Thankees! And Traveling

"If you don't want it, give it back!" - Tia Dalma

"We are eternally grateful!" - Alien toys from Toy Story

"You owe me one." - Han Solo

"The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest."  - William Blake

"To give thanks in solitude is enough. Thanksgiving has wings and goes where it must go. Your prayer knows much more about it than you do."  - Victor Hugo

"Hey, ho, let's go!" - The Ramones

"Adventure is out there!" - Charles Muntz

"Do as I say, obey, and stay...in...here!" - Claude Frollo (Disney's 1996 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

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What am I thankful for? I would say my friends, whom I love dearly; my own intellect and artistic inclinations; my dog; cats in general; swords (mostly); the fact that our planet is ideal for living things; and that while my life could be better, I have it pretty good compared to some peoples. I suppose I can even say I am thankful for conflict; my life is as an ongoing story, and any story without conflict tends to bore me half to death. So while I may not appreciate my adversaries at a personal level, it is with their help that I grow stronger. I need some adventure to add a little spice. Being a teenager has its perks - don't get me wrong - but more than ever I feel the urge to "break chains" and go off to explore the world. Ah, how I would love to see Italy...and Germany and Ireland.... For now I am stuck in the United States, which seems to be crumbling from the inside. I do not blame President Obama. People who say the economic upset is his fault are either ignorant or stupid, or, more often than not, both. But anyhow, I'd like to see the United Kingdom, Canada, and Belgium, as well as France and possibly even Egypt, depending on safety. Spain, Kenya, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Argentina, Morocco, Norway - you get the idea. I'm thankful that such places exist. And I am grateful to whatever Fate-gods may or may not be there that I have the potential of going.

Back on thankees: it is not reasonable to hold a thank over one as an excuse to do bidding. For instance, if I get you a nice gift and then punch you, you're more than welcome to be ruffled about the slugging and not be swayed by my claims of "I got you a gift; you must kiss my feet!"

It doesn't work that way for me.

Now back to the travel, as it has been on my mind for a good while. I was communing earlier this day with my friend Tinplate, and she made an interesting point about going to a place for the mere sake of truthfully claiming one has been there. That's tourism, she says, and one ought to have a better reason for going to a where. I agree - do not wish to venture outside the States just to say I have done so. I want to see the world with my own eyes. It beats pictures in a book any day. Aside from fleeing this sinking ship of a nation, I'd like to see African savannah animals in the wild, to see Notre Dame's spooky engravings, to see the rolling hills of Ireland. And besides, I have a Londonian cousin, whom I would like to visit on her turf as opposed to Chicago, where our grandparents reside.

I can taste the foreign airs; my oneiromantic dreams hold visions of going elsewhere, and they are getting ever stronger. I heard today that perhaps my country is ascending a bit from ruin; is it true? I do not know where I eventually plan to settle, maybe Canada or something, but maybe - maybe - I shall be able to stay in America if all goes well. I don't plan to live big in terms of where I live or what I own, but travel does seem to be getting pricier. I just need to survive a bit longer, and I can be free to go where I will, free from the oppression of my eccentric peculiarities. I plan to own a rapier (maybe even a sharp one), I can write all I want, doodle on an art pad...you get the picture. Anyhow, I suppose I shall close this post now.

Good day!

- Lewis

In Which I Release my Inner Irishman

"Tailypo, tailypo, give me back my tailypo!" - An old Irish folk tale I heard in fourth grade

I'm Irish. I live in America, I was born in North Carolina and have always lived there, but I look Irish, sound Irish, and people often ask where I am from. I'm also Scottish-English-German, but those are other topics for now.

I suppose I fit a bit of a stereotype: I love potatoes and the color green, and ginger ale and corned beef (that is, i did while I still ate meat) - but I don't drink and fight, so don't worry. Even when I'm twenty-one or whatever, I don't plan on consuming alcohol. And I'm not a physical person in terms of conflict, although the concepts of fencing and stage-fight choreography fascinate me.

I want to go back to the old country. I went there at age four - my only foreign trip to date - but my memory is quite foggy about it - green fields, castles, sheep, and that's about it. I've seen pictures of countryside landscapes and old-fashioned Irish cottages, both of which are beautiful. Irish goats have long curvy horns, and Irish draught horses are strong and great. Not sure I'd want to live there, because of costs and such - maybe for a year or two, but not for long - I've thought about living in Europe for a year or so, but not sure which country - but visiting would be grand.

I feel a magnetic sort of pull, a homesick longing to see Ireland in all its glory, and it's on my priority list to visit when I get to traveling. That will probably be in or after college, as I don't see much hope for it now or in the next few years. One more thing: Irish/Celtic instrumental music is soothing and dreamlike, and I love it. The only things I can think of which come close to it are the Herb Moore Trio's music and Bruno Coulais's score to Coraline. Now I'm listening to "Lord of the Dance" - and yes, Irish dancing is fun.

Tata!

- Lewis

First Volunteer Shift

In case I haven't mentioned in the past, I volunteered for two hours today at the West Regional Library. What I basically did this time was label and shelve books on hold. It really did not seem like two hours, because it was actually quite a bit of fun. Those of you who live in my area ought to visit WRL sometime; it's a great library.

I've thought about looking into library science as a career...not sure yet. I want to do something theatre-related, and maybe I could also be a librarian. It is said that library-folk oft have another job. I'm not sure what to study to be a playwright - creative writing? Theatre arts? I might also act, but perhaps as more of a hobby than as an actual career. The same goes for playing music.

I also might have mentioned my plans to move to Europe. They remain intact, although I'm not quite sure how the transition works. Brighton and Hove, in the United Kingdom, sounds like a gorgeous place to live. Who knows? I might even do something for BBC - creative people sometimes do many things, like Brian Jacques and Ray Bradbury. I'm starting to read scripts, currently Shakespeare's Othello, to get a feel for the craft. I read here that it takes at least ten years to become a good playwright, and I think I have that much time.

Maybe I'll do that now.

Fare-thee-well,

Lewis