Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Cat's house!

I'm at said friend's house right now, it's pretty sweet! I made her eggnog, but they didn't have any nutmeg, so I tried using cinnamon. It's turned out pretty well thus far! Tastes kinda coconutty. Said Ukrainian pal and his ladyfriend are now playing a cardgame called "spit" with great passion! It's a hard game to play without passion though. I beat Ukrainian pal at spit 3 times in a row last night, and also curb-stomped him at chess on the train down. He tried to do one of those manouvers that wins you the game in 5 moves, and it can only be stopped 3 ways. By total fluke, I did one of said ways, and actually ended up winning! It was pretty sweet, but he beat me at spit a few minutes ago so the score's about even. Him and his ladyfriend are really good together, they're very sweet and casual together, you'd expect they'd been married together for years! I hope to God they're not reading this, or else that'd be super embarrassing. If you're reading this, then stop. Well you're obviously not going to, but at least don't bring it up. They get on well together! It's a little scary to me. Makes me wonder what I'd do in situations that they're in with each other. They're very quick to forgive, quick to mend, quick to trust. And genuinely care for each other, and know each other really well. It's heartwarming, but scares the crap out of me because I'm very afraid that I'd freak out in such situations I don't know if said worries are justified. I'm envious at any rate :P. But at any rate, it's an encouragement to see people in a healthy relationship. Another awesome thing, me and said Uke bud are sleeping in the same room, and when we woke up, before doing anything else, we read our bibles. I didn't know he had brought his, and he didn't know I brought mine, but before we did anything (well, ok, he took a shower, but he hadn't showered in 2 days, so that was kinda important.) We just got up and read our bible for our daily dose of God's word. It was very touching to have feeding your relationship with God to be the status quo. We're preparing for the party tonight, and that involves sausages, chips, and stuff like that. Our lovely host in turning 18, and her county is beautiful along with her back garden. It reminds me of our house back in Utah. Space, space, space. Big house, lots of animals, and man's dominion loosely scattered instead of tighly packed into our little boxes. Of course it's a giant drive to anywhere else, but that's always he trade-off in these places. Beautiful all the same.

Because you're mine, I walk the line. And then the words just naturally flowed. It was an easy song to write. -Johnny Cash

Monday, December 29, 2008

Adventure is in the air!

Don't worry, I'm not going to drown you in long-winded blogging, I just wanted to say I'm off to a friend's house in Wexford for a birthday party. This is going to be pretty sweet, as this is my first big travel thing outside of the county without the parents, and also my first sleepover at a girl's house! :O Although there'll be loads of other people but it's the principle! My travelling buddy is one Ukranian pal by the name of mike, his lass-friend lives down in wexford so there'll be coupleyness aplenty. I'll probably blog while at her gaff just for the sake of it, but do not be surprised if I don't. I'm making her eggnog! : D

Fallout 3: First thoughts

My brother introduced me to fallout 3 yesterday after buying it for the Xbox 360 recently. So last night I got a chance to play it! The game is made by Bethesda Softworks, makers of Oblivion, Morrowind, and a bunch of other awesome RPGS. Now if there's one thing Bethesda knows how to do well, it's character creation. They have this really awesome habit of blending it in with the storyline, where the choices you make at the very early stages affect your character to a large degree!


The game begins the same way as all our games begin, with screaming. Your screaming. And blood all over the place. Now, before you think you are thrown into the action head first, the next words are something along the lines of "Oh, it's a beautiful baby ____!" Talk about starting at the beggining! And then you get to choose whether or not you're a boy or a girl! After you choose that, they bring over this screen thing to "See what s/he'll look like when s/he's older". At this point you get to customise what you'll look like when you're older, right down to the hairstyle. Which is a little ridiculous, I mean, they can hardly predict what sort of crazy fashion trend you'll be following when you're nineteen. Also, why is that the first thing they do? For me, knowing what my child would look like when they're older would kinda spoil the surprise. And then, your mother suffers a fatal heart attack. It's sad, but after you've played so many RPGs, you kinda expect your parents to die at the drop of a hat. Especially moms.

So it fast-forwards to one year later and you're 1, and the game introduces you as a toddler, and you learn to crawl around, and choose your main attributes out of a child's playbook, and that's really about it. Some stuff about how your mother would have been so proud of you, which once again is sad, but like I said, after you've played so many RPGs, you realise that at least one of your parents always dies. Luckily, your father is actually a really nice and awesome guy, so they reverse this trope
really well by having your dad still love you all the same even though you caused your mother's death. Which is a bit of a twist, as usually in games this drives the father figure to be a bit of a jerk.

Fast forward nine years later and it's your tenth birthday party! You are given your cerimonial wrist doohicky thing that shows map and ammo and all sorts of good stuff like that, and this is where the real decision making happens. You meet Amata, more or less the girl-next-door who has organised your party. And you are given the generic three choices.
1: good guy response "Thanks for the party!
2: medium guy response: "Yeah, it's ok, I guess..."
3: heartless fiend from the pit response: "It's probably the worst party I've ever seen."

And these are basically the three choices you will have all throughout the game. Angel, Normal guy, or what can only be described as the foul offspring of robot hitler and the devil.

You walk around a bit and talk to the other guests at your party, turns out for some reason your character wisely decided to invite the three school bullies to his party. actually, there's one other guy who seems to just be an aquiantance, Amata, and the three bullies at your party along with some adults. Not the best guest list. Not to mention not the best dressed list either, the entire starting story takes place in a giant nuclear bunker, so you're all wearing blue jumpsuits. At any rate, you get a sweetroll as a gift from some old lady at your party as a gift, and one of said bullies basically says "Gimmie the sweetroll." Your options are basically
"Yes sir...."
"No. Go away."
and the ever-wonderful robot hitler devilspawn option
"What? Did your mom drink away all your food stamps again?"

Now, you're supposed to pick one of the latter two, then a fight breaks out, and the game teaches you how to fight. But I wanted to try to be a christian in this game. So I spent a good 10 minutes staring at the screen.This is your first big choice in the game. Who are you going to be? I eventually opted to hand over the sweetroll, maybe he genuinely did need it due to lack of food, who knows. Appeasing hitler, or pulling a Ghandi? You decide, I guess. you get a bb gun from your dad later and learn to fire weapons in a pretty subtle but effective way of the game teaching you skills that will later be useful in life when giant burly muntants are chasing you with clubs and you need to shoot them. Thanks for the lesson, dad! 

Fwwwwaashooooommp! another 6 years pass, and it's time for your generic aptitude test, to pick your class! There's a confrontation scene beforehand where said 3 bullies have started a gang with greased back hair that is effectively some sort of cross between jets and sharks from west side story. They're picking on Amata, and you have three options.
"Stop or I'm going to make you stop"
"Here, let me help you, she's quite sensitive about her weight...."
"F*@& off, let's do this. Right here. Right now."

Seeing as the only options are fight or help them make fun of Amata, I opted for the fight. Nobody makes fun of my plucky suggested love interest and gets away with it! In reality, I probably would have done something less violent to be honest, but I suppose that's a blog for another day. Besides, I needed to learn how to fight! you beat the three guys and they go away, you take the test, it gives you a class that shows you what skills best suit you, like bartering, electronics, science, small guns, melee weapons, miniature nuclear warheads, that sort of thing. The test runs like a series of choices and depending on what you pick, you get different suggested classes. I got chaplain,  very encouraging, I guess. You have to love the last multiple choice question: "Who is the undisputed leader of the vault, who gives us food and keeps us safe, and graciously provides for all we have?" You have 4 options to this multiple choice question.
"The overseer"
"The overseer""
"The overseer"
"The overseer"
"Jesus" (no not really.)

Fwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssshhhhorrrp! 3 years pass, and oh noes! Your father has escaped the vault! nobody escapes the vault! The overseer is super pissed and killed your dad's friend! Amata wakes you up, gives you a pistol and it's escapy time, but not before a decent amount of satisfying bully-beating. Yes, said bully who stole your sweetroll and slagged your impliled ladyfriend is in need of your help now, and the shoe is on the other foot! His mom is being eaten alive by radioactive super-cochroaches and only you can save her! (But only because he's to much of wuss to save her himself.) You can walk on, save her, or walk on after leaving a snippy comment. I opted to save said lady (Who actually does turn out to be an alcoholic, perhaps he needed that sweetroll after all! Or not.) Double oh noes! The overseer has captured Amata and guess who's beating the information out of her! Yes ladies and gents, it's the two bullies from before, and the only real option you have is to kill them. Apparently though this angers people, so I opted to try to lock them unsuccessfully in a cell. But the were running around too fast so I had to shoot them in the legs a few times to slow them down. Only later, lying in bed, did I realise it took me 10 minutes to make the sweetroll decision, but shooting these guys in the kneecaps seemed like an obvious choice that took 5 seconds. Go figure, these games can make you out to be the nicest guy in the world, but apparently that means it's ok to not have any qualms about killing mountains of people. Go figure! You escape the vault, and make it outside! Now I only played a little bit after this, but I have one last thing that irritates me.

Everything gives you cancer. The game is set after a giant nuclear war, so everything is irradiated, and the game keep a running tally of radiation you've absorbed, and if you get too much, you turn into a freaky zombie thing that makes people terrified of you. But the game goes on anyways with you as a freaky thing with no skin. Don't drink the water, it's radioactive. Don't eat that meat, it's radioactive. That wastelander you killed had some squirrel stew on him! Allright! A decent meal! Nope, just kidding, it gives you cancer. Blow up a bus? The bus is now radioactive and gives you yet more cancer. stand too close to an unexploded  atomic bomb? Gives you cancer. (Well, this one makes sense at least.) They have the radioactivity count in "RADS", but I can tell you, there is nothing rad about it. Everything you touch in this game seems to want to make you lose all your skin, I'm not even kidding.
/edit
It would appear now that I can definitively say that this game includes: 

Subterranean lesbian zombies. Not even kidding.
Abraham Lincoln's hat as a wearable object.
"We are born in the Vault, We live in the vault, we die in the vault."-The overseer.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Like blood from a stone

I'm bored, it's 00:43 in the morning, and I have a minor headache. Let's rock. Not really. I want to talk but I don't really have anything to talk about. Except now I do, because I thought of talking about nothing for a long time which would have been gibberish, which is the name of a song from an album I bought 2 days ago so now I'm going to talk about that.

The album is "Two lefts don't make a right... but three do" and first off, I like it because it's a play on the phrase "Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do!" Which is a play on the phrase "Two wrongs don't make a right". It's like... what's the word... reverse-reverse-reverse psychology, where they play a joke on the joke by playing the phrase straight, but in the body of the joke. And also firstly, I bought it because it was by Relient k, which at this point has more or less earned the title of my favorite band. Sorry everyone else who has a band that isn't relient k, but you just lost your chance like I just lost the game. Sorry, people. I've only really properly listened to the whole album all the way through once, I suppose, but I still like it. I still say "Mmhmm" is my favorite though. Sorry every album from relient k that isn't "Mmhmm", you just lost your chance like I just lost... some people say you can only lose the game once every so often, like once every 30 minutes or something. I don't really get this. Does it not count? I dunno. I announce it anyway, but I guess one shouldn't be upset unless 30 minutes have elapsed. And some people don't play by those rules so who knows!

Anyway, back to TRDMALBTD. haha, that is a really long abbreviation! How irritating! It's a good album, I like the song "Mood rings", in which they melodiously suggest that emotional girls should wear mood rings to give us guys a break "Cause when it's black means watch your back because you're probably the last person in the world right now she wants to see". As a guy/dude/man? I must confess that girls make my head explode in wonderful and horrible ways. I dunno. The band actually released a book about girls named after the last line of this song "The complex infrastructure of the female mind" and I was thinking about buying it because it seems to give the impression that after you've read it, girls will somehow make sense and stuff, but I don't think one can just read a book and suddenly be a master of the she-folk. I think it's just something you're born with, I have no idea. The weird thing is, I read up about this song on a song meaning website
and I got a kinda weird reaction, most of the girls were like "Haha, yeah, I need a mood ring" and all that. The guys were saying "Haha, girls, they need mood rings, I give girls I know mood rings. Women. Am I right?" I find this weird and slightly offensive. I think I'm probably just taking this too seriously or something but anyway! I was thinking, us guys get just as emotional. I am a highly emotional person, from what I have felt. I think it's puberty or something, I dunno. Hopefully not bi-polar disorder. One day you wake up and you're the most angry person on the face of the earth, the next you wake up and you're jealous of what people have, the next you're in love like a crazy fool, and almost worst of all, sometimes you wake up and feel nothing at all. "And that's all-right I must confess...." I dunno! I just think we're both emotional genders, maybe girls have guys figured out better or something. Part of me worries that no other man on the face of the planet undergoes emotional changes and Bernard and Nexus are reading this and going "What? *grunt* what is this emotion you call Love? Is it to do with hitting things? *grunt*" And then they beat each other up and whack clubs against the ground for the next half hour, and that's actually how guys are supposed to work or something like that. But that's ca-raaaaaaaazy!

This was supposed to be about how relient k are awesome and now it's me talking about girls. Ooooh! There's also a good few songs that are great spiritually, like "Getting into you" and "I Am Understood?" they're really good, trust me! They're kinda self-explanatory, and really on-the-mark musically, which is nice. That's what I love about relient k, they're really actually good! Unless you don't like them, I guess. My point is there's a lot of people out there thinking "I'll serve God!" And then sell themselves short because they think it's not bible-orientated enough or something like that. I was reading about christian-developed games recently, and one of them was about moses herding sheep onto the ark, with score multipliers add or something like that. This is just me talking here, by the way, and my highly subjective views, but I just don't think I'd find that fun. At all. But what's cool about relient k and bands and people like this is, they're not afraid of metaphor. If you took the word "Aslan" out of the Narnia books and replaced it with "Jesus", I doubt it would be as wildly popular as it is. People would avoid it for fear of "Having religion crammed down their throat." A great guy I know called Fergus once said (I'm mis-quoting to an extent) "Some people think it needs a bible verse at the end, but a lot of the time it really doesn't" That's a mis-quote, but that's the jist. Someone could be listening to the song "Getting into you" and be perfectly aware that this is a christian band and know who they're talking about but stick with it. After all, it's a good song, and nothing's being forced. But if someone who didn't really think God existed or thought he was kind of a jerk-face listened to this song and it was called "Getting into Jesus" and then specifically avoid it because it irks them, then they don't get to listen about how this guy loves his father and wants to grow closer to him. I mean, I don't think that we should talk in code or anything like that, and when you're talking to other believers, of course you should speak directly, openly, and obviously about God, but I just think it's a real shame when people who are christians attempt to create something for the world and put pants on Michaelangelo's David because they don't want a penis in public, so to speak. Maybe that was a hamhanded metaphor, I dunno, but I just think God's happy with our sacrifices to him, and I think there's a certain value to being not so blatant when you're trying to share God with people who don't believe in God. I think that's what he meant... Haha! I was trying to remeber if "In this world but not of it was from the Bible or "The shack", a book about God. Ever know someone and they're really shy in person but are really outgoing and talkative online, on email, on stuff like that? Paul was like that! 2Corintians 10:1  "By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" when away!" Haha, I just found that funny. Back to looking. Bleh, I can't find it. Perhaps it doesn't need a verse at the end, in the words of ferg. Well, I did just put a bible verse at the end, but that was totally unrelated to anything else. Anyway, Look it up yourselves if you think I'm right or wrong, either opinion is fair enough, obviously. Read John 17, Jesus does this big prayer for himself, for the Disciples, and then for all believers. It's wicked awesome.

And now it's 1:34 and I've been blogging for.... almost an hour. I was going to stop now but I want to blog for a full hour. Oh crap, I totally forgot about the relient k album. One last song on the album that's totally great is "Jefferson Aero Plane". It's 10 minutes and 21 seconds long, which might make you think "Aha! I smell epic song awesomeness, like in "Deathbed" or "The lightning strike"!" But the song is only really about 5 minutes long. So what's the extra five minutes? well, a goodly 2-3 minutes of it is just silence, broken by a man shouting "PEPPERONI!" And then it goes into this wicked awesome secret song witch includes: 
Silly shoes
The world's worst freestyle rapper (I'm not even kidding, that's how they introduce him!)
PEPPERONI!
And it was all just a dream.
And..... Snakessssssss. 


3 minutes left, until I'll have been blogging for an hour, it's mostly filler at his point and so far it's more or less still one giant blocky paragraph of DOOM. So I should fix that. I wonder if it'll get smaller. That seems to happen. I think I've just done some wicked awesome big post and then I click "View blog" and then it's this tiny little mockery of a blog entry, like some giant lobster that boils down to a shameful anniversary dinner. My parents once had lobster for an anniversary dinner, it was back in the states when they were newlyweds living in an absolutely tiny house (Which was also pink) and they got these lobsters, and my dad thought: "hmmm, you fry lobsters, don't you?"  Turns out you don't! They shrivelled and tasted awful, but I wouldn't call it a waste of money, because if something's that funny that you remember it years later, I'd say the laughs would be more full of enjoyment than any succulent lobster. Though lobster is pretty tasty. 1:44! Woohoo! My left wrist is now sore. Time to space out this baby and see how big it is. Oh, and I've had this quote waiting since the first line.

"It's a hundred and six miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses." -Elwood, The blues brothers

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Eggnog!

So, it's christmas morning! That's really cool. Got everything I desired, including my skullcandy headphones! I found them highly reccomended
and told myself I'd get a pair when my fairly mediocre iPod ones ran out. But they did not break completely. They just hung around, working adequately, slightly broken but still ultimately usable. With christmas coming up, I thought I'd just get a pair for the heck of it! And they didn't dissapoint! I put on "Here I go" by Relient k, (It was a toss up between "Up and up [accoustic]" and "Here I go (demo)" but when I put the headphones in I said "Ok, here I go!" And then upon realizing what I said I had my mind made up. Guess what? That song actually has base in it! Gasp! They're really good for base, very deep, it was a bit of a change, but it was fun to mess with the EQ and actually have it make a difference! Pretty nice headphones! Couldn't hear a thing anyone else said. Blessing or curse? Maybe a bit of both. They were pretty good! I like 'em so far.

Also, MOTHERFLIPPIN' EGGNOG. My mom was searching the net for good eggnog recipies, and found one on a blog! Now I'm blogging about a blog my mom found. Blog is a fun word! Blog! blog blog blog bloo dee blah bloo blog. Anyway! She found this recipie, and although eggnog is an American thing to a large extent, this recipie genuinely tastes like eggnog. Like the eggnog you'd buy off of the shelves at your local supermarket. This is the real deal. We tried to make some last year and the recipie just produced some thin eggy monstrosity chocked full of rum. This year it's the real deal. Thick, well coloured, nutmeggy glory that it is. And not a drop of rum! "But why is the rum gone?" says Jack Sparrow, and to which I reply, "I don't know, in case you don't want to be hammered at 10 o clock on christmas morning  but still want some eggnog. Or if you abstain from alcoholic substances. Although the vanilla extract is alcohol-based. But that's just a little bit. What are you doing in my house anyway, you smelly pirate?" However, my parents do intend to add cuban rum to theirs later, and I'll probably try a little bit myself, if only because cuban rum is illegal in the states. But now I feel like I'm rebelling against Barrack, and that's not good... Anyway! Merry Christmas!

Haha, I almost forgot to post the recipie!

Eggnog, Alcohol free.

6 eggs

1 can (14 oz) (425 ml) sweetened condensed milk (they just call it "condensed milk" over here, it's allready sweetened.)

5 ml vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)

945 ml milk

160 ml heavy whipping cream

Ground nutmeg (just lash a good pinch or two, only a few grams)

1g salt

Beat eggs (heavily, the more beaten the better. I want to see bruises, people!); mix in condensed milk, vanilla, quart of milk and salt

Beat the whipping cream (not too much, otherwise it's a pain to fold in) until soft peaks form. Fold in to egg and milk mixture, sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve chilled (this bit is important. Leave it overnight in the fridge. Even though heat pumps are against nature.)

And thaaaaaaaaaaaat's eggnog! serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top, with a sprinkle of nutmeg! Nutmeg is really good in this, don't be too afraid of overdoing it!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

It's christmas!

As I type this, it is 00:01 and it's christmas! Our house is full of stirring creatures, and our chimmney isn't crammed with santa yet, so that's that. "And not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse" "Which probably meant billy's goldfish were dead." Merry chrismas to all, and to all a good night!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Cool Day!

So! Today was the last day of exams for me. 87% In applied Maths, 66% in Physics, and 89% in Maths. That's like, the highest mark I've ever gotten in a maths exam! Verily, I curb-stomped the diffo, I got 100% in every diffo question, so that was FREAKING AWESOME. I could have done better in physics, but ah well, c'est la vie. I studied too much of the definitions because I usually do badly in them, and unfortunatley over-compensated, and so I did kinda crap at the actual meaty physics work. Live and learn! And study. 

But what made today especially awesome was what happened after school. Everyone went their seperate ways, ie: home, or doing social things. I was headed home. And there's something a little saddening about heading home to be by yourself for 6 hours when other people are out having fun. I have been struggling with this a little lately. I always thought that if you had God strongly enough in your life, you wouldn't really need other people. Sure, it'd be nice or whatever, but it wouldn't really be a neccessity. However, there's a good bit of scripture that contradicts that idea, I think. I think, anyway. Could be wrong. 
Genesis 2:18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Now, if this was in the garden of eden, which is effectively with everything being totally, completely perfect and God being, like, Right there, and man still having a wanting for another, I think this shows that we need other people. And yes, I mean need instead of want. I suppose it depends on how far you take the word "need". We don't wither and die, but people do have a tendency to go a bit bonkers without other people to talk to, so I think it's a needed thing, to some extent. That sounds a little stupid, and definately cliched, but I feel like I need some grizzled war veteran or protaganisty hero guy to tell me "Needing others isn't a weakness" or something like that. Oh well, lesson learned, hopefully! Aaaaaaaanyway! Back to the story.

So, I'd been feeling somewhat lonesome as of late, I suppose a big chunk of it is the "Holiday spirit", where by certified law everyone must be dating, in love, and smiling constantly among friends, or so TV seems to think, anyway. So I need to head to Dundrum to pick up a presesnt for Nicoleymoley, as she gave me one and my plan to get her one on iTunes exploded, but that'll only take so long, like, maybe 40 minutes, and then it's back to home to play videogames alone until my brother comes home from town 5 hours later. And lonliness and Lorcan do not mix well.

So I'm heading to Dundrum, and I'm just praying "God, I feel really lonely. Can you... do something about that? please, help me out here." And I wind up in said shop searching for the backup present I had in mind, when I hear over my shoulder "Hey, is that Lorcan?" Bingo! I turn around, and there is Damien, one of my favorite people to hang with. Best of all, he was in Dundrum for similar reasons, because he didn't want to go home and play videogames all by himself for several hours. Now there's nothing more wonderful than finding someone with the exact some problem as you.   He is easy to talk to, makes me laugh, laughs at my jokes, and is just generally freakin' sweet to the max. And also, he is christian. Now, this is kinda important. It's just nice to be able to relax with someone who holds similar values and beliefs as you, and you don't need to feel uncomfortable around. He's not gonna start making vulgar sex jokes or start talking about people behind their backs. Well, as imperfect humans, we all probably do this at one point or another. But the point is we're both headed in the same direction, Jesus. So that was really nice. Also, it means I can talk about my faith without people rolling their eyes. Someone to relate to, y'know? At any rate, me, him, and Michael all spent the day hanging out in the mall (or shopping centre, depending on your persuasion), and then later went over to his house to watch Iron Man and have delicious chipper food. It was a really good time. I say this because it's one of those really obvious answers to prayer, I think. I say "Help me out, please!" and God lends a hand. I say this because I think these sorts of things are cool to hear from other people. Like a continuing testimony, as my friend/mentor Eric would say. Walking home, part of me thought "Bah, just co-incidence" And though I do believe in coincidences, I also believe this was God answering my prayers. Which was really cool to have happen really obviously and noticably. Our Father is pretty great, don't you think?

Oh! Also, on a totally unrelated note, as today was the last day of school before holidays, we had a free period in Applied Maths. So, me and my friend brian started gambling by cutting the deck (highest card wins), and as we weren't going to actually gamble, the stakes got pretty interesting. And luck was on my side. In short, I have won: Brian's lamp, Brian's Bedroom door, Brian's school tie, Brian's TV, Brian's Childhood from 1-8 ("Aw man, remember that time you were 7 and learned to ride your bike? Not anymore you don't, SUCKA!") Brian's laptop, Brian's health, Brian's future wife (now let's be specific, I don't marry her, I just own her.), Brian's Christmas presents, Brian's Trampoline, Brian's left leg, brian's first car, Brian's couch, and brian pays my first year's worth of auto insurance. (This means if he gets a car, I get that car, then he pays for it's auto insurance. :D ). I also won his dog, but he won it back. Darn.

Brian Won: 3 pairs of Lorcan's underwear, Every shoelace Lorcan owns, Lorcan's Finest chinese Silk robe, Lorcan's Ikea furniture, And Lorcan's bike.

Like I said, today was good.

"Lost the game"-Me! :D

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Punching you in the face, in yo' base, all over the place.

Hey, some of you that read my blog and have good memory might recall this post
 documenting my frustration with differenciation. My Maths exam was today. Now, *ahem*
*victory dance music begins* *victory dance ensues*
IN YO' FACE! IN YO' FACE YOU SILLY LITTLE METHOD OF DISCOVERING SLOPES! YOU AIN'T NOTHIN! YOU AIN'T NOTHIN' YOU LAME EXCUSE FO' A METHOD OF DISCOVERING SLOES! I DIFFERENTIATED THE CRAP OUT OF YOU, NOW DEAL WIF' IT! *vicotory dance music stops* *victory dance subsides*
Yes, about 85% of the test was differentiation, and thanks to my math teacher's generous action of taking me aside before school started to help me learn diffo, and Nicoleymoley's short grinds course in town on the subject, I was well prepared to differenciate the crap out of various numbers, despite what guises they took whether it be differenciate y, f'(x), or "find the slope of the given curve if y=blah blah blah". So that all went really well!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Mmm, English.

Right now I am eating a heavilly tortilla-based meal. 2 quesadillas with refried beans and cheese, and a scrambled egg burrito. My mom made me a scrambled egg burrito and now whenever I have Any tortilla-related food, I think of "Through painted deserts", a book by donald Miller. In it, him and his friend have a conversation about what they would like to eat most. At first, Miller's answer is "Eggs and them flour tortillas", a quote from a song that he listened to. Now whenever I think tortillas, I think "Them flour tortillas", and the companionship they represent, as someone else is making him eggs with not just any flour tortillas, it's them flour tortillas. Those ones he especially likes. Anyway, they're tasty. I had my english and Applied maths exams today, that was pretty intense. Question 3 of the App maths paper was crazy annoying, I messed up one part of it and it quickly turned into a swirling vortex of madness, beckoning me into it's swirling void like some sort of crazed miner gazing into the emptiness of a mine shaft. Effectively, I got irritating circular maths, like this:

3x=15x/5
3x=3x
0=0

Except more complicated than that. You spend 5 minutes of work to find out that yes, truly, zero does equal zero. Thank you for that, mister applied maths paper, I had no idea. I did well on most of the other questions though.

English was allright, though I think I may have used stupid words. Or really awesome appropriate language. We'll know soon enough. 

Why is it called "English" anyway? I was thinking about this today. Back in the states we called the class "Literature". It was the same thing: studying poetry, reading and discussing books, and learning more about the written language. But "oh-ho!" You might say, "They're all in english!"
This is not quite true for our class, at least. We're watching "Il Postino" an Italian movie for a film analasys. And Shakespeare was originally Ye olde english, which is almost as good as a different language altogether. I do not say this in a "Hububhubub, America < Ireland" Sort of way, I mean, what I learn in english and what they teach is so much more than just words and why our language rox and whatnot. It's almost like a nature class, where they just say "Hey, existance is pretty cool, isn't it? Here's what a bunch of dudes said about existance. they said it very prettily, here's how to understand it." We need a new word for this class, I think, because it's so much more than English. I'd wager they study similar things in other countries and perhaps they name it after their language too. My proposed word? "Awsinium".

I wish my exam was like this. I get a page, and something to talk about, and go to town. Maybe the exam's supposed to be like that and I missed the point, who knows. I was supposed to write an article for a newspaper on why the gap year was wicked awesome, and I think it may have kinda dissolved into "HAY U GUYS IT'S AWESUM, YOO GET TO GO OUTSIDE AND THERE'S NEW PPL AND YOU EXPAND YUR HORIZONS AND STUFF 'N THAT'S WHAT LIFE'S ALL ABOUT, RIGHT?" I'm not sure though. I either did good, or bad. Not great, not horrible, not average, but good, or bad. Like I said, we'll find out!

Also, Rorshach inkblots are totally cool. Get some ink, fold a paper in half, drip some ink on that bad boy, smoosh the paper together, and BAM! Instant art form that actually looks pretty decent. 

-"My Knife, where is my knife, I kill man who took my knife" - Alexandra, a quote from my english exam.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Ambush and Fall back.

That's how you play the scout in Team fortress 2! A couple shotgun blasts to the back or side (you gotta make sure they don't see you) and then just bugger off and shoot at them with the pistol as you run off like the little New Yorker well hard man that you are. Don't be afraid to just leave them alive, someone else will finish them off in their weakened state. And your speed to return to the battlefield after dying creates an omnipresent sort of irritating buzz in the opposition's ear. And never underestimate the effectiveness of good demoralization through irritation. And shotgun blasts to the face.

Y'know in games, how you get experience points that you get to spend in what you want to spend them in? I think our knowledge and experience of life is like that. We don't change what happened, but we take it in and try to understand it as best we know how, and interpret it differently. One man's sorrow is another man's breakthrough, one man's bittersweet memories is another man's stupid sentimentalism. But what's cool about games is you can refund the points sometimes and just say "Feck it, that was a poor decision, I'm gonna re-interpret the best way to play this game." Although sometimes you can't, and you just gotta stick with what you learnt and try to slowly branch off into a different path, and pay for your decisions. I'm glad it's not like that. Though one has to question if their talent points have been spent properly. Like most things in life, there is grey and darker grey as opposed to flat out black and white. Or is there? Perhaps I haven't invested enough experience is perception. At any rate, it's super sweet how you can just restart what you've learnt in some games, and change your viewpoint. I think our minds are malleable enough to do that. I hope I spend mine well. Who knows. This is me at 1:43, I'm usually more uninhibited and crazier, and I think I just shortened my attention span by 3 seconds by playing the scout on Team fortess 2 for about an hour, earning me 105 points, and THE TOP OF MY CLASS! Yeah, so that was pretty sweet. I'm tired. Exams are Tiring. Not as scary as I used to think they were though. Who knows. Call the Leaving Cert the "Summer Quiz" Startiiiiiiing now. It takes a load of stress off, I assure you. I'm going to sleep now. But first, hygenie! Hehe, hygenie. I think I spelt that wrong. Yup, I did. Looks like hy-genie. like a genie that'd tell you to brush your teeth. Weird. Night!


-"Do you have any Idea who you're talkin' to? Any idea? Any idea at all? Basically? Kinda a big deal. Are ya listening? Ok. Sun shines, grass grows, and brudda? I hurt people." - The scout

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Manly list.

I thought after that I should make a list of manly things I have done.

-Played Metal gear solid.
-Can do a decent solid snake impression
(Do I need anything after that?)
-Made fire
-Poked fire
-Breathed life fire so it wouldn't die (combustion CPR!)
-made marshmallows
-Used a Wrench
-Fixed a flat tire (on my bike)
-Made something out of wood (A chessboard, but still)
-Made several knots (I've forgotten them all)
-Obtained several badges in scouts, in knives and axes and cool stuff like that.
-Punched things.
-done stuff to fix a computer
-read comic books
-Shaved face
-Worn Cologne
-Once jumped over a chair. For reals.
-Gone parachuting (ok, not really, but doesn't it sound good?)
-Gone rock climbing (this one for real)
- Spat off a cliff

Dah da na nah na Da da na nah na Da da

So! Cut to the quick, I got my legs waxed. Yup. Legs. Totally waxed. From calf to knee. I'm going on a Habitat for Humanity trip to Ghana this year and we desperately need money. So we're doing this leg-waxing thing for sponsorship. I've got about 100 euro, so I'm pretty pleased with that. Kudos to Nexus, who gave 20 euro out of generosity and/or sadism! I say generosity. It was pretty painful, I'm not gonna lie to you. Nicoleymoley was the excecutioner, I'll have you know, she will be waxing 4 teachers on friday, so she needed the practice. I screamed like a little girl, but only a few times. Most of the pain noises I make end up being tiny mews or "oh!" kinda noises. Though I dit confuse some bats' sense of direction a few times to be sure. I think I can add this to the list of girly things I have done. Well, now that I've typed it, I can hardly not share it with you.

-Been in a ballet (didn't have to wear tights at least.)
-Worn hot pink nail polish
-Worn stage makeup-Sampled a small amount of lipgloss to "Feel the tingle"
And now, 
-Waxed legs
-Shaved legs

I'm sure there's more to it then that, but there's a certain darkness in learning how to shave your legs with a razor before learning how to shave your face with a razor. Also, those things are bloody sharp! I wiped some of the hair off the cheap-o razor my.... *sigh* my mom uses, and I noticed later I had 5 cuts in my thumb! Sharp stuff. Yes, there was a video taken that shall be going on youtube, but we are giving the net adress out to people that have donated 2 euro to the cause. If you live far away, the promise of impending sponsorship will do. Just because I know Bernard can't wait until the next time I see him to miss me screaming like an injured animal. That's about it, I guess. Talk to you later! leave a message if you'd like to see the video, I'll send you the link!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Society is changing, it would seem

I was home sick today, and it was around lunchtime, so I thought I'd have lunch. Recently my mom made me an egg burrito, and that was pretty tasty, so I thought I'd try that. Then I realized I didn't know how to scramble, or really even fry an egg. So I followed my natural response for when I didn't know how to do something. I looked it up on the internet, and sure enough, I found a page on eHow for How to fry an egg.
I think that's pretty weird.
I don't know how to cook, I'll just look it up on the internet!
That strikes me as weird. Anyway, the burrito is delicious.?

You are not prepared- Illidan Stormrage

Monday, December 1, 2008

Cha Cha Cha Changes!

Hormones are weird. They addle your brain and make you feel all bipolar. And growth spurts! I have had growth spurts the past few days and I can tell you that they are decidedly odd feeling. They are caused by your bones growing, and your flesh has to grow with them, but there's usually a period of transition where the skin and muscles are put under tension, and this causes the pain. As far as I can understand, anyway. I should read up on it. I thought I would share this for the sake of two really weird experiences.

1)I just woke up one morning, and then in school I made a fist, but it was really uncomfortable. The source? My knucklebones had grown and expanded and my skin no longer fit comfortably over them. It was decidedly odd.

2) I woke up one morning, and my breathing and movement felt a little weird. My ribcage had expanded and now no longer fit in my chest, making it sore!

I only say this because I thought it was really weird. I mean, the concept of waking up and suddenly parts of you don't fit inside yourself. Weird!

Also, my bike bust. It's another funny story! My bike has a quick-release mechanism on the front wheel which, while convenient, can be a little unsafe, I guess. Unscrews a little by itself over time. I noticed it was a little loose a few days ago, but neglected to do anything about it, and forgot about it for a few days. Untiiiiiil! I was biking home downhill, and started lightly bouncing my front tire. I pondered the physics of it all. How my own arms could pull it up. Does that work? *boink* I thought it was kinda like outer space. Could you will yourself *boink* off the ground like that? Maybe it worked *boink* like a Normal force, where it just *boink* repels you when you apply a force on the *boi-chrk* *CHRK* *SCRRRR* *FWOO* *CLUNK* *CRASH* My front tire just completely de-railed and the front chassis of my bike just hit the ground and brought the bike's front to a skidding halt. But let it not be said that the bike stopped! The back was still moving, and as I was going downhill it moved forward and over. I did a flip! This was as not much fun as it sounds, as I hurt my arms and got a scraped knee in proper 4-year old fashion. It was crazy! Some nice people asked me if I was ok though. I also totally bent the front tire, but we got a replacement, so that's all good now. I am also playing WoW again, *dun dun dun?* It's not as bad as it sounds, I guess!

"WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY! GOODNIGHT!" -Morbo

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Short post

I haven't posted anything in a long time. I keep thinking I'll do a big post but then that makes me discouraged because I would have to do a whole big post and that would take a good while. So I will condense. Today I did not go to school. Today is thanksgiving. I have eaten Turkey, it was delicious. I have fallen off the wagon and currently re-subscribed (addicicted?) to World of Warcra(ck?)ft. My stomach is full of food of a feast. That is all!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Backsies!

Holy crap and a half you guys, I haven't written here in ages and a half! I just realized I said "And a half" twice in a row! At any rate, I will start with the present. Ok, well, not the present, but today. Today I went to an anime convention with my brother, my dear friend catherine (cat) and my new friend, Natasha, the ladyfriend of our dear bernard! The main attraction (other than meeting up with friends old and new XD) of the day was A man called Vic Mignogna, the voice actor for the character "Edward Elric" of Full metal alchemist. He's done other stuff, but I liked Ed best :P Also, I got to watch an anime about a dude with a ponytail who fought big, evil aliens, so that was really cool too! But the interesting thing about today was, as me and Tasha, who I had just seen in person for the first time, were waiting in the epic, smelly, warm queue for Vic Mignogna's autograph, they were selling a few things to be signed, like pictures of Ed all fancy-like, and 1 picture of him looking quite dashing and handsome in a darkly lit room with a short sleeved red t-shirt. Also, they were selling CD's he had made himself, one of which was called "Gospel of John". I figured this was just one of those types of thing they sometimes do in Anime where they make vague christian references to sound mysterious and cool, so I just wrote it off. Anywho, we're waiting in the queue, and Tasha says that he is apparently christian! I meet this statement with slight hesitance but a little hope, as I am mixed with my opinions that famous people can be fake about this, but genuine people who actually believe that are famous can be such an inspiration, as someone who really does believe this sort of thing in a place like celebrity can be quite a rare thing!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

The Punch line!

The thrilling conclusion to last week's post!

So, tonight in youth club we had wonderful guest speakers (I still can't remember their names. Was one of them Arthur?) and 'Arthur' was a doctor who had worked in a hospital in Africa and was talking to us about that, and how after his first 3 months he said to God 'I love being a doctor to these people, but please don't send me back to this hospital in particular!' And he said 'Well, God has a sense of humour, so I naturally ended up working at that hospital again!'
I was afraid my reaction would be "Gasp! God forced him back to a place he didn't want to go?!?" But my actual natural reaction was "Oh, cool, clearly that turned out well for him and his patients in the end!"

So, after a rousing conversation about the Rwandan Genocide with Nicoleymoley for completely unrelated reasons, I noticed it was winding down to time to get to my appointment with the brown-haired, white jumpered daughter! So I got into my bike gear (I look like an Inuit, I kid you not.) and headed off. I was kinda blazze about the thing at first, but I prayed as I biked, as I sometimes do, hopefully I don't get run over some day! And as I neared the stop I accepted that I'd just do my best to do whatever God wanted me to do, whatever it might be. I kinda felt like the girl wouldn't be there, though what you think is going to happen is never an indicator of what will happen!

However, in this case, I was pretty much bang on, the young lass was not there. But, arriving 'round 10:55, I thought I'd wait. I originally thought 11:10, but then I thought I'd wait 'till 11:11, seemed like a more fun time for something crazy to happen, what with the line of 1's and all, I guess! I prayed as I waited, hoping for guidance or whatever God wanted to happen to happen. Just waited around in my inuit gear at a bus stop, musta looked a bit weird to passers by, waiting for a bus next to another obvious mode of transport! So I waited and waited, and felt like I should be heading home a little early, but decided not to, this seemed like something I should wait the whole way through for. So I waited some more! Time was passing pretty quickly, I sent a text to Nicoleymoley telling her to thank her dad for reminding me to turn my lights on, waited a little more. It was around 11:08 when I started to notice the cars going by, and one of them slowly ground to a halt next to the bus stop. The window rolled down to reveal a dark-skinned young man, I thought it might have been one of the youth leaders at my church wondering why I was waiting around, but it wasn't! The following conversation isn't perfect, I don't remember it exactly, but this is the general gist of it! In a deep, heavy accent he inquired

The dude said "Hey, could you tell me how to get to the city street"
L:"Erm, where in it?"
Dude: "O'Connel street"
This was a little dodgy for me, as This was rathgar, and rathgar is pretty far away from O'connel street
L:"Ooooh, jeez, I dunno, erm, that's pretty far off, that's a really long road, I'm not sure if I can give you great directions, erm,"
I started looking around a little like a map'd magically fall out of the sky or someone would walk by that could just get in the car and take him there
L:"Ok, uh, why do you need to get there?"
Dude: "O'connel street" (I didn't hear him)
L:"Sorry, why do you need to get there?
Dude: "O'connel street, I'm not from around here."
L:"Ok, well, you take a left here, and there's this crossroads, and you should take the one on the left, and just follow down that road, and it's a really long road, until you hit a town called 'Rathmines', and, ok, hmmm, ok, after that you'll need to take a left and just head down the road a little ways and there'll be this little shopping centre thing, and it'll have a big swan on it, ok, so take a right from there, and just follow that road straight for a good while, and, ok, then you'll hit a town called 'Ranelagh', and from there you take a left, and you just keep going down that road, and it'll curve a little to the right, but keep going until you hit a bridge, it'll lead over a river, it's uh, like, like, a 'canal bank' (Patrick Kavanagh, don't fail me now! XD) and after that, uh, you'll be near the city centre, just take a right after you've crossed the bridge and gone on for a little bit, uh, I'm not too sure how to get there by car once you hit the city centre, so.."
Dude: "I can get there once I cross the bridge, don't worry."
L: Ok! uh, hope you get there safe and sound! Just ask for directions if you get lost, don't worry about it! God bless"

And with that, he pulled out, turned, and I just started praying once the conversation stopped, because I am pretty crap at directions, so I was certain he needed God's help on this one! "Lord, please keep him safe, uh, just direct him in where he should go, because I'm sure he'll need your guidance, man, that's such a hard road. Just help him to get there, and if he gets lost, help him to find someone to give him directions, eh, hehe,"
This started to sound a little familliar!
"Haha, thanks for that. Erm, just really make sure he gets there on time I guess, if he needs to get there on time, just really guide him as he's going down this really tricky road, I'm sure he'll need more than my words to get him there!"

And then I just started laughing, the whole thing was so... Analogical? I remember Gina was interpreting what happened last week, trying to get understanding and message from it, and I just thought this was rife with stuff like this, I mean, this prayer almost sounded like a prayer for a budding christian to me! And I just laughed and laughed, There was stuff to be learned from last week of course, but I think that this was just a punchline for the whole thing! It was pretty funny to me! I just laughed and laughed, I checked my watch, it was 11:10, I laughed some more, checked it again, it was 11:11, it was time for me to head home! Gina's words of "He thinks you're funny" and "He likes your sense of humour" were really hitting home for me, I really think God was really trying to give me a good laugh on this one! I was just laughing even as I was biking home, it wasn't a belly-laugh that's over quickly, but one of those sorts of jokes that lasts the day, that you just quietly titter at for the rest of the day! I said a quick prayer: "Seriously though, that was great! Erm, do guide that guy where you want him to go, I guess you might want to send him someplace else, and it'll be hilarious, and he'll love it, or maybe he won't, but it'll be your idea, so it'll be good! Or just guide him to O'connel street, sometimes what we have planned for us and what you have lined up for us line up!" Then I got home, a big ol' smile on my face, and my mom was watching dogma! It was that scene in particular where Bethany has a big breakdown and has to be comforted by the Metatron (Incorrectly spelled, I'd bet), and whether or not Dogma is an appropriate movie, I think God was really trying to communicate something to me, I was mid-blog when I heard Allen Rickman say "See? Didn't I tell you she (God) had a sense of humour?" It was a good night, allright! Hope that guy got to O'Connel street allright!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

History in the Making!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZCrIeRkMhA


 OBAMA: Hello, Chicago. 


If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. 



It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference. 


It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

OBAMA: We are, and always will be, the United States of America. 



It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. 


It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America. 


It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. 


It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.



A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain. 


Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. 


I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead. 


OBAMA: I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton... 



... and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden. 



And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years... 


... the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady... 



... Michelle Obama. 


Sasha and Malia... 


... I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us... 


... to the new White House. 


And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure. 


To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them. 


OBAMA: And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe... 


OBAMA: ... the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America. 



To my chief strategist David Axelrod... 



... who's been a partner with me every step of the way. 


To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics... 



... you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done. 


But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you. 

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause. 


It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy... 



... who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep. 


It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth. 


This is your victory. 


OBAMA: And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me. 


You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. 


Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. 


There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education. 

There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair. 


The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. 


I promise you, we as a people will get there. 


AUDIENCE: Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can! 


OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem. 


But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. 


What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. 

OBAMA: This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. 


It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. 


So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other. 


Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers. 


In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. 


Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity. 


Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. 


As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. 

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too. 

OBAMA: And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. 

To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. (APPLAUSE) 


That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. 


This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. 

OBAMA: She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can. At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can. When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can. 


AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can. 


AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can. 


AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. 


And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. 


Yes we can. 


AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? 


This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. 


This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can. 


Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America. 


END

So hey! Holy Crap! Obama got in! Whaddya know? His entire campaign seemed to be about hope, change, and well, it almost sound like he had Morgan Freeman as his political advisor! I really, really hope that he can follow through, and I belive he will!

I would do something longer, but it's 7:38 in the morning, and I've got school soon! It think it's saying something about me and my gereration that I ran straight to the computer after watching his acceptance speech to announce it on bebo, and then do a blog about it! Haha! That's really weird, come to think of it. I guess I'll always remember where I was when Obama was elected president. Asleep in my bed.

My mom came in and woke me up with the news "Obama got elected! Get up quick, or you'll miss his acceptance speech!" And what a speech! I only got the latter half of it

As long as he doesn't pull a Broodax,
We should be just fine!

I believe Obama is going to change America, and that perhaps someday the title of "American" will not be met with scowls and anger, but admiration instead. America has been deeply, deeply tarnished during and by the Bush Administration, and I believe that Obama is the guy that can, and hopefully will, be able to polish us back to a shine worthy of the ideals worth knowing about America.

He won by a landslide vote, something like 346 to 183 or something like that!

Just keep him away from clowns
And fire.

Today was slightly less than awesome.

So, turns out I'm moving down to ordinary level french. This wouldn't be such a big deal, but it's the first time I've been moved down to ordinary in anything. I'm not much of a crier, but for some reason messing up in school always seems to tug at the ol' tear ducts for me, my parents are always quite heavy on how I do at school, so chalk it up to that, I guess! The first thing I was greeted as I entered the classroom was with was someone saying "Retard!" 

Now, this really got my goat. The concept of someone currently at my level calling themselves retarded by proxy wasn't really that much of a bother. Sometimes I just notice these things on how the world works and how stupid and out of place it feels to live on the earth. These concepts that you have to be smart and do well and all sorts of toss to be of worth, the way that people can just be so mean to each other for whatever reason. We do this ourselves, do we not? Every now and again stuff like this comes up and it just doesn't make me feel very good and it all seems like some big reminder that I'm not really at home here, the only thing that really kept me from bursting into tears is knowing that I'm no less loved by God because I didn't do well on a French test. That might sound obvious and it sounds a little silly looking at it, that that wouldn't be obvious, but hey, I forget I guess! Life seems super busy this week, I've got extra-curriculars going on like crazy, I've got after-school stuff on all this week. Sorry if this sounds like complaining, I guess writing this down just seems to help me deal, I guess. Problems don't seem so big when they barely amount to a paragraph, I guess. I got through my piano lesson allright despite having barely practiced at all this week, and I'm confident God'll help me get through the week allright! At least my responsibilites include baking brownies. And if you're getting stressed out about baking, you're probably stressing out over nothing! Unless you're a baker and you're about to lose your job or something! I guess.

Oh yeah, we'll know by tomorrow who the president of the United States of America is! I think that's pretty cool. I'm an Obama man myself, and I think he'll win, but it's not over 'till it's over, as they say!

"Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair." -Langston Hughes' "Mother to Son"

Monday, November 3, 2008

Today was pretty awesome.

Hey folks, Just a normal post, the whys and hows and whats of the last one are still being understood, but life is no less interesting! I can feel my connection with God growing more and more. Not just the connection, I mean, but, y'know, it's like everything's just getting better with him! Not that the world is easier, but, well, it's hard to explain! I also read "The Shack" Recently, I highly reccomend it! Oh! I heard a really nifty verse in church that I think is mega usefull when reading spiritual books, It's 1st John chapter 5 verse 9: "We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son." (NIV)
Kinda usefull to keep in mind when you're reading books like these, or any christian theology kinda book, that you can take it in, but at the end of the day, it's not God's word, though it can have some really usefull points in it!

I got My Authentic YouthJumper. Bother. I just tried to hyperlink but then everything after it seemed to get sucked into it like some sort of black hole! Anyway, yeah, ordered one off of Jude, the lady that runs it, (or co-runs it with Johnny, I'm not entirely sure) and it arrived today! It's quite cozy, keeps my body at juuust the right temperature, not too hot but not too cold, I quite like it! My dad was making "Hoodie Delinquent" Jokes, then he realized it said "Scripture Union" On the back, so he doesn't think I'd be taken too intimidatingly now! I just had some tasty mint Ice cream! It was pretty good, I hear it goes well with chocolate sauce, but I kinda like to preserve the mint flavour! Anyway, I'm MSN-ing with like, fifty zillion people  (9), so I can't blog! Au Revoir! Speaking of french, I'm moving to ordinary level after failing a test, so we'll see how that goes! bye!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

The Chase is on.

Gina says:
hey, im here
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Hey, sorry to bug you late at night something kinda weird happened
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
And I don't think I'm going crazy, but it's always good to have an outside opinion!
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Ok, so like I said, this is kinda weird.
Gina says:
ok, go on?
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I was biking home, and there was this girl waiting for the bus at a bus stop. Like normal, right? And I thought "She
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
"She's a daughter of God"
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
And then I just felt like she should know
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Like I should tell her
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
But I was scared, and biked on for a little bit further
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
But I really felt convicted, like I had to tell her this, like it was one of those things, you know?
Gina says:
yeaaah!!?
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I was still hesitant though. What would my parents say to be being home late? In reality, I was just stalling for time
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
so I checked the clock on my bike. It read out 12:07. That was weird, as that was not the time
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
So I checked my phone, (I had stopped my bike at this point) to check the time, and I got a text from Nicole
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
She said that she didn't know why she felt like she had to say it, but she just wanted to say she was sorry for all the times that she had made fun of me and hurt my feelings. 
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
And I remembered bernard talking during GAP about how he wished God could just send him a text message or something like that
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
(Turns out my bike clock hadn't followed daylight savings
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
so I turned the bike around and started slowly, with baby steps back to the bus stop
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I picked up the pace and was slowly biking back to where I saw the girl
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
And there she was
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Then the worst possible thing happened. 
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Her bus showed up
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
And she got on.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
It was terrifying.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
It started to pull off.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
And I turned around, unsure of what to do
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
So I followed it, because it seemed like the right thing to do
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I saw where she sat, trying to memorize what she looked like
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
White jacket, brown hair, daughter of God.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Her white jacket had little black spots on it
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
but buses are fast.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I had to bike as fast as I could to keep pace, occaisionally it'd stop and I'd get a second to catch up, checking to see if the person who had just gotten off was her
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I chased her and chased her, and pedalled with all my strength
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
eventually The bus started to get too far away, and I kinda lost sight of it
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
and then someone got off.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
She didn't look like the girl, and was wearing different clothes. I felt like it was her though, kinda, in a confused sort of way, confused like this entire thing
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
but I followed the bus
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
and then I felt like every part of me was screaming for me to turn back like "That was her back there, you idiot!"
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
There was a split in the road, and I couldn't see the bus anymore, or where it had gone
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
so I turned around
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
and pedaled back where the other person who might have been her might have been
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
she wasn't there anymore. I realised it hadn't been her. Whatever it was that said "idiot" at the end of that feeling wasn't from God, I don't think.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I pedalled back to the crossroads
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I didn't know where to go. I felt like I was supposed to go left
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I didn't know where I was going, I'd never been down this way before
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
It was dark.
  
  To record a Voice Clip, hold down the button or press F2 while speaking. Release the button to send your message.
  
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
But I kept following
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Oh, a few other things. I didn't know what was going on, so I asked God for a sign that things were kinda going allright. I saw a van that said "Safe Security" on it, so I think that might have been one
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I felt like I had lost her. I stopped the bike. I just let God know how miserable I felt, opened up my misery and confusion to his eyes, and I felt like I 'heard' "It's ok. But chase her anyway!"
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
So I biked on, but I felt like I wasn't going to find her. It was nearing midnight at this point, and I sent my dad a text saying I'd be home late. He replied back "Ok." Not enquiring why. That was convenient
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
At this stage I had no idea where I was, so I just kept telling God how scared I was and how badly I didn't want to get lost.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I felt like I was just going home now, like it was kinda... not over, but I wasn't meant to chase after the bus (note how I said bus, not her) 
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
So I said that once I saw something familliar, the way to get home, that's where I'd go
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I saw a girl walking by with some guy, she had a pure white jumper, and didn't look like the girl.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
But she kinda did, so I went down that road anyway.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
It wasn't her. But for some reason, I just felt like I was supposed to follow down that road anyway
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I kept just rolling down the hill, and there were two girls walking by, in black coats. I just kinda looked at them, and wondered if I was meant to tell them too, to which one of them replied to my staring with "Shwaaaaaa." I felt like I was being told "She'll do." I kept biking though. I don't think My Dad's a God of "She'll do." in a kinda "meh, whatever, I guess." kinda way
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
so I just biked on
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
And then saw a crossing that was very familliar. I knew how to get home from here.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I just pulled the bike over and sat down, and asked God why this all happened. I kinda felt like I was supposed to go up the hill, but I asked that conviction "Is that you, Lord?" And I got a "No." Back, so I didn't.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I didn't really get it, but I just got this message of "Chase after them like I chase after you."
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I just biked home from there, wondering about it
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Why I felt I was tasked with chasing after someone I didn't catch.
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I dunno. I think it's a matter of chasing as hard as you can, and it doesn't matter whether or not you catch them
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Anyway, I hope people from an asylum aren't already on the way to my house from your call!
Gina says:
that was just......................................
Gina says:
wow
Gina says:
im speechless
Gina says:
cant believe that all just happened........wow
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
It's kinda weird. You hear these stories, and I thought it'd end up well, with me finding her and she bursts into tears and we both go to church the following morning, and la de la da, but it didn't work out that way
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
at any rate, I'll be there the same time next week, 11 o' clock sharp!
Gina says:
yeah but like wow, ur dedication, ur determination, ur passion, ur fear, ur worries just all like..wow..God is amazing!! it goes to show just how hard it is to chase after some1 and yet God does it everyday for us and if we want to reflect jesus' life thats what we should be doing! passionate to share his love
Gina says:
and yeah it doesnt matter whether u catch the person or not but you tried ur hardest and u trusted in God
Gina says:
God has such a plan for that story
Gina says:
pray for that girl because its no accident that u were drawn to telling her
Gina says:
she might really need to know
Gina says:
keep praying
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Yeah, but it was all over the place! I felt so many different like, inspirations and convictions, and it was just so messy!
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I don't think I "Failed", but I kinda feel like I did
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I dunno. It all happened like it was supposed to, I guess. And I doubt shed've stayed to talk if her bus was just around the corner
Gina says:
its funny how we can miss a chance from a moments hesitation
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Mmm, that's the thing
Gina says:
kinda scary too
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I guess it's like aslan said to lucy "We can never know what would have happened."
Gina says:
yeah
Gina says:
and we dont know what can happen
Gina says:
but the power of prayer is immense
Gina says:
wow that story
Gina says:
...
Gina says:
wow
Gina says:
i dont even know what to make of it
Gina says:
so many different things jumped out of it
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Haha, chalk it up to, well, I was going to say you and nicole, but God spoke to me through you two, so, yeah
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I guess chalk it up to Dad!
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Yeah, it was pretty crazy.
Gina says:
like when u said that the bus was out of sight..i was like wow thats scary
Gina says:
and things like being at a cross roads
Gina says:
its all kind of like a christians life
Gina says:
and Gods determined the whole way through
Gina says:
and if that girl had gotten off the bus had she known u had been chasing her then maybe things would have been totally differnt! sometimes we need to get off the bus and let God talk to us.......if u get me
Gina says:
or else im making no sense
Gina says:
lol
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Haha!
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Wait while I digest that
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
haha, yeah
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I hope she wouldn't have had pepper spray in that case!
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
or, had to use it
Gina says:
  
Gina says:
lol
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
I also 'heard' "Don't worry, she's in my arms now." I think that might have just been me trying to console myself.
Gina says:
or God
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Yeah, I guess so. I don't know though.
Gina says:
hmm..
Gina says:
a lot to digest
Gina says:
a lot to pray over
Gina says:
God will reveal all in time...i hope!!!!!
Gina says:
lol
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Haha, yeah
Gina says:
wow
Gina says:
lol
Gina says:
im saving this conversation
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Thanks for coming online
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
and I'm one-upping you and turning it into a blog post!
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
 
Gina says:
wana read over that all again tomro and pray over it cause i can just like feel God oozing out of it!!! lol
Gina says:
oooh are u?
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Haha, ok!
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Yeah
Gina says:
good boy
Gina says:
lol
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
A lot of our friends have blogs and read mine, I'm looking for reaction on this!
Gina says:
yeaaaah!!
Gina says:
thats cool
Gina says:
well im guna go to bed!!!!
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Thanks for your prayer!
Gina says:
thanks sooo much for sharing with me!
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
Aw man gina, thanks so much for listening!
Gina says:
and of course!! any time
Lorcan "The Joker" Murphy says:
thanks so much! Goodnight!
Gina says:
thaaank you toooo nighty night


So, I texted Gina shortly after all this happened, and she was kind enough to get online and listen. Thank you Gina. I give  thanks to the one who chases me, for letting me have this experience. I don't understand it very well right now, but I hope that you'll reveal it to me. And I hope she's there next week. Whether she spits in my eye, or pepper sprays me, or runs off and calls the guards, at least I'll have done it! 

Brown haired, White Jacketed girl with little black spots on it, you are a daughter of God, and he's chasing you. He wants you so bad. I'll let you guys know what happens about this time next week. 

Just for a little bit of background to this, I recently got back from a camp where I heard that God liked me. I knew God loved me, but God liking me seemed like a new concept to me that I didn't quite understand. So Gina had been praying for me, that God would help me to know and believe in my heart, with all of me, that my Father liked me. So she did some praying for me, and told me that he thinks I'm funny and likes my sense of humour! That was scary. I don't think God is a very laughy God, like he's Loving and kind and all things that are good, but humour's kinda this human thing that we invented and it usually hurts people's feelings so he doesn't use it really. So if God likes my sense of humour and thinks I'm funny, well, can I just say that I belive God is really speaking to me through Gina when I hear this, though you might disagree, I think this means that God is the kinda God that laughs! So I'm coming to grips with that. That and Prayer. Well, I can deal pretty well with talking to him, like a father to son, I think, I'm just trying to come to terms and understanding with the power of prayer and petition. Why do we have to ask more than once? It is something I am trying to understand. Also, I read the passage today where Peter asks Jesus to tell him to walk on the water. Peter says to him "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." To which Jesus replies "Come" (Matthew 14: 28-29). So that was kinda my compass for tonight. Whenever I felt I was supposed to do something or go somewhere, I just asked "Is it you, Lord?" To which I usually recieved a kinda muddled feeling of yes or no. It didn't work perfectly, as you can see. The whole ordeal was messy and crazy. Pray for me if you're reading this, pray for the girl too. Even if I never see her again in my life, I still want her to know that she's God's daughter. Anyway, it's late. Night!


"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." - Jesus, part of matthew chapter 14 verse 27 NIV

Saturday, October 25, 2008

A party at a friend's house!

What glee! Golly gee! A fancy dress halloween party! 
Yes, I was invited to a halloween party, it was good times. In the beginning, I was torn between going as either a headcrab zombie, or the Joker. The Joker was Nicoleymoley's suggestion, and though I didn't want to just do as I was told, it really did seem like a pretty good costume idea, and I'm all for batman-related things, so I decided on Joker in the end. In the week or two leading up to it, there was a good bit of exitement, as katie has thrown some fairly wild parties in the past, this was not to be missed. 

This is the costume creation section for those interested in going as the joker for whatever reason!

This is "The dark knight" Joker, as earlier joker, while still respectable and pretty insane looking, simply doesn't look as real as the new one. I would love to say "He's so much cooler too!" and while that may be true, old joker could be quite a heinous mass-murdering psychopath in his own right. That's what's so cool about the new movie. They don't have villians, they have people so real, people so believable, you feel like you could be nearly watching a dramatization of something that really happened.

Anyway.

Jacket: I didn't have a purple trenchcoat like he does in the movie, so I actually had to borrow a purple shirt that belongs to my dad that was about 4 sizes too big. It worked allright in the end, but definately was the weakest point of the outfit in my opinion.

Shirt: Just a shiny blue shirt that I have, it's slightly reflective and has a purple-blue kinda tint depending on the way the light's hitting it that really worked well. In the movie, it has a hexagon pattern, but that was just too much.

Tie: Just a Purple tie. Any tie'll do so long as it isn't too noticeable. In the movie he has a kinda darkish tie with little beige patterns on it, but as long as the tie isn't too noticeable, you'll do allright, as most of it'll be obscured by the waistcoat anyway..

The Waistcoat: Definately the most work was done here. A good waistcoat could cost upwards of 30 euro depending on where it's bought, as it is a fairly specialty item, I suppose. That was not going to happen, I was doing this on the cheap. I read some stuff online, and the general consensus was to take a long-sleeved shirt, cut off the sleeves, and make due with that. I had no green shirts, so I had a bit of an idea. Waistcoats are meant to naturally be fairly form-fitting, not loose, but not constricting either, just that little bit tight, so I thought I'd go with an old white undershirt that didn't really fit me anymore. But then, I noticed an old "Wifebeater" (Not too PC, but that's all I know how to call 'em!) t-shirt. How wonderful! someone had already gone to the trouble of taking the sleeves off of a tight-fitting shirt for me! I decided to go with this. But as it needed to be green, I emptied about a fourth of a bottle of green food dye into enough  boiling water (helps if it's boiling, so says my mom) to just about submerge the t-shirt (maybe half a litre or more) and left it to soak for about half the day, then hung it out to dry. It came out a little light I guess, so you might want to use more dye than I did, though I was really pleased with the shade, and wouldnt've added more myself, though it wasn't quite as dark as The Joker's, I was still satisfied.
It needed to come down a little bit, so after doing some rooting around, I consulted my anatomy studier (my brother's an art student, so he knows what he's talking about), and the cutting point seemed to wind up around the solar plexus (Just under your ribs), perhaps a little higher. Cut straight down from the top centre of the shirt, and stop just short of the solar plexus. Now you'll notice that it never actually comes in half, this is just to create the illusion that it does. Also, the little bits of cloth left flapping about from the cut make for pretty nice little sticky-outy bits, I have no idea what they're called, but I had to pin them down, as they do flap about a bit, as flappy things do, I suppose. Next, buttons needed to be stiched on, though not actually buttoning anything to anything else, like I said, it's all about illusion! I stiched on clear plastic buttons as I didn't have any dark green buttons like in the original waistcoat, but my dear mom offered to re-do these in darkish black buttons. Turns out it doesn't really make that big of a difference, like the tie, as long as it isn't too noticeable, you can get away with it. For finishers, my mom cut a little triangle at the bottom, once again to give the illusion of it being in half.

Trousers: In the movie, they used really dark purple pinstripes, but I just used black dress pants, nobody seemed to notice, I myself only noticed his pants were purple after looking very closely at pictures, hardly occured to me in the movie itself, like before, as long as it isn't too noticeable, you'll be allright.

Socks: Odds of people noticing your socks? About zero. But all the same, The Joker wears kinda old-fashioned grandpa socks that have kinda weird patterns on them, I just stole a pair of grey socks with little black squares on them. In the movie, he has purple/yellow kinda socks that match, oddly.

Shoes: In the movie, he has old, beat up old fashioned shoes, with a kinda seamline that seems to give the impression of spats. Most of his stuff is pretty old fashioned looking like that. I just borrowed a pair of my dad's brown shoes that had the same kinda pattern. Unfortunately, they were nice, shiny shoes, so it really would've been more convienient if they had been beaten up old piees of crap, but oh well! Their quality was also a bit of stress for fear that they'd be vomited on!

Face paint: Ok, you only ever need 3 colours: White, Red, and Black. I just bought a store-bought set of halloween facepaint, that was applied with crayons and that worked just fine, I don't think you need to be too picky on this bit. 
White: Start off with a total base layer of white, covering the entire face, and just a little bitunder the jaw. But not the neck. As told by Nicoleymoley, less is more, so don't completely smother yourself in it, just rub it around a bit, it's supposed to look a little patchy anyway, so don't fret. 
Red: Okay, this is a little more tricky: The shade is kinda important, just average "red" is what you want, too light comes off as pink and kinda crap, too dark could look allright, but you really do want something in the middle. Bright and vibrant, but not pink. It's a little tricky to get this on  properly, you don't want to go too laterally and you don't want to go straight up from the lips. Most of the red facepaint is on the lower half of his lips, though you do want a little bit above as well. It more or less follows a 45 degree curve kinda line, I'm not quite sure how to describe it. The end of the smile meets( in three dimensions)
Front of face: Just under the earlobes
Profile of face: Just behind the eyes
From above: Just on the other side of each eye
Look up some images online to help you with this, as it's quite tricky to get it right!

Black: This is pretty simple, just follow your bones' natural eyesocket, and go out just a little on the top and bottom outer sides, and it's important to get the eyebrows as well, with a little coming over the eyebrows on the inside as well (inside and outside being relative to the centre of your face)

Hair: You will need mousse for this, I used Bryllcream and it worked allright, but you really just want something to make your hair as slick as possible with as little holding effect as possible, if you have naturally wavy hair then you'll be allright, though I would still advise moussing it to make it look slick. 
For hairspray you'll want a very light green, don't be too afraid of going too light as if you have naturally dark hair like me, the dark parts'll still show through no problem. Go light green on this, trust me, otherwise unless you're in broad daylight the green can be really hard to see.
It is important to use the hairspray first, then the mousse, as, well, I'm not sure why, but from what I've seen and from what worked for me, this seems to be what works, and it did, so it seems like the safest option.

My that was long! The party itself was quite party-esque, it was fun to see all my friends dressed up, having a good time, seeing some pretty great costumes! I'll level with you, most guys comstumes are about either looking cool, or hair and gore, and most girls costumes are about wearing as little clothes as possible. but I always find a dark side in these sorts of occaisions. People were drinking quite heavily, and it's really painful to watch how it affects people. Most drank in fair moderation, and they were just goofier than usual, but for a lot, this caused an allowance of doing things they wouldn't normally do, like making out with people they don't know very well, or becoming the "Life of the party", or in some cases, fall over. This might just sound like "Oh ho ho, what crazy fun", but there's something sad in this to me, that people need this. They need to be inebriated to have the courage to put themselves out there with another human being, they need to be drunk to do what they really want to do, they need to be drunk to put a spin on the evening to make it enjoyable, they need, need, need this stuff. And the sad part is, it doesn't last. The next morning, a relationship with that guy you were crazy about last night doesn't seem like such a good idea, or your friends have lost some respect for you after you've lost your ability to stand, or all sorts of stuff. I am so sorry for these people. It's not just them, it's us. We're all messed up and try to escape life, ourselves, our circumstances in all kinds of ways, and it's awful that we can't just wake up and start digging up. That's just me though. Though I had undoubtably the biggest smile on my face out of the whole group of people, People kept saying I looked depressed, looked sad, because they could see my frown. It's terrifying to just watch someone just plain old fall over, slump down as if they'd just been shot, and when you shake them and speak to them and ask them to move, to responed, to come back to life, when nothing happens. It is so scary, because it is their decision to allow themselves to become that way, and there's not a lot you can do to change it. 

"Why so serious?" -The JokerPS: Someone falling unconcious is quite scary, but is it quite as scary as that?PSS: A big bunch of shoutouts to My family for helping me with my costume, my mom sewed the buttons on, pinned the lapels (So that's what they're called!) And just generally used her momly wits to help me, to My dad for letting me borrow his shirt and very, very nice shoes, and to my brother for attempting to put on scars even though I was a bit of an impatient douchebag about it! 
Next, to Nicole, Aoife, Laura, and Sadhbh for not drinking, my respect for you girls' defiance of the status quo is an inspiration to say the least! (Though Nicole did try to frame me as a drinker.)
And finally, to Bernard, Who gave me the card to begin with! :P