Mixed media

Yesterday Micha and Kiana came over with their parents and Skylie, for dinner. Among other things, we played Star Wars. In this, Darth Vader is sick, and makes his stunning declaration to Luke and Leia as they nurse him back to health. But Leia is positive he is delirious. Meantime, Leia's bratty daughter is getting in the way and annoying Vader to all get-out.

As we were drawing pictures, I was thinking: "Wait a moment! Why are the rebels doing this service to the bad guy? Why hasn't he strangled 'em all by now? What on earth?"

As I was applying water color to my marker picture, I thought, "Hey! It's mixed media. I'm trying to put 'love your enemies' and 'turn the other cheek' and pacifist stuff into Star Wars. How on earth did I get that idea?" (I like playing Star Wars because I get to yell at people, e.g. Darth Vader and Han Solo, for different reasons)

And after that there was more mixed media. Chinese dinner followed up with M & M cookies. A rock version of Shady Grove (that was my fault) (I bet the people in the days of yore turned in their graves) (maybe not...). That was about it, but suddenly I realized, my whole life is that way. If you read my stories, you'll find a few instances that sound like they were lifted from a ballad and thrown in there. They were. And probably not very well either, though some of those ballads would make great novels!

Anyway, I could continue, but I won't do something like that to you. See you again soon!
Saro

There were roses...

Yesterday was the big day--Susie and I did our performance. It was a pantomime/interpretive dance to Tommy Sands' "There Were Roses". Here I have some pictures. I can't find our exact lyrics online (there's several different versions, I modified our version from the Crossing's version), but a google search for there were roses will get results.

Anyway:


Hours before the performance, I had to disguise my messy braids, so I tried a "Leia" hairstyle...

My sister impatiently awaits the appointed time.

The props are all ready "backstage".

Of course I'm excited!

The song begins: "My song for you this evening, it's not to make you sad..."

Isaac Scott from Banagh [that may not be the proper spelling here], he lived just across the fields...

A great man for the music, and the dancing, and the reels

And sometimes in the evening, when we heard the sound of drums...

We talked about the friends who'd died, we hoped there'd be no more...

It was on a Sunday morning, when the awful news came round

When we heard that [Isaac] was dead, we just couldn't understand

We gathered at the graveside on a cold and rainy day...

"But Isaac was my friend!!!" he cried, and he begged them with his tears...

[This is my favorite line] An eye for an eye; that's all that filled their minds. And another eye for another eye; until everyone is blind.

And the tears of the people ran together...

They were both good friends of mine

Despite one false start, a red face the entire time, and having to sing four choruses to accomodate my costume change, it came off wonderfully (from my point of view as to how it compared with rehearsals). I was trying to keep a straight face, not because the song was funny but because I wanted to giggle. Apparently that came off okay.

I welcome feedback!
Saro

Noooooooooooooooo!!!

Well, last night was the first night I didn't sleep well and was grateful for it. Not sleeping well reminded me that I had just watched a movie. Our DVD player conked out, I was wondering what on earth happened to the Millenium falcon (and what did happen made me laugh!) and the last two days were just terrible. But things really looked up yesterday, until at the climax we watched the entire rest of "The Empire Strikes Back" without a hitch. Wow. It was just wonderful.

The whole Star Wars story is this: One day, in an attempt to share with us something somewhat culturally important (would you believe the number of Star Wars quotes I'm finding everywhere now?) Daddy picked up the original "Star Wars". (Now episode IV) I was less than excited about it, thinking I didn't like Science Fiction (and still don't, except for Star Wars and even better, there's a trilogy by C.S. Lewis that I've read two of. And that's cool). Well, by the end of the movie, we were begging for the sequels.

This movie is a wonderful continuation. Some sequels should never be written, but this one was not one of those. Leia had really good character development; in the first movie, she's strong and capable of doing a lot of things herself (which won me to watch the movie before it started), but with one exception she doesn't seem to have many feelings of anything except happiness and seriousness. Even with Alderaan, she doesn't bat an eye, though she's upset, if I remember correctly. There is one point in this movie where she's almost crying, and I was, too! Narnia almost made me cry, too. That's the mark of a good movie, for me.

Anyway, if you don't mind Star Wars or science fiction, this is a good thing to watch. And yes, I stand firm in my resolution that Han is much hotter than Luke! =)
Saro

P.S. I am still a folk music nut, believe it or not. Guess what I'm writing my big school report on!

P.P.S. The title is a quote that doesn't make sense out of context, but to give the context would spoil a huge secret of the movie. I'm not taking my chances, I knew the secret because of a slip of Daddy's and something he said once when showing us Star Wars had never crossed his mind (e.g. less than a year ago!!!)
Saro again

The stories it tells...

I love to arrange music via Finale NotePad. It's a bit of a challenge, and yet it's so easy. I just get all wrapped in it.

But I find that I am working things into the music that weren't in the original piece. No, I don't mean changing the tune any. All I might write is a tag or introduction or a little "between" thing...a break, is it called?...but in the instrumentation, the way I arrange it, the introduction...I just start to tell a story...no, share an idea. Whatever. Anyway, it's really getting scary the way it's creeping up on me. What next? Is this weblog going to start writing its agenda into itself the way other things are? Hmmm?

But it is getting scary, and scary is the right word for it.

Believe me, nothing else worth blogging about happened today!
Saro

Thank you! Thank you very much!

If Leia doesn't like Han that much, why doesn't she push him away when he kisses her, huh? Mum says that I just won't get it if she has to explain it to me. Well, I mean, maybe she really likes him and won't admit it. But then she ought to be consistent! Humph.

Anyway, that brings up my favorite point in the movie, cause they're kissing and all of a sudden in walks C-3PO and he says, "Master, master! I've fixed it!" and they're both kissing and the poor droid has to kind of pull Han away from Leia. That's hilarious.

Anyway, about the time our hour was up (we have a weekly "Daddy-time"--half hour individually, but we can pool our Daddy-times and do a whole hour if we can agree on something...) the DVD froze up and our DVD player stopped working again. But we'll get it fixed and we'll be able to watch most, if not all, of the DVD now. It won't even work on our computer! Well, I am still in great suspense. What is going to happen? Are Leia and Han going to get all romantic? Darth Vader's conversation with the emperor looked as though there was something wrong. What on earth did Darth Vader do to himself to get a head like that? (Or is that even explained?) Ugh. Well, all I know is that at least one of the trio has got to be alive at the end of the film because there's a sequel. And Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford are credited on that one....hmmmmm.

My sister and I have had several disagreements as to "Who's better looking?" for different things (I don't care to mention exactly what, and it wasn't important anyway). Thankfully, we don't have any disagreements about who's better looking in Star Wars. Han, hands down, though I think the scarification of Mark Hamill's face was an improvement. Of course our Star Wars-fanatic friends, Micha and Kiana think we're crazy and like Luke better. Ugh. Han's funnier, if nothing else. "We're all fine here. We're all fine, thank you. How are you?"
Saro

Under influence I am!!!

Act like someone in the movie, I do, after a movie I see. Act like Elizabeth Bennet, I do, after Pride and Prejudice I see.

Half of "The Empire Strikes Back" today we watched. But acting like anybody I'm not. Weird, is it not?
Saroda

Shhh!

My mother is in for a wonderful surprise on her birthday, June 8th--I
can't tell you much about it, but it's a bunch of arrangements of songs
that she especially likes. If she likes these special songs, maybe next
year I'll do folk songs...

Leave it to Finale NotePad! I do wonder what to do for Father's Day.
Maybe....a continuation of the country I made up last year....?

Bo-ring

Life here is very boring. Well, the playdates were not interesting to
write about, but they were fun, at least... We played Star Wars in the
pool. I played Leia but i wasn't wearing a metal bikini. No, I was
wearing my Mum's swimsuit which I much prefer to mine or Leia's. New
swimsuit this summer!

We will be watching THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK over a period of a couple
weeks. Don't worry, I won't give it all away....

Talk to you later....'bye!
Saro

oh, my goodness

I have to go, because our new American friends are going swimming and we're going along. So not only do I have to do my math, but I have got to go brush my teeth and do my hair and get my swimsuit underneath my clothes (I hate changing in the locker). So I will have to go, if you want to read something more than this you can go to Holli's site, or you can look up my archives, or whatever. Four more complete weeks of school! Yeehah!
Saro

My favorite dolls?

Okay. You probably know that I'm thirteen or so, right? (I am thirteen) And so are you surprised to hear that I still play with dolls...I mean, I still have dolls and I'm not ashamed of it?

You can laugh. Once I got laughed at by a semi-close friend and the only harm it did was that it made me feel a bit proud of being unique. Anyway, I do, and I wanted to tell you about my favorites.

At home I have Eve, Jodie, Cathy (named after me but if you call me that you are dead meat), and Pricilla. Here I have Bethany, Jennet, Spicy, Shellie, Rae, and Hannah, and my favorite, Aubrie Jean (just plain Aubrie for short) (it was named after Aubrey Atwater but I like to differ spelling so my sister can't tease me in writing by mixing the two up).

Eve is a doll made out of balsa wood with very pretty brown yarn hair. She is a little serious and could make a noblewoman of fairytale yore if I were to make more like her.

Jodie is a doll with this crazy auburn hair and several dresses. She is my second-favorite homeade-by-me doll, but not really close.

Cathy is an old plastic doll that I had to leave at home. She's dirty as anything but when I was little we had resemblance, hence the name.

Pricilla is another old plastic doll with fancier hair.

Bethany is my second-favorite of all time doll, made by my mother for Christmas one year. She didn't even bother to keep it a secret, but she did wrap it and I asked her to put a special bow on so I'd know which package she was in. She is very dirty and raggedy as anything but I still sleep with her practically every night.

Jennet I just made recently. She is a rag doll but she is my fashion doll. Mum won't let me play with Barbies and all my cheap fashion dolls aren't worth mentioning. They're fun for play but they don't have costume changes. The only thing I wish for that is generally covered by Barbies is mega-clothes. I don't even like half the clothes my friends have for their Barbies, so I'm making Jennet a wardrobe of prettier things.

Spicy is a gingerbread girl that lost a lot of her rickrack frosting. I named her after a young woman in a book, "A Picture of Freedom" by Patricia McKissak. If any of you are familiar with that book you may be glad to know that Spicy the doll has a middle name, Rose.

Shellie, Rae, and Hannah are my minority dolls. They're Miao, Bai, and Yi respectively.

Aubrie Jean is my favorite doll. I made her myself on Holy Week 2004. I was so embarrased about her first name that I called her Ana Magdelena in public, after Bach's wife. Then I finally disclosed her name (and immediately got pressure from my mother to "show the real Aubrey"!). I finally did succumb to my mother's pressure last time I happened to see the doll's namesake (over a year ago). Recently I added the middle name (and I'll leave you to figure it out, thank you very much!!!) and changed the spelling because, sure as shooting, if I say to Susie, "I'm going to make a new dress for Aubrie," and show her the work in progress, she'll say, "Do you think she'll fit?"

Anyway, I'll get a photo op really soon. See you later!
Saro

I forgot to tell you...

I have joke covers for Star Wars IV, V, and VI.

Star Wars IV; a New Pope: If anyone has seen the cover with this big picture of Luke and his lightsaber, Leia's head, Han Solo shooting a gun and looking terrible, Obi-wan Kenobi with an expression that looks like it has to do with the force, and the death star with x-wing fighters, I just drew that and added an old guy dressed like a pope in front of the death star.

Star Wars V; the Umpire Strikes Back: Sorry to whoever first coined that one, it came to my head innocently. I have Luke desperately trying to slide back to first (stealing second didn't quite work) and Darth Vader giving the hand signal for "he's out" (with storm troopers behind him, no less) and Leia running up with her arms spread wide in the "safe" gesture. Chewbacca is at bat and the Millenium Falcon is flying in lieu of the Goodyear blimp. :)

Star Wars VI: Return of the Jet-Eye: (Yes! for the longest time I thought that's what "Jedi" was!) Just a couple guys getting ready to fight the empire with their lightsabers but their eyes are in the shape of jets.

Alternate Star Wars V; the Empire Strikes Out: Darth Vader strikes out and somebody says, "Strike 3!--I'm dead."

No longer

For those of you who don't know, I had a chronic case of homesickness since we got back from Thailand (Thailand showed us a lot about what we were missing, which you really don't think about too much if there's no reminders) (Also, I was wearing clothes that I hadn't worn since summer past and it was hard to go back to more appropriate clothes for here). For those of you who did know, I want to tell you that it is gone. Sure, I'm still homesick. Sure, I wanna go home. But I am content to stay here for a little bit.

There's two reasons. Well, number one is that there aren't any holidays that need the special trappings and trimmings. I still dread another year of those. Number two is that lately I've had this feeling of being two places at once. If I'm not outside (outside spoils this idea) I have lately gotten the feeling that "If I go out of this room, I will end up in my real house." It's easiest to imagine our house with this place's bathroom, really. This is generally a very comforting thought, except on the sleeper bus where I was actually positive (and half-asleep) that this was I-5 and any minute now I'd be sleeping in the back of the car and hear the garage door. It was very difficult waking up in the middle of rice paddies, but being able to recognize this city's "landmark" (Qi Shan) really helped. On the mountains I feel at home because I know that any minute it's going to turn into Lincoln park, but it doesn't have to.

Number three, I guess, is that we are avidly counting the weeks and Saturday marks the "six more weeks of this place, four more of school" point. We will be in Hong Kong GW six weeks from Sunday and that will be treat enough. I think having an extended vacation anywhere will be refreshing. Kunming is actually not very western, but it is a big city and I come from the largest city in my state, which is also the county seat of its county and so a big city is refreshing (though if I'm not in the residential areas it gives me a big headache. But headaches or no I will take downtown Seattle if offered me). And it is a little bit western. No one really speaks English but there are a couple of foreigner haunts that don't seem too "community like". I mean, if you were to come here, go to a restaurant on your own and caught a glimpse of some foreigners you might actually get invited in. In Kunming if you're a foreigner you are just one of the crowd. A woman actually said "dwaybuchi" and then quickly translated to "sorry" once. The two foreigner haunts, however...well those are great. I would like to tell you more but I really can't.

Well, that's about it. Thanks for bearing with me. Auntie and I both have colds and neither of us seem too happy.
Saro

Of music and memories

Music brings back memories. We have several CDs and/or tapes that I know I will not have truly "listened to" when we get back until I play them at the right time. There are two tapes that must be played on the road down to Portland, but if we get a car with a CD player, there is a CD that will never be truly listened to until it is played on that road. Roger Whittaker's "Love Will Be Our Home" tape has to be played either on the way up to Everett for a baseball game or down to Mt. Rainier. His "Last Farewell" is music to paint by with acrylics. "And Then I'm Going Home" is without a doubt something to listen to on a summer evening when the sunset slants through the house turning it to burnished gold. The list goes on and on...

Some music will never be able to be played at the place of memory. "Daily Growing", for example--that brings back memories of a January day in 2005 when I saw a very similar school program...what am I supposed to do? Go to that particular school and explain why I am playing a CD in their gym? Of course not. When you follow stuff like that you've got to be reasonable. Some of you might find that hard to believe, but I'm reasonable if I see the ludicrousness of it for my own self...

Memories...some of it just can't be put into words. Back when I had never seen Balkanarama and we only had their one CD I thought that some of them wore traditional dress, one of them looked like Abe Lincoln, and the rest had just stepped out of Calvin & Hobbes. :) And I was positive that the woman who sang the most had very long hair. Well, I found out that the woman who sings the most has about shoulder length hair and it used to be shorter, I'm positive! But I had this picture of the band that I still remember where a lot of them were dancing (?), including "Abe Lincoln". Well, now that I know what they really look like, is that a bad thing? No. "Nonstop" makes me think about that funny picture. "Black Sea" makes me think of the first time I saw them. I can still see the line of dancers. I remember about four of the dancers very clearly. And their new CD will make me think of all the times we saw them at Georgia's Greek Restaurant--one time the owner pulled me into a dance I had no idea how to do, and Mum made me do that because she was the owner and what did I do? stomped all over her feet!

And how am I supposed to describe what I hear and see in my head when I hear the song, "The Road to Drumleman"? Well, I just can't. Just like my description of what I thought Balkanarama was will make you laugh and you won't be able to see the special-ness of it (though now I know that the lead singer does not look like that at all!) if I told you it wouldn't happen. I believe that probably a lot of people have things that are perfectly wonderful and special, but ludicrous to the rest of the world. Even grown-ups!

Well, music and memories are so closely intertwined (in my heart, at least) that I do believe that I can't have one without the other. If I hear "Angel Gabriel", for example, I'll remember the time I walked into a concert, not realizing that more groups than Atwater-Donnelly were performing there, and thought that they'd really changed when I was looking at another (much older, too!) group. Of course, the CD was old and so when I saw them for real it took me a moment to figure it out (Elwood Donnelly had grown a beard since then, and while I might've recognized Aubrey Atwater, I wouldn't have figured him out until he started to sing, had it not been for my mum). Actually, they never did play Angel Gabriel that time, but that's what I remember when I hear that song.

I have more examples but can't post them online so I will close now. I hope I didn't bore you.
Saro

Just a-ramblin'

Oh, for heaven's sakes! Balkanarama, a Balkan group on my list of my top three favorite groups (Atwater-Donnelly, the folk duo I keep mentioning, and the Crossing, a wonderful Celtic group, are the other two. Lower than three I can go if I must, but only if I must), has just lost their talented guitarist, Amir Arslanagic. Just when I think I have the spelling right, too. It seems like this happens every time they make a CD. Now they're a group of six again, and I don't know what they sound like without this guy.

Correction. I do. I saw them once back when they had two folks they don't have now, Jana Rickel and Tym Parsons (Tym Parsons' father-in-law actually had something to say about my dancing). That particular time their violinist couldn't make it due to traffic. But they did have a CD out recently, and, wonder of wonders, soon afterwards, Jana Rickel quit. Tym Parsons was not far behind. The second time I saw them, Jana Rickel had quit and their violinist was with them, sporting a beard that wasn't in any of his pictures. Then Tym Parsons quit and they got this new guy, Amir Arslanagic. At this time, two of the band members took on stage names. Anyway, pretty soon after that, they got this guy, Kevin Stevens on bass guitar. I saw them once with just him and not Amir Arslanagic. Well, it sounded just fine to me. Mum said there was something lacking, and it is true that there was a voice that wasn't in the singing and no guitar solos. Well, we'll have to get used to it. I sure hope they don't fold anytime soon, or at least until after I've seen them at least once. Drat! These are the times I wish I were on the other side of the Pacific for other reasons besides regular.

The other thing I had to say was, I had something to show you. My sister and I played this game where we think of a favorite movie and then decide, who would you like to play if you were all of a sudden an actress in this movie (it can be anyone). Then, if you can't be so-and-so, who would you play? And finally, those two choices are taken, so what would you play last. I'll give you three:

Star Wars: 1st choice was Leia, though I'd really prefer a different hairstyle. 2nd choice was Han Solo, 'cause he's just kind of fun. Susie and I do this one scene with Luke and Han and we fight over who gets to be Han. 3rd choice was Aunt Beru because she has a short part and I don't like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke, or Darth Vader very much. And I love to imitate the way she goes, "Loo-ooke! Loo-ooke!" at the start of the movie.

The Sound of Music: 1st choice was Liesl, not cause I want a boyfriend, but because she's the oldest and I'm the oldest and she gets to be a caring sister in one sequence. She's also kind of the leader of the kids when Maria goes away. 2nd choice was Maria because she gets to sing and play the guitar a lot. 3rd choice was Max because he's funny.

Sense and Sensibility: 1st choice was Margaret because we both are geography nuts, have big imaginations, and she doesn't have to fall in love. 2nd choice was Elinor because she's straightforward and very serious--I'm not like that, but it's a sort of thing I like to play--and Elinor is again the "big sister" character in some scenes. 3rd choice was Marianne because I don't want to be Lucy Steele or Fanny Dashwood, or, hey, the only other person I'd want to be is Marianne, so that kind of precludes any questioning.

Anyway, that's my rambling. A swallow flew past the window a while ago. Maybe it's telling me to do my English assignment.
Adios.
Saro

Nothing much

All my news is news that won't interest you. But here goes:

1.) We're thinking of perhaps having Daddy preview Star Wars V--The
Empire Strikes Back--and see if the parts that would bother me are
short enough and spread out enough for me to simply close my eyes at a
given interval. Hm. That would be good news because if we did that, we
may do Return of the Jedi too and I would prefer to see the movie AND
read the book.

2.) 7 weeks until we leave this place for 6-8 weeks (for America!) and
5 until school ends. Yahoo!

3.) And finally, the same Americans that helped us with Mum's Mother's
Day present lent us some books. It actually kept me occupied for about
three hours!

Well, that's about it...OH, it has been raining! That is really neat.
It is also to cold to wear my dress. Bummer. :( But I know just what
I'll wear. It'll look neat.

Aloha!
Saro

Huh. I wonder what was on Atwater-Donnelly's website that got them blocked all of a sudden. Yep, their website seems to be blocked. It has the behavior of any other blocked website, found, but unable to connect. Or, it could be a fluke like Google had a while ago. Hope it's that!

Today was Mother's Day. Susie made Mum a card, and I gave her a copy of a song I had written (okay, it was a sort of an air arranged for flute, cello, and harp) and Micha, Kiana, and Skylie's mum offered to help us make her cookies (chocolate chip). I also sent her an ecard in Spanish, which I am thinking of learning when I have to learn a foreign language. Feliz dia de las madres! (did I spell that right?) And we all went out to dinner.

Well, here's a predicament. I was also orginally thinking about learning Russian and if I decided to have a Russian name I would be Katya or Yekaterina or Katia. And if I did German I'd be Katarina or Karin. And if I did Spanish I might be Catalina. Actually, this guy once called me "Katarina" and I thought he was saying "Catalina". Anyway, the only reason to take a name would be to have a cool weblog name. :)

By this time, you might've figured out my real name! I am still going by Saro for now, but I'm thinking that I might stop after this summer when I'm undergoing a massive weblog change. Or I'll wait until I get a new blog when I go home for good. Hum.

I wish there were something to write. So I guess I'll close.
Saro, Katya, Yekaterina, Katia, Katarina, Karin, Catalina

Where the wild birds sing

Yes, that is modified from CD title and song lyric. I can't help it, because there are just some lyrics that jump out at you and this particular group always chooses those lyrics for their CD titles. And then I know what song's for sure on there if I ever forget what's on what (two years without those CDs...I just might (shudder)). For example, "A Calling on Song" is on "Labor and Love", "Early One Morning" is on "Culled from the Garden", "Willow Tree" (I can't remember the exact title) is on "Like the Willow Tree", "The Trees they do grow High" is on "Daily Growing", "Pretty Saro" is on "Where the Wild Birds do Whistle", "We'll Camp a little While in the Wilderness" (i think) is on "And Then I'm Going Home", "The Blackest Crow" is on "The Blackest Crow" :), and "Wintergrace" is on "when Winter Calls". After that boring listing, you get it.

Anyway, I was originally going to share some poetry (?) with you, because I don't think I've done it in awhile. I don't know how you'll like this one.

Where the Wild Birds Sing
There's a place bequeathed to my memory
Where the wild birds sing.
And I will not see it for long,
Yet I know every stone of it.

There's a place where grass lies brown
Where the wild birds sing.
And the grass is crackling under my feet
But it feels of summer air.

There's a place where the sky is full of stars
Where the wild birds sing.
And the clouds are kept for winter
And the rain for autumn-time.

There's a place where the robin sings at dusk
Where the wild birds all sing.
And the summer air is calling
Calling all to come and join the song
Where the wild birds sing.

Anyway, I hope you like this. I really don't have much else to say right now.
Saro

...

Ugh. There's nothing to write about. Well, sure, there's things happening (like I finished my mum's mother's day present and next to Susie's I hope she'll like it) and I'm thinking things (Janet O'Lean, did you know your friend Siofra barged into my story? Who's idea was that? It sure wasn't mine! And how on earth did you learn Spanish, Siofra?) and I'm doing things (2x + 1/2 = 7) but it's not very interesting to the rest of you (actually, probably nothing's really interesting to the rest of you that I write about). So, what on earth do I write about? If I don't write, my chance of getting comments goes down quite a bit. And if I don't write, I'm also going to die of boredom. Hm.

I guess I will just say that I found a new Christmas carol yesterday and I am trying to see if it'll work in our Christmas program (the one Susie and I will do for our parents). If it doesn't, I will salvage the tune. How I found the Christmas carol is pretty simple. I have the lyrics to this Jean Ritchie song that I am trying to figure out how to sing. I also have the MIDI but it isn't quite making sense. So I went to her website, got a list of recordings and samples and finally clicked on the sample that I wanted. (it worked, by the way). Now, going to a site of folk music samples is like going into a bakery that has a wall full of free samples. Sampling just one is impossible. So, I found a carol with quite a familiar tune (Some of my family would hear it and associate a similar tune with "The King Shall Come"), and I hunted down the lyrics. I'm still not sure, as it doesn't quite fit with the theme. But I got a good tune anyway.

That's about all. I guess I did have something to write about, anyway. Hm. Sooooo....I guess I'll say zai djen. Have a good day.
Saro

Funny tidbits

Nothing really is happening! It's a little less than eight weeks 'til we start the going home process (getting out of this city, I mean) and a little less than six weeks left of school. Daddy and me and Becky are watching Star Wars with the commentary on, and part of me wants to say, "What is this relationship between Luke and Darth Vader that everyone's talking about?" and part of me is saying, "Okay, here we go, I'm gonna read the books and find out." So don't tell me. I got a fairly good guess, though, and if it weren't so ludicrous, I'd actually believe it.

Well, yesterday I was humming "West Viginia Mining Disaster" (I think that's the right name) (You know, I just don't know!) and my sister started doing this dance that was a sort-of imitation of Wa dancing (if you haven't seen Wa dancing, that's the sort of dancing you might see if you're watching caveman movies). And I'm humming this Jean Ritchie song and Susie's dancing this Wa dance and I started laughing. It's really funny.

Susie and I mixed Hope Valley with Star Wars, and got our usual results. Mediocre story, dumb jokes that either got an "ennnh" from Daddy or sent him groaning, and a lot of action and fun. the premise was this: The Millenium Falcon had mysteriously landed on earth, and the folks at the Science Fiction Museum thought it was a real replica that nobody wanted. So they go and get it. Meantimes, Han Solo wants his ship back. So he, Luke, Leia and Chewbacca all go to get it and drive it away just as the Hope Valley tour group has entered. Not only are they shocked, but then they get sucked into the Death Star. Concerned that their last hour has come, they sneak the kids out in batches, but before the grown-ups can sneak out, Darth Vader realizes that the kids are missing and the grown-ups are now in mortal danger (the reason he doesn't kill them outright is that they weaken his power by being silly). The last batch of kids, which has as adult supervisor Rhody, the choir director, and the kids are Katy O'Hara, Eva Wang, Leah Nelson, and Becca O'Hara, magically learn how to fly ships and try to rescue the grownups. They almost blow up the Death Star and Katy, loving to sing, begins to while dressed in a storm trooper costume!!! However, everyone gets away okay and poor Jennie, the tour guide, doesn't loose her job. It was really fun to play, especially as Susie was Darth Vader and I tower over her!

that's about all for today. Stay tuned, as more things might actually happen (in my dreams).
Saro

You know you're too interested in Celtic music when...

...you play a Laotian flute, and, after you get the hang of it, you
play "Dominic MacGowan" on it.

The Folk Song Quiz!

First off: Here are the lyrics to all of the songs I reference, and a few more!

• Lyric site 1
• Lyric site 2
• Lyric site 3
• Lyric site 4
• Lyric site 5
• Lyric site 6
• Lyric site 7
• Lyric site 8
• Lyric site 9
• Lyric site 10
• Lyric site 11
• Lyric site 12
• Lyric site 13
  

The Folk Song Quiz

Decide what songs these are referring to. Two points for each correct answer without a website, 1 point for each correct answer with a website. Answers, as always, are in the comments section. Please let me know what you got!

1. Ask all soldiers if they are married before falling head over heels in love with them.

2. My true love gave me cherry blossoms, eggs, told me "I love you" a million times, and also gave me a sleeping baby. Now she claims that she gave me cherries without stones, chickens with no bones, a story with no end, and a baby that doesn't cry. Unfortunately, the baby does cry.

3. My hen hasn't laid an egg since 'way last fall...chicken dinner tonight!

4. My true love lives under a bunch of trees and has really big feet.

5. Next time I dress up as a boy I will not make myself into a handsome one.

6. WANTED: Someone who is willing to hammer in the morning, in the evening, all over this land. You may also need to hammer out danger, a warning, and of course love between your brothers and your sisters. Comes with free bell and song.

7. Every time I come to town the boys keep kickin' my dog around...so I just won't go to town!

8. I wish I were on yonder hill, it's there I'd sit and cry my fill...so go there, for heaven's sakes!!!

9. There are white crows all over the place...I think my lover proved false to me.

10. Please, fair maid, don't sing early in the morning, just as the sun is rising. I value sleep.

New Website Design

No, not for me...yet. Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly (together the duo Atwater-Donnelly which also appears as a trio and a band sometimes now) have done a massive change in the decor of their website. It went from green to purple and the title picture changed, as well as other things. It looks even better than it did before, though it was kind of a shock to open the browser (it's the page that my browser starts up on) and be greeted by a big purple page instead of a big green one! It looks great, so check it out!

By the way, if you click on the photo album link, the picture of the "Seattle-based fans" is of me and my sister (I know, the names are different, I am just using pseudonyms on this site for almost everyone for the time being). We're still fighting over what to be for Hallowe'en this year, but I bet it won't get web coverage (our latest plan is an in-joke) (my idea I don't think Susie would go for) on my site or anyone else's!

So I will leave you with a link and that little musical piece in my last web entry. Now I've got to get off the computer and do something productive :).
Saro

Oklahoma!

Yeeks! We watched Oklahoma! yesterday, then said goodbye to a friend from Oklahoma! IS that a coincidence or what? Movie rating 9.5. See more on the Internet Movie database, I guess.

Here's something for you:

Things to remember when you play--in groups of five

Hide 'n' Seek

1. If you are an obvious foreigner, don't hide behind a tree near a bunch of English students who of course want to talk to you.
2. If, however, you do, these same students will give you hints as to where your friends went.
3. Don't sit on the cactus.
4. A flowered dress is not camoflauge.
5. Set game bounds before everybody goes hiding.

Playing Your Own Version of Star Wars

1. If you play Leia, be prepared to finagle something like that dumb hairstyle.
2. If there are only girls playing and two girls disagree over who is hotter, Luke Skywalker or Han Solo, have them each play the one they prefer.
3. The Death Star is a great place for prisons, however, it's not the stump seats on campus.
4. A thirteen-year old girl who is older than everybody by four years at least should not play Leia, but rather Darth Vader or Chewbacca, considering her height.
5. If the planet you're on is about to get blown up, don't act so stupid about it.


Finally: I can't play volleyball at all!!!!
Saro

Here's a test

Okay, if this

is in full size, will you be able to read it clearly? If you have, then, guess what? I'll have more for you soon!

Lao wai central!

Just Monday we had a great time out at the farm where there are two American families and one Philipino, plus a lot of Chinese people. The only girl almost exactly my age here, Holli, lives there, and she and I had a great time together. She was doing a silly song and pretending it was serious, and then I started giggling and she goes, "What are you laughing at, woman?" and we bust out laughing, because I am only thirteen. And we played Twister with everybody, and it got really crazy...I got to call once and there's, like, you know, red, blue, yellow, green, and I called, "right hand, red; right foot, red; left foot, red; left hand, green;", because I was making it up. My sister promptly fell down. We had everybody, practically, with some notable exceptions of several of the Chinese people, Holli's mum, and all that. Oh, by the way, if you remember I linked to Holli's blog, she got a different one and may be deleting the old one. She won't be posting on blogspot anymore, that is, so here is her Xanga.

On Tuesday we got together with a couple of American families in town, and one family has three daughters, the eldest Micah, and the youngest Skylie. Rats, I forgot the middle one's name. Micah and Becky really hit it off, I was glad to see that. We were all playing hide 'n' seek, and Skylie suddenly started to sniffle and put out her arms to me. I was pretty surprised, and decided to pick her up. Why did she want me? Her mother was at table, I supposed I could go take her there, because I figured she might have made a mistake (how, I don't know, but whatever). It's a good thing I didn't--I think she just wanted to play. I picked her up, and realized I had to hide. "You can hide with me," I whispered, "okay?" I ran all the way into a room that had an okay hiding spot and managed to hide all of us. I also managed to keep her from sticking arms and legs out in all directions. From then on we were inseparable as far as hide 'n' seek went. The next spot I tried was the under the bed. I helped Skylie under it, then slipped under myself, except that the middle kid from the other family, a boy around Skylie's age, started in with me and I was squeezed and squashed already. Y'know, I do think I've lost a small bit of weight, nothing noticeable, but I was pretty thankful for that because one more inch or so and I'd've burst. I managed to pull all protruding limbs into semi-comfortable positions under the bed, and it was a good hiding place. Of course, if Preston hadn't decided to crawl under with me, it would've been better, but who can complain?
Saro

A dumb spoof

Hey, you guys, you all know "If I had a Hammer", right? Well, here's a
spoof:

If I had a hammer,
I'd hammer in the morning
'Cause I'd get a job
I good steady job
And as for the danger
And as for the warnings,
My brothers and my sisters could take care of that,
All over this land!

The next-to-last line can be "all of my brothers" if you prefer that
version of the original (Yeah, I know that "all of my brothers" was the
original, but anyway...)

This isn't making fun of the excellent song, it's just a bit of fun
with words.
Saro

Xia yu

Ahhhhh! Three wonderfully rainy days in a row, and today looks like it may be one, too, though I hate to say it's a bit brighter outside. I haven't checked the pond yet to see if the rain's coming down. And, we are G.W. going to see some more lao wai tonight, including the only lao wai girl my age here. Cool, huh? Anyway, hope that works out, and also hope that this mist, if not rain, holds all day so that we can have a lovely misty drive through the mountains to get there. Ah, it does feel like spring now.

I will blog more when I have something to say, so, "goodnight and joy be with you all".
Saro