I am also extremely excited for summer. I have 5 more school days left (technically 8, but I'll be gone for 3 of them) and then I'm done with high school. Woo!

I don't really have any major plans for the summer. My main plan is to relax as much as possible and spend a ton of time with my friends before we all leave for college. There will be many graduation parties in the next few weeks and many going away parties in August and many days for just sitting around in the sunshine together.

I'm also trying to find a job for this summer. Not sure where I'm going to work because I'm still working on getting hired. I've been applying to a lot of places recently, so hopefully someone will hire me soon.

I guess there will also be quite a bit of packing and getting ready to move out and go to college. And the college I'm going to has a pre-orientation backpacking trip in Yosemite National Park, which I might go on and would be really amazing and exciting. I'm not so sure about how I feel about the whole living in the wilderness thing, but spending a week in Yosemite does sound pretty incredible.

Anyway, I think those are my main plans for this summer. My recommendation for this week is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. I'm only part of the way through it, but it's really good so far.

Summer plans!

First: happy late birthday, Emily!

Today my study-preparation holiday-ish thing started, and I have two exams next months, "graduation" and then summer. I'm going to work in a theme park all summer in an icecream/candy/sweets store/booth.

Which is going to be hard, but I'll get experience, which is the main reason to do it. Other than that, I hope I'll get a tan (I always manage to get a tan in my face, while the rest of my body remains winter-pale) and read loads of books (and I'll love some good recommendations!)

I don't have other plans, actually. We're not travelling this year, so I'll get plenty of time to prepare myself for the new school, which is going to be hard. But I am actually excited, which I think is vital for you to enjoy it.

I hope I'll get to watch Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 on opening night in Denmark (it's 13th of july here) - not sure if it's possible, since it'll be midnight, Copenhagen is .. fairly big and I have no place to go to afterwards. And no one to go with.

I think that's all from me!

Oh, and did anyone see Teefury's Stare Contest Doctor Who t-shirt last week? I bought it. Like a boss.

DFTBA (:

SUMMER! yay!

Don't you guys love those days where you walk outside and it's surprisingly warm and sunny? I LIVE for those days in the spring. And now it's summer! YAY! I feel like a little kid, saying "yay, it's summer" all the time.

By the way, happy early birthday Emily!

I hate to rub it in, but I'm done with school! My last final was on Friday, which was why I didn't post last week. I was studying so much. Ugh, it was awful.

This summer, I am nannying. I'm going to be sharing this job with my sister, and we'll switch off days or something like that. (I don't know if I told you guys, but I have a twin named Allie.) It's a family of three boys (jeez) and it's going to be about 20 hours per week, I think. I don't even like babysitting in general, so I'm not sure how this will work out. I'm just hoping to make some money.

My family takes a few trips every summer, and this year we are going to Yellowstone and Montana with my cousins. We're renting a house and staying in Big Sky. It's going to be gorgeous and I'm looking forward to shopping and hiking and other fun stuff. I'm really excited for this trip.

I'm also going to spend a week with my grandparents in Minnesota. They live on a lake, so we can go kayaking, swimming, and sailing. It's really nice.

I'm really looking forward to Deathly Hollows Part 2, as well! I'm going to go to the midnight premiere, since I couldn't go to the first one. Unfortunately for many of my friends that went to the Part 1 midnight premiere, a lot of the scenes broke and they didn't get to see it. They were so mad, but the theater gave them tons of free passes, so that calmed them down. I was kind of glad that I didn't try to go to the midnight showing. I would have been so disappointed (and tired) if I had.

My Recommendation: the show Parks and Recreation. I love this show. It's hilarious and it's my new obsession.

DFTBA :)

Summer

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY :) (Just pretend it's Wednesday) (Also, I hope you're feeling better)

Summer is almost here, which is pretty awesome. I have two weeks left of school, which is also kind of strange, because this year has gone by so slowly (and it still feels like it's going slowly with 8 or 9 days left). I think this is the summer I'm looking forward to the most out of summers past, for many a reason.

1) In general, I'm looking for summer purely for what I'm planning on doing during the summer, instead of just relief to be out of school (okay, not purely)

2) I might be able to go down to Florida in June to visit Universal (by which I mean the Harry Potter theme park), because my mom has a plane ticket voucher she might not be able to use, and a cousin (or relative of some sort) who happens to live in Florida (which I didn't actually know until I jokingly suggested going to Florida - I never expect she'd take me even kinda seriously).

3) As mentioned previously (I think, somewhere) I'm going to be at Kenyon for a two week writing program, hopefully developing/fine-tuning my fictional writing technique. I'm excited to be going away from home (by which I mean the place, and also the people), and to meet new people who have at least one major thing in common with me. (It would also be pretty cool if I found a nerdfighter there)

4) I'm spending most of July (I think) in California with my dad, who I haven't seen in months. I'm excited to see my dad again, but also to see the rest of his side of the family (most of it anyway). Also, California is pretty and cool, and my dad is currently in the San Francisco Bay area. Also, Deathly Hallows Part 2 comes out in July. I'm looking forward to this (in a bittersweet kind of way, because it means the end of Harry Potter stuff release -- at least for the near future)

5) Band Camp for Marching Band is in August, and as a senior, I get to help run the show. Marching Band is tiring and time consuming, but it is also fun and full of (for the most part) awesome people. I'm hoping that, even with the additional stress of running things, the ability to have more creative control and the knowledge that it's my last hurrah, will make Marching Band in the year to come extremely fun.

Recommendation: for (relatively- to majorly-obsessed) Harry Potter fans, the website virtual-hogwarts.org, which is a very thorough RPing site that takes place in the Wizarding World. (I am not a representative of the site. Anyone who wants to join should read all of the Rules and Guideline first :)

Au Revoir!

Musings of an Almost-Adult

Sorry that I wasn't able to post on Friday. I've been sick and have spent the past two days on the couch watching about 2397532 episodes of 30 Rock because that was all I was physically and mentally capable of doing.

Anyway, my 18th birthday is this Wednesday. It's pretty exciting, but also pretty mind blowing. I mean, I'm going to be an adult.

How did this happen?

All my life, adults have seemed like these super mature, sophisticated, wise people who know what they're doing, but now I'm going to be one and I am none of those things. I feel like I'm supposed to be able to become a functioning member of society at this point and learn about jobs and taxes and voting and such, yet I really just want to curl up in a blanket and watch Disney movies.

But most people probably feel the same way. Maybe not exactly the same, but I can't be the only almost-18-year-old who doesn't feel like an adult. I guess that's just how it goes. We'll all get thrust into the real world whether we're ready or not, and we'll do whatever we can to make it. The adults I know seem to have turned out all right through all of that, so I guess I've got a chance.

So my recommendation is the show 30 Rock. It may seem a bit odd at first, but it's pretty fantastic and hilarious. And I watched an entire season of it in a day. I don't even know how many episodes I watched this weekend, but they were all incredible.

Eurovision

I think I should explain Eurovision, 'cause one of my American friends, didn't know what it was. All European countries makes a contest in each of their own country a few months before the big finale. During the "audition", the viewers votes for those they want to represent their country at the finale.

The finale is a two months later, or so. It's a HUGE thing in Europe, loads of people fly to the place it's held (the previous year's winner's country gets to host Eurovision) and then all the countries perform, then voting, entertainment, reveal of the votings and then the winner is found, where they go to stage and perform their song again. Then end credits.

I normally stay away from Eurovision Song Contest, but I thought it was funny to look at my Twitter Feed at the same time (which is why I ended up watching the entire thing)

And that made me think about how Europe comes united that one night. People cheer and have oads of fun with their family and friends, singing along, cheering for the good ones, and laugh at the bad ones, and make fun at the really bad ones. It's a lovely 3 hours, and loads of fun. If you don't believe me, you should all watch Moldova's entry this year. Oh, and while you're there, you should check out the Danish one this year. It's actually good. And by actually, I mean, sometimes it's really rubbish.

We've sent a drag once, with the song "I'm your dramaqueen tonight"... I think it speaks for itself. I'm not opposed to drags at all, but I can't believe Denmark were watching ESC a couple of years ago and thought "hmm, this song is the best out of ten... Or, at least, we'll have a ball, and Europe will find it amusing" (It worked, we reached semifinal)

This year, Azerbaijan won. It is a small country in the Eastern Europe. And because so few knows where that is, it sounds a bit like, that we don't care.

The songs are easily forgotten, admitted. But when we unite as a continent, we must remember, that making "too much fun" where it just ends up being hated. Of course, it can be done classy, as long as it's nice. But why unite, if we unite as in "you and me, vs. them"

It would be lovely, if Europe, over the next years of Eurovision would come together and just have fun, as we're supposed to. And make better songs.

Rebecca, I hope your prom was as much fun as it sounded like, and good luck on Tech Week, which I still haven't got a clue, what is about.

My recommendation this week is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. It was witty, weird (good weird) and I personally like stories, where the main character changes.

DFTBA till next week

Tech, Prom, and Joss Whedon

Hell Week is here! Well, Tech Week, actually, but that's just a technicality (pun somewhat intended). Anyway, my school's Drama Club is putting on a production of Twelve Angry Men (although, really it's Twelve Angry People, because of the female performers, but that's another technicality) at the end of the week, and I am running lights for it (which I'm pretty exited about, I get to wear a headset!). But since this is the week of the play and all, everything is going to be hectic, and I'm going to be getting home at ridiculous hours (I left at 7:45, which is actually an extremely reasonable time for Tech Week [of course, I didn't have to stay to change and hear notes, so I don't know when everyone else left]). Tech Week is always very tiring and full of tension and stress, but it is also wonderful in some ways. It's really a great opportunity to spend time with people I might not otherwise associate with on a regular basis. And while the cast generally has months to get used to one another, typically the crew is only there for one or two week. But even in that short time the people who contribute to each production (in whatever way) start to become a (really effed up) family. I also think helping with Tech form plays and performances is really fun. All of the stress and hard work ultimately pays off during the show (although this is often even more tense and stress filled than the rest of the week, albeit tempered with excitement and happiness and pride and such).

This weekend was also Prom for me, which was pretty fun. I actually only ended up deciding to go to Prom early on in the week preceding it, so I ended up going in an old Homecoming dress. It was an enjoyable time, and I really appreciated the extra time to spend with my senior friends who will, sadly, be leaving soon. I even got to dance with my crush (though only with the prodding of their sister...)! And I went to IHOP afterwards with a bunch of friends and got to wolf down chocolate-chip pancakes while talking about feminism (and Firefly a bit) (this definitely says something about my friends and I; apparently it is perfectly normal for us to have an intense discussion about feminism at 1 in the morning after Prom over pancakes). We (well, the driver) managed to get lost on the way to IHOP, which was fun (if slightly concerning at one point).

Also, I started and finished Firefly (and Serenity as well) this week, which was pretty ruttin' good. I really like Joss Whedon's writing (though, unfortunately, I have been instructed not to watch Buffy, a verdict which I am planning on challenging soon), and am immensely sad that the show was canceled, because it had potential. Though I really wish there were subtitles for the Mandarin. (Oh, for people who don't know, Firefly is a Sci-Fi western about a bunch of [nine] space-traveling outlaws on board a spaceship called Serenity [which is a Firefly model]) I have also started watching Dollhouse, which is ridiculously creepy, but (so far) is also pretty good. And while it's been a while since I've watched it, I should mention Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog which is brilliantly hilarious (and sort of sad, because Whedon likes the Anyone Can Die trope a bit too much). Anyway, I should conclude this messy paragraph by recommending everything mentioned in it (yes, this includes Buffy, even though I have only seen one episode. Enjoy it for me.)

P.S. Sorry for the rambly, spastic nature that I am sensing this post has turned into (or, indeed, started off as). I am trying to keep it short this week, in hopes of getting decent sleep, but I apparently can't do short (without a bunch of parenthetical asides) and poor transitions. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself. I will now stop thinking aloud (or through text, whatever. Technicality).

VWORP VWORP VWORP

I'm really happy about how this season of Doctor Who is turning out. I don't even know how to express how awesome it is. It's magnificent and I hope it stays that way.

I find it hard to theorize about the show because anything I come up with is probably too simple for Moffat. When it comes to River, I have no idea what she could be. I feel like Moffat is hiding something big, and we'll never know what it is until he tells us. I think this is why I'm really unsure of how I feel about how the relationship between the Doctor and River is shaping up. I love how we're finally getting to know River more as a person and I love how they interact now, but at the same time I feel like this relationship is too simple. So far it's just a sad timey-wimey romance story, and it would be boring for them to just continue in this direction because we know exactly where it leads. Predictable stories are boring.

I guess we still have to find out about who she kills. I feel like it might have been future River in the astronaut suit killing the Doctor, but maybe not. My other idea is that she kills Rory, but I really don't want that happen. The poor guy has already died enough times. He deserves a break.

Amy's sort-of-pregnancy is blowing my mind even more. My best guess is that the Silence did something strange to her while they kept her captive and impregnated her, and because the Silence are so strange, the pregnancy scanner can't figure out what the heck is going on. Or perhaps they put some Doctor DNA into her womb and are trying to grow a partially time lord pilot for their pseudo-TARDIS, and the little time-head girl is the result of that. Somehow.

And then there's eye-patch lady. I don't even know what to think of her. Sorry if this is seeming a bit rambley and scattered. There is just so much confusion in this season and I love it. My mind tends to just shout jibberish whenever I try to wrap my head around things. Everything is insane and mind-blowing and exciting. I can't wait to find out what's really going on. And I can't wait for tomorrow's episode written by Neil Gaiman.

Speaking of Neil Gaiman, my recommendation for this week is Stardust, which is written by him. I feel like I may have suggested this before, but whatever. It's still an adorable book. I finally finished it tonight and it's so cute. There's also a movie based of it, and it's one of the few that's pretty much as good as the book.

Also, I recently introduced my dad to Doctor Who, and I just caught him walking around saying, "Are you my mummy?" Makes me proud. :)

Yay, Doctor Who!

Not that long time ago, I rambled about Harry Potter, and this time I get to talk about Doctor Who, my second huge fandom.

I love the Doctor Who fanbase. The fans are all loving the show, pointing out questions, making up theories, trying to tie knots together. It's so nice and I love being a part of it all.

I make theories as well, and this will be the spoiler part.

1. I think that the girl who regenerated in the street at the end of Day Of The Moon (which by the way, was an amazing episode) is a regenerated Jenny. The William Hartnell to Matt Smith (agewise) would be able to work (Derek Jacobi/John Simm, anyone?)Georgia Moffett, the actress who originally portrayed Jenny was pregnant at the time, so they needed a new incarnation of her anyway.*
2. That was my original thought. Then I saw a blogpost somewhere, with them looking on IMDB, and (I'm not making it up; this is the info I saw) that Lucy Saxon will return - as the little girl. I think Steven Moffat's incredible imagination would be able to make it all fit together, so I won't rule that out either.
3. The Eye-Patch Lady is from the future. In Day of the Moon, she says "I think she's dreaming" or something. In E3, where Amy sees her again, she was sleeping. I think the next time we'll see her, will be when Amy's panicking or something.
4. I have no idea who River is. I keep hoping (until opposite prove) that they're not married. It's too boring. But of course, River really loves this man. Hopefully, we get to see soon, when the Doctor knows her fully, and understands who she is.
5. I have no idea, who really was in the spacesuit when The Doctor got killed in the first episode. If it really was Lucy, then I would have no clue whatsoever. Nor River. That would make no sense. Although, it would fit. It could be for his own safety. I just hope, there'll be a way to make the Doctor live.

And those were my thoughts. Loads of them.

My recommendation AVPM. You have seen them, AND FINALLY SO HAVE I. Can't believe I've missed out on so much fun!

DFTBA till next week :D

Doctor Who!

Yes! We are talking about Doctor Who. I have been waiting for this day to come. But, I haven't been watching Doctor Who for very long, so I must apologize for my limited knowledge. Plus, I missed last week's episode!

Anyway, this season seems to be getting more confusing every episode. The Silence is really creepy too.

Theories: This if probably very far-fetched, but I think that maybe the child is Rory and Amy's child. Amy and the Doctor were talking about how, if Amy was pregnant, the child might be affected by the time travel in some way. It's also possible that River is Amy's baby.

I was really freaked out by the River/Doctor kiss too! It just kind of came out of nowhere! I knew that they were a couple, but I was not expecting it. This hope is kind of diminished now, since Rory and Amy are together, but last season, I was really hoping Amy and the Doctor would get together. That's never going to happen though.

My favorite quote from the Doctor: "I'm being extremely clever up here, and there's no one standing around looking impressed! What is the point in having you all?" :)

Recommendation: sparkling blood orange soda. It's really good.

I'm sorry this is so short. DFTBA :)

Doctor Who [Spoilers]

I can't think of anything to talk about, so I'm going to talk about Doctor Who. So, apologies to any non-Who fans. And to any Who fans who  haven't seen the past three episodes, because there will be *SPOILERS* (and, yes, I totally imagined River saying that in that she sing-songy voice she does as soon as I typed it).

So, I have to say that "The Impossible Astronaut"/"Day of the Moon" is my favorite two-parter from the Moffat era, and two of my favorite episodes in the Moffat era in general (though all of my favorite Moffat episodes are from the RTD era, funny that). I feel like before I jump in with speculation, questions and surprise, I should a mini-review of the first few episodes.

"The Impossible Astronaut" was really engaging for me, and I quite enjoyed the pacing, though the story-setup took a bit too long, perhaps, and didn't leave time for much enjoyment of the Alien of the Week, or just the Danger of the Week in general.  That said, I really liked how characterization was handled in this episode, with Amy, Rory and River having to keep such a huge secret from the Doctor. I can't imagine that would be easy, and I thought the emotions and responses from each of the characters were great, and well acted. Especially the entire scene in the diner; Karen Gillan's delivery of Amy's reaction to Rory and River worrying about the envelopes when she still thought the Doctor was gone for good was brilliant. And I have to admit that I had an internal *squee* when River slapped the Doctor, because I was honestly thinking that someone needed to do that right before it happened. I think that won River points in my book, and I'm not particularly a River fan.

"Day of the Moon" was a great conclusion to "The Impossible Astronaut", and I also enjoyed quite a bit more. I liked the visuals of the characters covered in the tally marks, which always seemed very eerie (the visuals specifically, not necessarily the significance). I find the Silence sort of creepy, only in that they have the ability to control people's actions, without people remembering. All the same, they never seemed to be that scary within the episodes, except for the Silence that killed Joy, aside from their ability to erase themselves from people's memory. I thought the hand recording things were also very cool. Which reminds me of characterization which was even better in this episode, what with Rory overhearing Amy talk about the person she really loves. The lines were written brilliantly vaguely, and Arthur Darvill's acting of Rory's distress in response to the idea that Amy might really love the Doctor was superb. I was ridiculously happy when Amy called Rory "stupid face".

Onto speculation and confusion surrounding the episodes! First off: who the heck is the child, and why is she regenerating? I came up with this weird theory that the child is some sort of weird combination of two children time-traveling between River and Amy. Meaning that the fathers would be the Doctor and Rory. Honestly, though, I'm terrible at theories and would actually much rather be completely and ridiculously surprised at whatever the truth is. But Amy's positive-negative pregnancy and the picture of her with the child are deeply fascinating. Also, is it actually the child that kills the Doctor? I'm not entirely sure whether or not to be convinced by that at this point.

The Doctor and River kissed! Um, really that was kind of just a OMG WTF moment for me, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the increasing blatant-ness of their having a romantic relationship, because I really don't like the idea of River being the Doctor's wife. It would be too mundane. Even still, I couldn't begin to come up with who River might "really" be.

These episodes left so many questions, and left me really excited for the rest of the season. Onto "The Curse of the Black Spot"!

In comparison to the first two episodes, this one felt a bit weak. I liked the play on the siren myth, but the episode in general seemed to lack something that the first two had. Characterization might be one, because while there were a lot of good Rory-Amy moments, I don't think most of them went anywhere. The exception would be at the end of the episode when Amy manages to save Rory and their exchanges during the last few minutes of the episode. I also liked the Doctor calling Amy "Amelia", and both of them being concerned for the other over secrets their keeping from the other. Plot-wise, the story didn't do much for me, though I certainly enjoyed it (especially the banter between the Captain and the Doctor, and Eleven's bemoaning of his lack of hat). I think that the really significant moment in the episode was the shot of the woman from "Day of the Moon" in the wall of the boat. She reminded me of the woman that visits Wilf in "The End of Time", though I'm rather certain this character will serve a  different purpose. The episode was enjoyable, but it didn't seem to move the Doctor's character on any further, and only Amy and Rory's minimally, and I think in a show that has a different supporting cast each week, the effect of the story on the main/recurring characters should be more apparent.

So those are my thoughts, I'm still looking forward to the rest of the season and I hope that it regains the speed it started off with. My recommendation will be Spiced Chai Tea (I particularly like the Ruby Red Rooibos Chai that I get from Trader Joe's, but I don't know how readily available that is elsewhere). Because it is delicious.

I see that we're talking about Osama this week. I found out monday morning, and I felt a bit weird. Twitter was going crazy, having jokes and celebrations.

But, I did not. I thought it was wrong, to celebrate the loss of a human being.

I know he wasn't a nice person. I know what he did at 9/11 - the entire world does.

But even so, it felt wrong to celebrate. I read lots of things, that I thought was right, and agreed to, and here are some of those (not exact, and I can't remember where from anymore either)

• It's wrong to celebrate death - anyone's death. Instead, if you must celebrate - then celebrate the thought that he's no longer able to hurt anymore.

• Celebrating his death isn't the way to peace; it's collecting wood for the fire.

Those were my thoughts, monday morning. I also thought, that there was a reason to why both Hitler and Osama were non-good people. How did they turn into these murdering and hating humans?

There must be an explanation to it.

Think of it; instead of killing him, we could maybe have known why. ... Although, I don't think that would happen.

Now, to happier things.

I've just finished my last exam today. Or my written exam for this school year. Loads of them to come, unfortunately.

Anyway, they all went well. Except my maths one, I can already hear me fail it.

Other than exams, I've just read the classic Catcher In The Rye. Have any of you read it? If so, thoughts?

Personally I thought Holden VERY annoying. In the danish version (wasn't able to get the english) - and I borrowed the one with the old manner of talking with You, etc.

Anyway, he was reassauring the reader about his personal opinions. All. The. Time. I mean, if Holden's favorite color was yellow, he doesn't have to tell me it was twice.

I got it the first time. Maybe it's a sign on insecurity. I also found his lack oh happiness (or short joy) very annoying. He was never happy. Not once. He didn't like the people, the places, nothing. It was so annyoing. And, dear mr. J. D. Salinger, what does actually happen to the ducks in the Central Park pond?

Yesterday, I read till chapter 16, and I watched the first part of John Green's video about Catcher In The Rye, and even though I was already annoyed with Holden, he made me want to finish the book. I see now, the story, but I still dislike Holden. I wish, he'd done more for his own happiness.

My recommendation this week is John Green's Paper Towns. You may have read it - if you haven't you're really missing out!

DFTBA (and happy Hanko De Mayo)

Good News?

I learned the news about Osama bin Laden when my mother popped her head into my room and said, "Go watch the news, Osama bin Laden has been killed." I guess I was originally happy to hear it, but I have to agree with Rebecca. Celebrating about the death of someone is really wrong.

I understand that the people cheering in front of the White House and other places were probably caught up in the moment and just relieved, but I don't think they should be celebrating. Yes, we should announce that we've taken a big step in the war against terror, but a death is not something to be happy about.

When President Obama made his address, I don't think that he was saying the death brought the justice. I think Obama meant that the justice came from stopping bin Laden from committing anymore crimes. I'm not a supporter of war, but I think that Obama and the government handled the situation well.

I glad that many family members of 9/11 victims can have closure and relief, but I would definitely not encourage celebration.

My Recommendation: it's May! Go outside and sit in the sun! I apologize if it's still really cold where you live, but I'm really loving the weather right now!

DFTBA :B

Peace, Love and Violence

How should you respond to the death of a tyrant?  Well, I'm not sure how you *should* respond to it, but I'm going to posit that one way you *shouldn't* is through celebration.

Yet, I don't think a lot of people seem to grasp this.

Osama bin Laden was found and killed yesterday (EDIT: he was actually found before Sunday, but a plan to capture/kill him was created to be carried out on Sunday) which, as my mom pointed out, seems rather anticlimactic.  A decade after the horror of 9/11 and with bin Laden on the run, as well as the "War on Terror", this one person, who seems to have had little organizational purpose by his end, seems insignificant.  Not insignificant in the sense that the crimes he committed were small or un-horrendous, but rather that he seems to have had little significance in terms of power and control in the recent past.

I consider myself, for the most part, a pacifist.  Now, this doesn't mean I wouldn't fight in my own defense (or have the occasional wrestling match with my siblings), but I don't  believe that anyone "deserves" to be killed.  Period.  So the idea that people in America are celebrating the death of bin Laden are celebrating, or happy that he's died (rather than happy that he won't be any more atrocities), is somewhat disturbing to me.

Of course, I understand that people who lost loved one in 9/11 might feel happy that bin Laden was gone, in a vengeful way, but since when was vengeance a good thing?  Or a thing to be celebrated?

I watched Obama's address yesterday, about bin Laden's death, and what struck me the most was that bin Laden's death was considered "justice".  My definition of justice does not include killing, and I felt uncomfortable with the idea that violence was an acceptable form of justice.

Perhaps I view this from a wider angle than simply "Osama bin laden is dead".  I think that violence breeds violence, and hate breeds hate.  The celebration or willful perpetuation of either of these things will never bring peace (or even relative peace, since I don't believe true piece is actually capable of being attained).  To quote Gabrielle (or paraphrase, since I'm terrible at quoting from memory) from Xena  "The only way to end the cycle of hate isProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0

hrough love."  Sounds cheesy, but I think it's also right.

I put the response to bin Laden's death in a larger worldview, because of it's possibly larger implications.  There are plenty of (deranged) people who believe any number of people are tyrants. And while bin Laden is recognized as a tyrant by the majority of the world, what's to stop someone else from thinking killing the person *they* believe is a tyrant is acceptable.  Maybe that's a stretch, but it's unsettling to me nonetheless.

My recommendation is to go through all of these recommendations and compile them into a list, so that you might actually remember to follow through on them.

I shall part from these words I found on facebook from MLK: "I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."