i'm tired of monkeyin' around... oh, ooh bee doo!

So a week ago today I got a call from my mom, saying that she had been informed that her father was killed in a car accident in Arkansas, where he lived. That night I took the train back to Milwaukee and the next day my family and I flew Milwaukee to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Little Rock (fuggin last minute flight availabilities) and spent the next few days dealing with the aftermath of the unexpected death. At first, things were very stressful and awkward, but soon the culture shock wore away. Much of that side of my family (my mom's siblings and cousins and aunts) are very unknown to me due to the distance and cultural differences. They're very different from what I'm used to... but not at all unwelcoming. It was really nice to see people I didn't know before, to be welcomed by them, to experience that part of the family tree. It was likewise nice to indulge in a number of cherry limeades from Sonic (re: the holy mother of all fast food beverages). Then on Sunday we flew Little Rock to Memphis, Memphis to Milwaukee, I hopped an Amtrak to Chicago, and Hilary and Meghan picked me up at the station with Hil's car (re: literally, planes, trains, and automobiles in that order).

Otherwise, I played a lot of Guitar Hero and Rock Band with my cousins Nate (12), Chance (10), Ashlee (15), and Tommy (11). I watched "Little Miss Sunshine" for the first time (thumbs up!!). I watched "Wild Hogs" (what the hell were they thinking?). I watched "A Knight's Tale" with Ashlee in remembrance of Heath Ledger. I bought "Glengarry Glen Ross" (KEVIN SPACEY I AM HORRIBLY IN LOVE WITH) and can't freaking wait to watch that shit. I read Persuasion by Jane Austen, Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman and memorized my lines in Long Day's Journey Into Night for class. I bought The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery (it looks fantastic) and The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory (because EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME). I have no idea when I'm actually going to read these... Next priority is The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James because Mom got it for me for Christmas and I haven't read it yet (guilty). 

I watched "Atonement" for the second time last night with some friends. The first time I watched it I absolutely hated it and for some reason last night I rather loved it. What the hell. I get really confused when that happens. But whatever. 

So yeah. I've been playing catch up with classwork and stuff yesterday and today. And the weather keeps changing violently and has left me and Meghan utterly ill in its wake; fevery, achey, dizzy, sore throat, etc. etc. and so on and so forth. Sigh. Fighting it is too much work. Ballet was fun this morning. I feel competent about it.

My Disney mix on my iPod is growing ever larger. This weekend I snatched "Under The Sea," "Les Poissons," "Bare Necessities," and "I Wanna Be Like You" for the compilation. I already have "Aladdin," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Hercules," and "Enchanted" as well as a number of songs randomly pulled, three from "The Little Mermaid," two from "Mulan," and one from "Tarzan." It will, someday, be the longest playlist ever. And it will rock. So hardcore. My brother also shared the Tenacious D album, the Muse album and the Dragonforce albums with me. For the win.

Oh, and as far as my own writing is going... I wanted to work on my pirates some more, as I'm so friggin close to getting through the second draft it's not even funny... but instead, on the train back to Chicago, I threw open my laptop and began something new, something that's been itching at my hands for a few months now and has finally pushed through: a Georgian fairy tale. An Austen-esque heroine finds herself unwilling to grow up a proper young lady and seeks adventure and fantasy in other places than the dance floor, and she ultimately gets drawn into magic and mystery more strange than she ever dreamed of when her favorite fairy tales and myths begin to appear in her real life... or something like that. Her name is Eglantine. I'm disgustingly happy with that. I had originally thought it would be Victoria or Emily or Rebecca or something, but no. Eglantine. It's a kind of briar rose. Delightful.