I'm doing some reading for my early American history class, and the chapter about Jamestown is a gold mine of good quotes. Here are the ones that made me pause.
"English colonizers had a peculiar confidence that their economic self-interest served God." Those silly English
"'A more damned crew hell never vomited.'" Why don't people talk like this anymore?!
"The Virginia Company naively instructed the colonial leaders never to allow the Indians to see any English die, lest the natives learn that the colonists were 'but common men' rather than immortals." Wow... seriously? Dumb.
"When seventeen colonists imposed themselves on one village [to request food], the natives killed them, stuffed their dead mouths with maize as a sign of contempt, and left the corpses for their countrymen to discover." Now that's bad-ass.
"Convicting a laborer of stealing two pints of oatmeal to allay his hunger, the leaders had a long needle thrust through his tongue, to keep him from ever eating again. Chained to a tree, the convict slowly starved to death, a vivid and lingering example to terrify his fellow colonists." Jesus... imagine being that guy. Imagine being the dude that had to thrust the needle through his tongue. *shudders*
"During the 17th century, the Chesapeake's leading men... were very touchy about their origins, qualifications, and conduct. When Richard Crocker accurately but recklessly denounced two Virginia councillors as extortioners, the council put him into the public pillory with his ears nailed to the wooden frame." Dude went too far. I can see him there now, saying, "Too soon?"
"...the family household, which the English called a 'little commonwealth'... If a servant, child, or wife killed his or her master, the law considered the culprit guilty of 'Petit Treason' as well as murder." Well, now you're just fucking around.
"In 1648 a Virginian marveled that only one in nine immigrants died during their first year, compared with one in four during the preceding generation." Womp.
That's all for now. As I continue to read I'll add more. =P
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
At Work (for Shame!)
Yes, I know, I shouldn't be posting, but the interns have a blog, too, so I can just pretend I'm writing for that. Even though I just posted something.... hush.
This sort of writing I normally reserve for my journal. Stream of conscious and whatnot. But oh well. I feel the need for an audience. Understandable, since I'm cooped up in a 15' by 10' office with one other person and quite a bit of other crap. Desks and computers and a huge demon printer (you read right, it prints demons, but it is also possessed by Satan his-self). Bookshelves with stuff, you know, an office.
It's not that I can't work at a desk, I just never thought I would be interested in a career path that would land me behind one. Well, I guess this is a career path (ew, scary thought). But I'm sitting on a folding chair, so that should give you an idea of my social standing when I walk in the door. Okay now, it's not that bad, everyone is really nice and the work is mostly just boring, not hard. Intern stuff. *shrug* Plus my folding chair now has a little red paisley cushion on it, which gives it a nice touch.
Should probably give a little update on what I've been up to for the last month (wow I'm a terrible blogger). I got cast in a show at Bus Barn Stage Company in Los Altos, making it my first professional acting gig. Pretty exciting. The play is Private Lives by Noel Coward, and I am playing Louise, the irritable French maid. It's good fun, and really stretching me as a performer. It might surprise you to learn that I am not used to being the center of attention. It makes me really uncomfortable and I get self-conscious and it's no good. Louise, on the other hand, doesn't give a shit about what people think of her, and has little to no respect for her superiors. Also she has a cold. The effect, I hope, is comedy. Well, I think I'm funny, or at least funnier than when I started. The director and rest of the cast are all very supportive, which is good, because this is hard. Go figure.
(Rawr why is it always so cold in this office?! I need to bring in fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm.)
What else... Ah yes. If you keep tabs with you Youtube channel (insert plug), you'll know that I recently acquired a guitar, and have begun to teach myself how to play. Thank goodness for the internet, otherwise I might have to actually talk to real people, which requires their patience (and mine). I don't like having to make people wait on me, or coddle me. I can look after myself (which might account a bit for the anti-drama queen thing), and this is no exception. That being said, all the offers of assitance from friends are very nice and well-meaning, but I can't sit there and listen to someone talk about something. I have to do it, and find it out for myself, in order to really learn it.
Okay, flurry of activity happened and now it's chill again. That was an interesting 45 minutes. Printing and stapling and frantically putting together packets for the board meeting. And now that that is done I'm back to nothing to do. Fantastic. I wonder what's going on Facebook...
This sort of writing I normally reserve for my journal. Stream of conscious and whatnot. But oh well. I feel the need for an audience. Understandable, since I'm cooped up in a 15' by 10' office with one other person and quite a bit of other crap. Desks and computers and a huge demon printer (you read right, it prints demons, but it is also possessed by Satan his-self). Bookshelves with stuff, you know, an office.
It's not that I can't work at a desk, I just never thought I would be interested in a career path that would land me behind one. Well, I guess this is a career path (ew, scary thought). But I'm sitting on a folding chair, so that should give you an idea of my social standing when I walk in the door. Okay now, it's not that bad, everyone is really nice and the work is mostly just boring, not hard. Intern stuff. *shrug* Plus my folding chair now has a little red paisley cushion on it, which gives it a nice touch.
Should probably give a little update on what I've been up to for the last month (wow I'm a terrible blogger). I got cast in a show at Bus Barn Stage Company in Los Altos, making it my first professional acting gig. Pretty exciting. The play is Private Lives by Noel Coward, and I am playing Louise, the irritable French maid. It's good fun, and really stretching me as a performer. It might surprise you to learn that I am not used to being the center of attention. It makes me really uncomfortable and I get self-conscious and it's no good. Louise, on the other hand, doesn't give a shit about what people think of her, and has little to no respect for her superiors. Also she has a cold. The effect, I hope, is comedy. Well, I think I'm funny, or at least funnier than when I started. The director and rest of the cast are all very supportive, which is good, because this is hard. Go figure.
(Rawr why is it always so cold in this office?! I need to bring in fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm.)
What else... Ah yes. If you keep tabs with you Youtube channel (insert plug), you'll know that I recently acquired a guitar, and have begun to teach myself how to play. Thank goodness for the internet, otherwise I might have to actually talk to real people, which requires their patience (and mine). I don't like having to make people wait on me, or coddle me. I can look after myself (which might account a bit for the anti-drama queen thing), and this is no exception. That being said, all the offers of assitance from friends are very nice and well-meaning, but I can't sit there and listen to someone talk about something. I have to do it, and find it out for myself, in order to really learn it.
Okay, flurry of activity happened and now it's chill again. That was an interesting 45 minutes. Printing and stapling and frantically putting together packets for the board meeting. And now that that is done I'm back to nothing to do. Fantastic. I wonder what's going on Facebook...
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