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So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.


The Profile


Zanzibar
Age. 39
Gender. Female
Ethnicity. that of my father and his father before him
Location Altadena, CA
School. Other
» More info.
The World









The Link To Zanzibar's Past
This is my page in the beloved art community that my sister got me into:

Samarinda

Extra points for people who know what Samarinda is.
The Phases of the Moon Module
CURRENT MOON
Croc Hunter/Combat Wombat
My hero(s)
Only My Favorite Baseball Player EVER


Aw, Larry Walker, how I loved thee.
The Schedule
M: Science and Exploration
T: Cook a nice dinner
W: PARKOUR!
Th: Parties, movies, dinners
F: Picnics, the Louvre
S: Read books, go for walks, PARKOUR
Su: Philosophy, Religion
The Reading List
This list starts Summer 2006
A Crocodile on the Sandbank
Looking Backwards
Wild Swans
Exodus
1984
Tales of the Alhambra (in progress)
Dark Lord of Derkholm
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The Lost Years of Merlin
Harry Potter a l'ecole des sorciers (in progress)
Atlas Shrugged (in progress)
Uglies
Pretties
Specials
A Long Way Gone (story of a boy soldier in Sierra Leone- met the author! w00t!)
The Eye of the World: Book One of the Wheel of Time
From Magma to Tephra (in progress)
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Harry Potter 7
The No. 1 Lady's Detective Agency
Introduction to Planetary Volcanism
A Child Called "It"
Pompeii
Is Multi-Culturalism Bad for Women?
Americans in Southeast Asia: Roots of Commitment (in progress)
What's So Great About Christianity?
Aeolian Geomorphology
Aeolian Dust and Dust Deposits
The City of Ember
The People of Sparks
Cube Route
When I was in Cuba, I was a German Shepard
Bound
The Golden Compass
Clan of the Cave Bear
The 9/11 Commission Report (2nd time through, graphic novel format this time, ip)
The Incredible Shrinking Man
Twilight
Eclipse
New Moon
Breaking Dawn
Armageddon's Children
The Elves of Cintra
The Gypsy Morph
Animorphs #23: The Pretender
Animorphs #25: The Extreme
Animorphs #26: The Attack
Crucial Conversations
A Journey to the Center of the Earth
A Great and Terrible Beauty
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Dandelion Wine
To Sir, With Love
London Calling
Watership Down
The Invisible
Alice in Wonderland
Through the Looking Glass
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
The Host
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Shadows and Strongholds
The Jungle Book
Beatrice and Virgil
Infidel
Neuromancer
The Help
Flip
Zion Andrews
The Unit
Princess
Quantum Brain
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
No One Ever Told Us We Were Defeated
Delirium
Memento Nora
Robopocalypse
The Name of the Wind
The Terror
Sister
Tao Te Ching
What Paul Meant
Lao Tzu and Taoism
Libyan Sands
Sand and Sandstones
Lost Christianites: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew
The Science of God
Calculating God
Great Contemporaries, by Winston Churchill
City of Bones
Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne
Divergent
Stranger in a Strange Land
The Old Man and the Sea
Flowers for Algernon
Au Bonheur des Ogres
The Martian
The Road to Serfdom
De La Terre � la Lune (ip)
In the Light of What We Know
Devil in the White City
2312
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
Red Mars
How to Be a Good Wife
A Mote in God's Eye
A Gentleman in Russia
The Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism
Seneca: Letters from a Stoic
The Juanes Module


Juanes just needed his own mod. Who can disagree.
Professor Trelawney
Friday. 7.13.07 8:38 pm
DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOST RECENT HARRY POTTER MOVIE.
AND WHY HAVEN'T YOU SEEN IT? HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN A CAVE?


Ok. So. The Order of the Phoenix. Probably my least favorite of the books so far. Why? Well because Harry was such a little moody teenagery jerk through the whole thing, that's why. Of course this short-coming of the book was balanced out in part by how awesome the parts were about Dumbledore's Army. You couldn't help but feel that every time you entered the Room of Requirement that you were part of something bigger, something much more meaningful than normal Hogwart's life and your life in general. I know I'm being melodramatic, but I really get into the books I read, what can I say. But I couldn't get over being moody and angry that Harry was so moody and angry, and it seemed like the only reason JK was doing it was because Harry was a teenager. What I really wanted to happen was for her to reveal that the reason Harry was feeling so angry had something to do with his connection to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and he had to tame this anger in order to be successful with Snape's occulmency lessons. But it didn't really come through like that.

But the movie: wow. Probably my favorite of the movies so far. I mean, sure they probably left a lot out. I don't really remember what, but I'm sure there was a lot. I mean, I remember the whole OWLs thing taking up a lot more time, for one. In this one Hermione barely picked up a book- that isn't really like her. But in the MOVIE they made a bold connection between Harry's sudden angry feelings and the struggles that he was having shielding his mind from Voldemort's. Which was exactly what the book had been missing which was keeping it from greatness.

But my favorite part in the whole movie was when Dolores Umbridge calls Professor Trelawney on the carpet during class, and then tosses her out of the school.
This scene was so poignant and well done I was going to cry. Everyone knows a professor like this. Scatter-brained, unorganized, most of his or her classes are jokes and everybody knows it. Everyone talks about how worthless this professor is and nobody can understand how they got hired in the first place.

But you know equally well that if Dolores Umbridge came to your school and put that professor on the spot in front of her students, and said something akin to "Predict something for me right now." that you would immediately become defensive of her, and your attitude would become something like, "Hey, you can't say bad things about her- only we can say bad things about her!!"

Professor Trelawney was the perfect professor to choose for this kind of attack. She's never been sweet to the children, and she's obviously a fake. The children also know that she really possesses the gift of sight, just not in the way that she thinks she has it.

And when she was just standing out there with her ex-hippie clothes and her big glasses and her trunks, and all the students were gathered but Dolores didn't tell them to go away- you just knew that you know somebody like that, who probably has a crystal ball and a house where everything was crocheted, and way too many tea cups. There she was, reduced to her lowest state, shamed in front of all her students. And then having Minerva come out and stand by her when all the students just stood dumbly by, afraid to defend her because they know that in some way she deserves what she's getting, but that there was something terrible about it, because it was done with no tact or discretion at all. Professors always seem to be little kings in their own realms, and you hardly ever see them interact even though you know they must. It is touching, therefore, to see Minerva stand up for Trelawney.
Professor McGonagall is an excellent character because she embodies the best kind of teacher. She is very strict and has very high expectations. She doesn't play favorites and deducts points as easily from her own house as from all the others. She isn't out to win your affections or to be your friend. But she always has your best interests at heart, and she is incredibly kind. I can just imagine what would happen if this kind of thing happened here at my school. Which professors would be bold enough to defend Trelawney, I wonder? Would you be?

Ahhhh this scene. You can at once identify with Trelawney herself, and that little fear inside everyone that someday your teachers or boss is going to wise up and start trumpeting your inadequacies ("I put a tracer on her computer and she visits facebook.com 25 times a day!"), and with her students, because you know exactly what it's like having a professor like that. You are incredibly frustrated by the class, but when the evaluation comes around you don't write any of your frustrations, because who are you to judge this professor? Who are you to get someone fired?

Everyone is immensely relieved of course when Dumbeldore storms out, robes flowing, and stands up for her. It was a really excellent scene.

AWWwwww I'm waxing sentimental over fictional characters here. I'm getting all mushy. I can't even write straight.

I love Harry Potter, what can I say. I can't wait til the book comes out, no matter what happens in it. The day it comes out, or perhaps several days later, I am going to buy it, and I am going to sit on the beach, and read the entire thing from front to back without stopping. If I should feel inclined to eat or do anything else during this time, I shall do it without ever letting the book fall from my hands.

I TRUST SEVERUS SNAPE!

And it's Friday the 13th today, in case you didn't know.

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Ah, AP Physics Memories...
Wednesday. 7.11.07 8:01 pm


ps... can you guess which one's me?

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Aujourd'hui, ça commence avec toi
Tuesday. 7.10.07 10:11 pm
Eh voila.

Je viens de voir "La Vie En Rose". Il s'agit de la vie de Edith Piaf. Je suis allee avec Jay et Missy et son camarade du chambre... qui s'appelle Jacob ou Josh ou quelque chose comme ca.

J'aime bien Edith Piaf- vous pouvez ecouter a ses chansons la, au gauche. Padam, c'est a lui. C'etait un peu long, mais, c'etait une vie, alors, comment peut-on montre la vie entiere d'une personne pendent deux heures?

Elle n'etait si differente que toutes les autres chanteuses... vous savez... on aime penser que la passe etait meilleur qu'aujourd'hui mais ce n'est pas vrais. On avait toute meme les drogues et l'alcohol, qui cassent la vie.

Elle aime vraiment un homme, elle avait un vrais amour. Mais ce n'etait pas vraiment VRAIs, parce-que l'homme etait deja epouser a une autre femme, et il avait trois enfants. Il "aime" Edith, mais il telephone sa femme chaque jour, et il retourne souvent chez lui (a Morocco). Ca serrait si difficile, je pense. Ca serrait impossible. Alors, tu aimes un homme mais il ne jamais serra la tienne? Il aime deux femmes au meme temps? Impossible. C'est impossible d'aimer deux personnes au meme temps. Je ne veux jamais etre dans un situation comme ca. S'il avait une autre copine, je voudrais le savoir, et puis, je partirais. Si je reste avec lui ce n'est pas juste pour l'autre femme, ce n'est pas juste pour moi--- je saurais que lui n'est pas un bon homme. Peut-etre c'est differente pour les francaises, mais pour moi, je ne pouvais pas faire les chose comme ca.

Alors. Edith. Elle n'etait pas facile, c'est vraie, celle. Je suis heureuse que elle n'ait pas ete mon amie. Maintenant ses chansons me faisent un peu triste. J'ai toujours pense qu'elle soit une veille femme souriante, qui chante avec une voix forte et douce. J'ai pense que elle soit heureuse... peut-etre un peu triste, de temps a temps. Mais elle etait comme Marilyn Monroe! Euh, voila. Je ne sais pas ce que je dit. Je vais me coucher maintenant. J'ai mange le diner trop tot aujourd'hui. Normalement je mange a neuf heure. Apres le cinema j'ai fait du velo. Je suis allee au bout de Waterman St. ou se trouve un petit restaurant. Je pense que c'est tres cher, la, mais c'est toujours completement plein des gens. C'est juste a cote de la fleuve. Je suis restee la pendent un peu de temp, et je regardais l'eau pendant beaucoup de temps. Apres ca j'ai retourne chez moi et voila, je suis encore ici.

Bon nuit!

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Everyday would be a holiday
Tuesday. 7.10.07 5:22 pm
Today the world got a little more humid for the residents of the Ocean State. I biked home in a delightfully weaving manner, smelling the sweet scent of the Bay on the constant breeze.

You might think that as a person who grew up in an extremely arid state that humidity would bother me more. But during my life the only quality time I've ever spent in a humid place is when we would go to Ocean City, Maryland, to the beach.

In my mind these particular qualities of the air are associated intimately with boogie boards, Oreos, putt-putt golf, fudge, multi-colored citrus gummies, The Food Lion, random movies at the little multi-plex, J-R's Ribs, and the soft tinkling sound of the roving ice-cream truck. That is, they are associated with Zanzibar's vision of paradise on earth.

So while everyone else in Rhode Island is grumbling a little bit about the coming of the humid air, I can't help but feel as if I am constantly on vacation.

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Chinese food is sooo good!
Sunday. 7.8.07 7:25 pm


I'm trying to find a good Chinese place in Providence, and I think I found a winner I'll have to start with the number 49 option, please...

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Sucks to be Indiana Jones' TA
Thursday. 7.5.07 6:44 pm
I can't wait to see this one!

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Independence Day
Wednesday. 7.4.07 9:05 pm
'Tis man's perdition to be safe
For when the truth he ought to die

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Zanzibar: BAMF, Geologist, and Wit
Tuesday. 7.3.07 10:31 pm
Today I made devilled eggs and potato salad while C and K ate dinner and fought with each other. My kitchen isn't very large. I would have made devilled eggs elsewhere had I known that they were going to choose to have their argument in the middle of our very small kitchen, but I was frankly there HOURS before they came. Bicker bicker bicker, over the most trivial of items, and back and forth I went from one counter to the other, mixing, coating, refrigerating, wrapping with clingwrap, etc.

Working quickly and quietly, I felt like the Invisible Man. A fly on the wall, perhaps. A devilled-egg-making, invisible, silent fly on the wall. Then as I was walking out he yelled, "See ya!" in a friendly voice.

Usually at this point in the game I say "See ya guys!" in a very cheerful voice. Perhaps I feel as if I am in some way lifting the mood by doing this. But this time I just said
"yeah." and let the door slam closed behind me.

I left for my BBQ and was gone for many hours and when I came back they were still arguing over trivial things. I wonder if they took a break while I was out or if they'd just been going the entire time.

Outside the sound of firecrackers (illegal in Rhode Island) reverberate off the walls like distant mortar fire. The smell of sulfur hangs in the air and makes the night seem exciting and full of adventure.

I want to throw open the window to it and close the vent to their fighting.

No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use,
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous--
Almost, at times, the Fool.


Well ya know what, T.S. Eliot? Take this:

"Arthur Abbott: Iris, in the movies we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason you are behaving like the best friend.
Iris: You're so right. You're supposed to be the leading lady of your own life, for god's sake!"


That movie would have been awesome if Cameron Diaz hadn't ruined it.

YEAH well I'm tired of being an awkward side character in my own life!! I'm so glad I'm MOVING!!!!

Though all this will provide good fodder for the movie I will eventually write. The breaking point for the "me" character will come when she goes into the public bathroom and she waves her hand under the automatic sink and it won't turn on. Wave, wave... no water. Smack. SMACK! No water. The woman next to her turns hers on and washes her hands. The 'me' character tries that one as soon as she leaves and it won't turn on either. Since she had already been feeling invisible, this is the last straw and she totally loses it there in the bathroom and has a break down. This is of course a big turning point in her life.
This is why it's hard for me to write a book, I think of everything in movie-format. And in newspaper headlines.

Meanwhile I've started on Project: BAMF. If you do not know what a BAMF is, you probably aren't one. That said, anyone who wants to join me on Project: BAMF is welcome. Hoo-AH!

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