Not much, suprisingly. I've been doing some reading, mostly Jane Austen, but some Sheridan and Wilde. I also (finally) got my hands on the 5 and 1/2 hour Pride and Prejudice Mini-series from A&E/BBC and watched the ENTIRE thing in two sittings. That was what I call entertainment.

Now that I have read/watched all Jane Austen's major novels, I can finally decide on my favorites:

1. Persuasion
2. Mansfield Park
3. Pride and Prejudice
4. Northanger Abbey
5. Emma
6. Sense and Sensibility

Not that that gets me anywhere ... I swear I'm not obsessed *guilty*

What Jane Austen Novel Are You?

The Mansfield Park type: Another under-represented and misunderstood type, these people are serious-minded and not afraid to stand up for their principles. They admire others who do the same. Possessing a bit of a protective streak, they are ever-ready to defend their unfortunately oft-abused heroine, and have inexplicably never had the urge to hit Edmund over the head with a 2 x 4 (okay, maybe that's just me...:-D).

(I also got Persuasion on retaking the quiz ... too lazy to put that here)

There are hundreds of "What Jane Austen Heroine Are You" quizzes. Pick one if you feel like it. I usually get Fanny Price, Anne Elliot, or, when I'm in a bad mood, Marianne Dashwood.

For a change of pace:

What Jane Austen Hero Are You? (Or, Which Hero is Right for You?)

Edmund Betram (Mansfield Park)

Jane Austen said: "Without studying the buisness, however, or knowing what he was about, Edmund was beginning, at the end of a week of such intercourse, to be a good deal in love; and to the credit of the lady it may be added that, without his being a man of the world or an elder brother, without any of the arts of flattery or the gaieties of small talk, he began to be agreeable to her. He was not pleasant by any common rule: he talked no nonsense; he paid no compliments; his opinions were unbending, his attentions tranquil and simple. There was a charm, perhaps, in his sincerity, his steadiness, his integrity."

(This is ironic. Edmund Betram is the hero I spend the most time wanting to hit over the head with The Complete Works of Jane Austen.)

Okay, I've said enough.

Okay, okay, I'm finally back in the US!

But first, my last day in Ireland was very insane! We woke up and went into the city at about eight in the morning - which is ridiculously early over there, apparently. Did a little souvenier shopping, then went to see the Dublinia exhibit and Christchurch Cathedral. Then, onto the National Museum of Archeology and Something-Else. Bog people are creepy.

The flight today was long and dull. Parents got irritable.

It's nice to be home ... someone sign on! I'm dying to talk to anyone!

I just got back from Kerry about a half hour ago ... so, here I am, recovering, listening to my sisters whine and helping Erica beat KH1.

May I just say, from the start, that County Kerry was amazing! The drive wasn't ... five hours at least from Blackrock to Tralee, where we stayed the first night out. Along the way we saw a ton of sheep and cows ... more cows than I've ver seen people in my entire life. And apparently I am one of two people in my immediately family who is not nauseated by the smell of cow manure. The stench was everywhere! For good reason is Ireland the Emerald Isle - you would not believe how green the grass, vivid the foliage, and verdant the pastures are! Speaking  of common objects in Ireland - ruins. The overgrown ruin - an ancient castle, church, barn, or cottage - of crumbling stone, still a half-whitewashed limestone in some cases, or grey rock, hung with garlands of flowing vines, flowers and grass sprouting from niches in the walls, roof long gone so to stand in is to stand in the golden light among the shadows of the decaying past ... but I wax poetic. The stinging nettles to be found in most ruins, however, are nothing to praise for their picturesque ideal - they hurt like the devil, especially if you land in a real patch in them.

We did succeed in finding some of our relatives. In Listowel, practically every other store was owned by a Stack ... there are even Stack Mountains in Kerry! Hahaha, I feel so important. Unfortunately, the business our branch of the family traditionally own, a pub in Listowel, no longer exists - since the government here begand to crack down on drunk driving, people have begun to stop patronizing pubs and start buying drink from "off-licences" (package stores in other words), business for them dropped steeply, and they converted to an "off license". Times change, I guess. And, when we finally found the place, our cousins weren't there due to "an illness in the family" ... which turned out to be one of my dad's aunts (I think) on their deathbed and dying the following morning. So we didn't get to see that side of the family.

From Listowel we drove to Kenmare through Killarney National Park, specifically Moll(y)'s Gap. The views were ... out of this world. That day, it was rainy and cloudy, with a sheer, eerie fog settling in. The lakes were a flat, slate black, until affected by the wind howling through between the mountains, then whipped up to whitecaps beating at rocky shores. From the abysses surged smoothed, angular rocks, proud as the bow of a dreadnought, plunging ahead again the waves, forever stuck in one pitch, never able to roll to rights. The mountains, which before had been gently sloping, carved into dramatic drops or steep faces of barely covered rock. Greenery here, was but a thin and tearing veil over the sharp stone that characterizes this area. The sheer size would cause awe, but this was a land on great, but terrible beauty - icy beauty, a beauty which cannot be denied, but closer acquaintance yields danger. It is melancholy and fierce dually, empty and alive, if you only look closer to see the white splotches you thought were limestones on far away slopes are in fact grazing sheep daring the elements and the earth for the sweet grass that grows. Certainly there is little or no human habitation for miles and miles. Any flower in this wilderness has the worth of the diamond, for it is just as rare and as beautiful.

In Kenmare, we came across more relatives, these far in the rolling, verdant hills which Ireland is famed for. (Truly - this is a land of contrasting natures - I feel quite at home!) They own and run a working dairy farm outside Kenmare! We got to wander around the pastures, and in doing so came across the old farm buildings ... the land has belonged to the family for a very, very long time, apparently. There were two cottages and a small barn together, alike in disrepair. The barn was still in use for the sheep, one cottage was used as storage and a henhouse, and the last was completely gone to rot. The slate roof was falling in, the second story was completely fallen in except for one room near the chimney, old timbers from the home littered the floor, along with bits of glass from the window, scraps of wallpaper, rusting electric wiring, ruined furniture. The stairway led nowhere, formerly a green and beige, fading away. I could have sworn, when I first peeked in, I'd seen that cottage before, but I couldb't have; nor could I shake the de ja vu. Seriously eerie. After that I played soccer with my little cousins  - aged 9 and 3, then tried to teach, in about 5 minutes, the eldest, a girl, some of the games I used to know when I was her age. It was sad when we had to go.

Today we drove through Kenmare to Ireland. It's been a very, very long day. I'll see you all soon - try not to have too much fun without me. KIDDING! KIDDING! I shall be sorry to leave Ireland,but I miss you all. Bye!

Okay, haven't updated in a while, but things have been hectic as, well, heck, around here. This entry might get a little long, so either: 1. Set aside a while to read it 2. Don't read it (JUST KIDDING! PLEASE READ AND MESSAGE!) 3. Ask me about it when I get back and I will be more than happy to give you a *summary* *coughcough*

The second day we were here we started sightseeing. Walked fifteen minutes and about a mile to the bus-stop, into Dublin proper (Dublin means, by the way, Black Pool in Gaelic ... I can't resist lecturing even on break! Don't kill me!) We took a tour bus around the city, saw a bunch of places and didn't go in, listened to a lot of funny commentary from the guides, who taught us how to say "kiss my arse" in Gaelic ... which I forgot how to say :(. We decided on going into the Dublin Zoo, which was very cool. Well, I wasn't thrilled, the Zoo has a lot, but I'm sort of the stuffy-dead-white-guys/history exhibits type person. So we trekked around the ENTIRE zoo - that's quite a bit of walking. I love the penguins! Hahaha! So after that we walked around Phoenix Park for a bit, and saw a POLO MATCH! That was cool - never seen one of those before. Real polo originated in India, did you know? So that was pretty cool. After that we finally wandered up to the Wellington Testimonial in the park ... well, it was something I wanted to do. Basically the monument is a GIANT obelisk, the second largest in the world (to the Washington Monument in DC ... Washington ... Wellington ... seeing a connection here?). There are four plaques on the four sides, one of Waterloo, one of Wellington's Army service in India before his rise to fame during the Peninsular wars in 1809, one of his public service (as an MP, an advisor, and the PM ... England of course) and one commemorating, in very flowery language, just how amazing he was. The writing was in Latin, so there I was, getting a kick out of translating, something only I would do, when I realized the same paragraph was in English just to the right. *Sarcastic Face* Wellington was born in Dublin, on Merrion Square in his father's, the Earl of Mornington's home, so that's why there's a monument to him in Dublin when he was a primarily British figure, and is, in fact, none too popular with the Irish.

Anyways, day three, I went into Dublin with my mom and Mrs. Barry, and saw the Writers Museum. I was psyched! Some stuff I did not know about their literary tradition ... heck, I didn't know much to begin with, but a quite a few of their major writers were involved in the various rebellions ... there were quite a few, by the way. There are still bullet holes around the GPO on O'Connell street. So the land of the green is, in its history, actually quite red. I actually have managed to limit myself to getting two books from all the book stores I've gone in and out of - "The Rivals" Richard Brindsley Sheridan, and "The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde" ... I'm going to have a busy summer! After we left Dublin that day we met up at the beach at Killeney ... I think. There's not much to say. The beach was very rocky, the water was freezing, and I got sunburned ... yes, sunburned in Ireland. I am pale. We went to a restaraunt, the Martello, in Bray, which, apart from having a great fish and chips, has a very cool name. The Martello, I think, is named for the Martello towers which, so far as I have seen, line the coast around here. The towers were adopted from a French plan by the British during the Napoleonic Wars during the height of the French invasion scare. A lot of them are still around and intact. Anyway, then some of us went all the way to Howth (rhymes with 'both') and walked around some of the cliffs that way. Great view ... scary drops. I tripped so0o0o much, I'm lucky I didn't take a tumble. Came home, watch The Producers, went to bed.

Today we went and saw Dublin Castle. I have never seen so much gilt in my entire life! The apartments were ridiculously ornate and occasionally overblown. The guide told the group some very funny legends about the past intrigues in the Viceregal court there, most of them about Victoria. The funniest ones were definitely about the throne and the throne room. The gist of the throne legend was that George IV was such a large man that the throne had to be built proportionally, and when Victoria, who was a petite woman in her early life, visited, she literally could not get up into the throne. Accordingly, the throne was lowered six inches by cutting the legs, and a footstool was added. Anyway, the foundations of the original castle were kind of eerie, since they were underground, and made even creepier by the guide mentioning that excavations on the site had yield hundreds of human skulls, dating from the era where criminals were hung, drawn and quartered, their heads placed on pikes on the walls of the city. I bet that brightened up your day!

So, I guess that's about the sum of things right now. The ice cream over here is to die for! I would stay just for the ice cream, no joke. World Cup is also huge over here ... pity, it's not going very well for the US. Other - walking is apparently a religion over here. I've walked everywhere! A bit footsore right now ... lol.

We're leaving for Kerry tomorrow, hopefully seeing family and some sights. I don't know what kind of internet to expect, so I might be quiet for a while. I'll be back in Dublin sometime Wednesday, and I'll be back in CT sometime Friday. I'm going to be sorry to leave, but I miss you all. Leave me a message, I want to here from you!

Night!

Hey all! Apparently I was wrong about the computer thing ... I can update. Why I thought I ouldn't have access to internet, I have no idea. Guess I'm just dumb that way.

Anywho, I spent the hours between 2:00 and 7:40 in JFK with the family because we got in way too early for the flight. Will not go into details, too boring. Started and finished "Jane Austen in Boca", a very off-beat spin-off, as it were, of Pride and Prejudice. Flight boarded and left on time, and the next six hours or so I was over the Atlantic. Never travel with your family! Parents get nervous and irritable, siblings get anxious, cranky, annoying and irritable!

So, about 20 hours, not allowing for time changes, later, here we were in Dublin!

It's a weird feeling, I have to say. It's the first time I've been in a foreign country and it's looked familiar. Our bus went past Grafton Steet and I actually could pick out the shops I'd been in before, albeit almost three years ago. Very cool. Did I mention I love the architecture of Dublin? It's very quaint, not un-mentropolitan, but reassuringly old Georgian facades, with colorful doorways swinging out on stny sidewalks. Not like London at all (In fact, what I frst imagined London to be like actually turned out to be more like Dublin!)

Well, now we are comfortably installed - my sisters, Erica and I - in the attic bedroom of the Barry's house in Blackrock, a suburb of Dublin! I am so psyched for this vacation to begin! We're supposed to go to a beach tomorrow, but beyond that, we get to roam around Dublin! I do hope we go - no, we ARE going whether my parents like it or not - to see the Book of Kells in the Trinity Library! There's so much else to do! Hopefully, I'll keep you all posted, assuming you still read this dusty old thing!

Well, I'm suffering a mild case of Jet lag ... its 11:00 PM here. Night all!

Well, this is going to be my last entry for a while. As you all may or may not know, I'm on the first ever family vacation to Ireland. Be back on the night of the 23rd. Have fun and be good!

Oh, and a little something for the road:

http://www.vekay.com/titanic.html

I thought this was hilarious. This is, by the way, a parody, not a real trailer.

Bye!

This will only take a second, and amuze you only for that period of time, but:

The Pig Personality Quiz

Other Stuff:

What are you in anime world that represents yourself?

(This result is SO not me ... )

I think Queen of Flowers would best represent you in anime world. Hah, I bet you never heard of it. Well, the Queen of Flowers existed because I created it! Basically, you are sweet, innocent, and sensitive. This is a little bit like the Angel result, but not really. When you're innocent and nice, you don't even have to bother exerting effort. You are just naturally friendly and cheerful. It's just your nature. I guess that's why other people want to be your friend and they admire you for your great personality and maybe even your beauty! You usally wouldn't swear or say bad words, unless someone really pisses you off. I think a lot of guys would like you for your gentleness and how caring you are. The Queen of Flowers id basically everything that I described above and much more. This result can somewhat be compared to the Angel of Purity or Angel of Innocence. Duh, this is a great result, and this doesn't mean that you're weak. You can be real tough when you want to. Occasionally stubborn and bossy, you are still well-liked by eveybody. You should be proud of yourself and keep your sweetness and innocence!


Heh, isn't this a pretty neat result? Please rate high if you liked it! Thanks for taking my quiz! Oh, check out the 'see all possible results' to see the other GREAT anime pics!

(This result is more me, I think)

ANGEL I think an angel would best represent you in anime world. You are nice, caring,sensitive, kind, generous, all the good traits. I think that's why eveyone likes you and wants to be your friend. You are sensitive towards others' feelings, and I don't think you're the sort of person who intentionally hurt other people's feelings. You also like it when you are showered with compliments. It feels good to be admired and appreciated, right? You want people to see you as someone innocent and good, whether you are really like that or not. You try to go for that perfect image of a nice, friendly girl that everyone likes. Who knows, maybe you really are like that! Heh, isn't this a pretty neat result? Please rate high if you liked it! Thanks for taking my quiz! PS: Sorry if the pic doesn't have wings like most angels do! I sincerely apologize! I just thought that this pic of Chii from Chobits fits this result, that's why! So don't kill be just becoz you won't have wings as an angel in anime world! lol Oh, check out the 'see all possible results' to see the other GREAT anime pics!

What is Your Role in a Relationship?

I'm fairly certain this was circulating before, but my answer vaccilates between two apt ones:

You are Insecure

You often find it hard to believe you are worthy of the love and attention given to you by your partner, and always worry he/she could do much better than you.

Your insecurity sometimes leads you to pushing people away, or holding on too tightly. Either way, your relationships often end in tears.

Maybe you had your heart broken in the past, or have a low self-esteem - whatever the reasons are, you struggle to see what other people see in you. Some people will find this frustrating, but there will be someone out there who will delight in telling you just how fab you really are until you start to believe it yourself.

Most compatible with: The Hopeless Romantic

The Romantic will never tire of telling you how much they love you, and you will never tire of hearing it! You need someone who will give you constant reassurance, who will be prepared to make grand romantic gestures whenever you are feeling particularly insecure and will stand by you if you push or pull on them. The Romantic will do all these things and some, always making sure you know that you are the only one they could ever want.

Least compatible with: The Free Spirit

The Free Spirit won't ever show you their affection in ways obvious enough for you. You would feel constantly on edge as they flitted from one place to the next, not really caring if you followed or not. They would give you enough of a taste to tempt you, but none of the follow through and security you desire.

Your song is: Let That Be Enough, Switchfoot

~OR~

Dreamers are emotional, passionate, creative, surprising, selfish, moody, childish, stubborn and many more things on top of that! You have the capacity to be anything and everything, you throw yourself in to everything you do and you're not afraid to fall in love. In fact you've dreamed of doing so forever.

As a Dreamer you have a sensitive, creative soul. You have an artistic side, maybe you paint, play and instrument or write (or all three!) but whereas you can control words and colours, you can't control your emotions, and you often let them rule you. You can go from being happy to sad in mere seconds and often try to hurt the ones you love because you are hurting.

Despite these slightly manic-depressive tendencies, you have a lot of love to give. You are looking for someone to be your anchor, as your feet rarely touch the ground. When you find someone who can be that anchor for you, with your passion, you can make both your dreams come true!

Most compatible with: The Grounded

If ever there was a person who could hold all your emotions, support you when you need it but know when to let you have your freedom, it is the Grounded. They delight in being a shoulder to cry on, and will steadfastly support no matter how angry and childish you can be. Everything with you is about highs and lows, which the Grounded desire to detract from their tendency to be mundane. You can inject a bit of interest while they inject some stability - a match made in heaven!

Least compatible with: The Insecure

The last thing you need is to be with someone who is as unstable as you. That is why the Insecure would never be a good choice of partner for you. They need as much love and support as you do, so the foundations of any relationship you tried to build would be rocky at best.

Your song is: Come Away With Me, Norah Jones

What Does Your Guardian Angel Look Like?

You are a person who craves change. Your angel does too, loving to manipulate their appearance at any given time for something new. You love to spice up your life by trying anything once, even if that thing is bad. Change is good, but sometimes the changes you make are hurtful, to yourself or others. Your angel tries to steer you clear of the dangerous changes you want to make, but unfortunately you don't always listen to them. You don't change everything all the time, but when something seems to be dull, you stop and try something else. You like new things, but even old artifacts and relics can be exciting if they're new to you. You strive for balance, but can't seem to ever find it. Hint: it's closer than you think...

Your angel is very flexible with you, adjusting themself to fit you. They are consistent, however, and tries to balance your life with excitement and safety. They can get a little on the wild side too, so you'll always have fun. Just listen to them when they're trying to tell you to stay with something for a bit longer. Even though they may look bad, they're really good...

   Well, Junior year has come and gone. I never want to do that again. Too much stress, drama, trauma, sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and decisions.

So here's to a summer which may or may not be more stressful!

Well, to be fair, it's not the school year, and that alone is something to be thankful for. I have some degree of free time, I can still talk to my friends, sleep in, stay up late, run riot, etc. The only downers are chores (eh, not too much time a day), college applications (making me decidedly nervous), swimming (which, if I "behave" myself and get off my parents 'proby' list, I may not have to deal with consistently). Well, parents, but there's not time like now to get them to see my view or perfect the art of ignoring their hot air.

Well, right now life's a bit dull. Haven't been able to hang around much ... apologies. I'm around, up and awake between 8 am and 12 am (excepting 6:15 pm - 9:15 pm Charter Oak). I'll be online, and if not, around my house until otherwise noted. Cell if necessary.

Going to Ireland in 6 days!

Have a great summer, and see you all around!

I have not updated this dusty old thing in quite a long time, as you can see.

Thankfully, this year, Junior year, is almost over. Exams are within two weeks, SAT 2's as well, and then the fresh air that is the freedom of summer!

NE's for T&F were yesterday! That was such a long day! Wakeup call at 6:00, leave school at 7:30, warmup at 10:30, meet over sometime around 7:30, get back to school at 10:30, get home at 11:00! Well, its not as long as NE's for S&D, so I'm thankful for that at the very least. The events were ... interesting. I got a PR of 72'8" in discus (3'3" better than my best) for 7th place overall, just out of earning points. *fumes* Anyhow, the girls came in first and the guys came in fourth. It was a good day ... ish.

On the way back we were playing "Truth or Truth". If you have never played - GOOD! Keep it that way ... unless you enjoy being asked weird and embarassing questions. One, however, dreged up a very BAD memory that I had not thought about in a very long time and hoped to have lost for good. Don't ask because I'm not telling any of you - not because I don't trust you all, I do, but because it's not something I enjoy remembering. Actually, I have a lot of memories like that ...

*sarcastic face*

Oh, and I managed to leave a blank notebad, my second notebook of my novel, MORE than half-full, and, to put a cap on it, my journal, on the bus. Great. Just shiny! *insert your own curses here* Just shiny. I lose my novel and my journal. If anyone reads either, I might cry. I wonder if someone picked them up ...

That's about the size of things right now. I've got a load of homework to do, a resume to write, and my own issues to deal with. It's going to be a long night.

Good luck to all with everything the end of the year entails!