know, I won't be saying that when exams roll around and I'm trying to cram every morsel of info in those books into my head... but that's then, and this is now .
On a different note... Sea and Meri: I will truly miss your wit, insight and happiness. I do hope that you will both return to blogging in the future! *hugs to both*
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,--I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!--and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death. -Elizabeth Barrett Browning
I want to be able to say that. Will I ever be able to? I'm not sure.
My brain and fingers are bubbling over with all the things I want to say.
I'm sitting in an Internet Caf� in Athens, one of the most ancient cities of the Western World- if that's not an analomy, what is? All of the world seems to be whizzing by outside the window at breakneck speed, on motorbikes and in little cars. No big cars, just little cute ones.
I disembarked the boat today, and it was bittersweet- with emphasis on the bitter. Today I feel more like Marianne than Elinor; quite the reverse of my usual personality, as I think that you well know by now. I don't want to drive you crazy, but I can't go into the details right now. There's simply no way that I can try to put into words what I feel in the middle of a modern, smoke-filled *ick* Internet Caf� in a busy street. I need to retreat to a cozy cottage, don a deep crimson Victorian gown, and pen my feelings ever so carefully with a pen and inkwell. At the very least, I need to be at my home computer .
I have seen so many fantastic things, my head is still whirling. I've seen countless years of civilization in less than a month! Infintely more important, however, I think that I managed to grasp onto just a slip of human experience in the places I visited- the sort of thing that lasts far after the snapshots fade and the souvenirs break.
I've become rather dreamy, haven't I? I blame Camille- she's the first blog I read today . Then again, perhaps it's something else.
Another most enjoyable discovery has been made. BlogStickers.
You must all remember sitting in the playground in recess, showing off your hard-earned sticker collection, and wangling over Sarah J.'s coveted *sigh* big fuzzy unicorn sticker. The joys, the sadness... oh, the humanity!
Erhm.... right. So. Anyhow. Blogstickers have that same spirit, except without the- er- trials. Happily, they're virtual, so everyone can have as many fuzzy unicorns as they like. Seriously.
I've just added a great link to my sidebar: Des Chuchotements. Larina is a complete kindred spirit! She also has a great way of expressing herself, and her blog design is divine .
She mentioned this fabulous time-waster in her blog, and I'm quite addicted. It's so fun! It's very similar to Googling yourself.... only better . What you do is enter "[Your name here] is " in Google's search box (with quotation marks), then sit back and wait for the fun to start! For example...
Cordelia is a daughter of Lear.
Cordelia is above all known for her fine Rio Grande Valley weaving.
Cordelia is one of the smaller moons in the Solar System.
Cordelia is ready to drop the case.
Cordelia is astute and reflective.
Cordelia is fearless in the face of danger.
Cordelia's style is flowing and lyrical.
Cordelia is not as bad as all that.
Cordelia is a small-framed and slender, delicate-appearing woman.
Cordelia is a wonderful person.
Cordelia is now queen.
Cordelia is silent.
Cordelia is exactly the right woman for the job.
Cordelia is the adorable golden one.
Cordelia is tall with a slender body, but curves in all the right places.
Cordelia has grown to love "Hamlet".
Cordelia is a sweet, sensitive girl who needs someone to love.
I really, truly wondered if the day would ever come when I could type that. In the midst of my Extended Essay, I sure didn't think that would ever happen!
I just want to say thank you to all the people who inspired me, who listened to me rant, who encouraged me... I never could have made it without you! Thank you! *hugs*
I'm not going to share all my results (though I'm very happy with them ), but I will tell you this much. I got a seven in English! The IB scale marks from zero to seven, so I have the highest possible mark in English! *faints* Only one other student in my school got a seven as well. Sorry if I sound like I'm bragging... I'm just in shock- I can hardly believe it! (Heh heh, especially with all the sentence fragments and incoherent ramblings in my blog- make sure the IB markers don't read this! ).
An aside: I went for dim sum with my classmates today to celebrate the arrival of our results. I discovered something- no matter how hopeless you are with chopsticks, if you're hungry enough, you manage. I also discovered that there is no way for me to eat dim sum gracefully. You sort of have to clamp your chopsticks around the dumpling (which, of course, tries desperately to slip away from you), then (making certain your teeth are sharp) try to bite off a piece, while still leaving a bit (hopefully) still clamped between the chopsticks. I'm sure that there are some people who can eat dim sum with grace and polish, but I am certainly not one of them.
I must admit, my entry yesterday was just a little on the cryptic side. Judging from all the comments I received, I might have scared and confused you all just a bit! Sorry about that.
What actually happened is that, yesterday, I graduated. (It feels so incredibly strange to type that!) I graduated Magna Cum Laude, with an extra special surprise...
I was really hoping to get the subject excellence award for English, and was rather disappointed when I found out that I hadn't won it. I mentioned my disappointment in passing to my advisor, and, shocked, she replied, "Don't you know? You won a scholarship award!"
My English teacher nominated me for this award, and it's far more prestigious than the subject excellence (and it comes with money for next year... a real bonus! *winks*). I couldn't believe that he'd nominated me for it, and that I won it!
I won't go into all the ins and outs of the awards, and other people, and why my situation immediately made me think of Anne and the Avery. Just know that it did, and let your imagination go from there .
*Cordelia takes off her hat and throws it in the air (not that she did that in the ceremony, for fear of losing it)*
P.S. Oh, and by the way... when I I received my award, I had a little speech said about me . I had no idea what they were going to say, but imagine the look on my face when the presenter mentioned Jane Austen! I grinned, and at that point knew exactly who had written the speech .
"I have not hope of the Avery," said Anne. "Everybody says Emily Clay will win it. And I'm not going to march up to that bulletin board and look at it before everybody. I haven't the moral courage. I'm going straight to the girls' dressing room. You must read the announcements and then come and tell me, Jane. And I implore you in the name of our old friendship to do it as quickly as possible. If I have failed just say so, without trying to break it gently; and whatever you do DON'T sympathize with me. Promise me this, Jane."
Jane promised solemnly; but, as it happened, there was no necessity for such a promise. When they went up the entrance steps of Queen's they found the hall full of boys who were carrying Gilbert Blythe around on their shoulders and yelling at the tops of their voices, "Hurrah for Blythe, Medalist!"
For a moment Anne felt one sickening pang of defeat and disappointment. So she had failed and Gilbert had won! Well, Matthew would be sorry--he had been so sure she would win.
And then!
Somebody called out:
"Three cheers for Miss Shirley, winner of the Avery!"
"Oh, Anne," gasped Jane, as they fled to the girls' dressing room amid hearty cheers. "Oh, Anne I'm so proud! Isn't it splendid?"
And then the girls were around them and Anne was the center of a laughing, congratulating group. Her shoulders were thumped and her hands shaken vigorously. She was pushed and pulled and hugged and among it all she managed to whisper to Jane:
"Oh, won't Matthew and Marilla be pleased! I must write the news home right away."
Commencement was the next important happening. The exercises were held in the big assembly hall of the Academy. Addresses were given, essays read, songs sung, the public award of diplomas, prizes and medals made.
Matthew and Marilla were there, with eyes and ears for only one student on the platform--a tall girl in pale green, with faintly flushed cheeks and starry eyes, who read the best essay and was pointed out and whispered about as the Avery winner.
"Reckon you're glad we kept her, Marilla?" whispered Matthew, speaking for the first time since he had entered the hall, when Anne had finished her essay.
"It's not the first time I've been glad," retorted Marilla. "You do like to rub things in, Matthew Cuthbert."
~*~
My mind is in such a whirlwind right now that I can only post this passage from Anne of Green Gables, Chapter 36, by L. M. Montgomery. It seems to neatly sum up my situtation, and all the waves of emotion I'm feeling.
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I must admit, my entry yesterday was just a little on the cryptic side. Judging from all the comments I received, I might have scared and confused you all just a bit! Sorry about that.