I don't want some pretty face to tell me pretty lies

A beautiful flower may hide a painful thorn, but it can't be hidden forever. Once it is exposed, the flower loses a part of its value. The thorn may be removed, but whoever holds the flower will forever be suspicious of other potential thorns. Time may pass in which no other thorns are found on the flower, but a simple imperfect bump on the stem can be perceived as a thorn to the wary eye. Thus the thorn suspicion is reinforced, and any trust that the flower gained is lost once again.

La vie est sacrée

For my British Literature class, we had to design posters that represented a major theme in the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. Along with introducing a theme, we had to relate it to something currently relevant. Here was the result.

Theme: Life is sacred. Victor Frankenstein succeeded in messing with Nature and creating life by immoral means. After realizing the horrific result of his mistake, he followed it up by abandoning his creation and relinquishing all responsibility for it. Sound familiar? While it may not have been an issue when Mary Shelley wrote this novel, it certainly feels like an appropriate parallel to the controversy of abortion today. One particularly glaring similarity comes when Victor has just explained the epic moment in which his creature first breathed to life, after which he is horrified with it. He wisely says, "The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature." How terribly true.

I think the red LIFE tape and baby feet are self-explanatory.

Love, Shelley.

Keats' Negative Capability

Excerpt from John Keats' original letter in which he introduced his idea of Negative Capability:

"I had not a dispute but a disquisition, with Dilke on various subjects; several things dove-tailed in my mind, and at once it struck me what quality went to form a Man of Achievement, especially in Literature, and which Shakespeare possessed so enormously - I mean Negative Capability, that is, when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason [...] This pursued through volumes would perhaps take us no further than this, that with a great poet the sense of Beauty overcomes every other consideration, or rather obliterates all consideration."

In other words, be okay with what you don't know.

Love, Shelley.

Life is better in color

Today is the kind of day that is so beautiful, not even Northwest Vista can help but join in.

time for a fresh start

A new blog to go with a new time. My last blog is one that I started in 2006, when I was as lost as a goose. I like to think I'm a little bit more found now, so a new blog seemed fitting. I understand that blogging is somewhat "out of style," but so are roller skates. Not that I roller skate.

Well, let me introduce myself. I'm Shelley. That much is obvious. I come from a big, loud, brunette family. I'm studying music and foreign languages. I sing and play piano. I love everyone.

Un beau désordre means a beautiful mess, a song by the incredibly fresh Jason Mraz.

Recently, I've changed quite a bit. I made severe mistakes and paid for them dearly. As hard as it was, it served to show me what I needed to be and do, and for that, I am grateful. I'm now on the road to recovering many things. It's a long road, but I'm on it, which is the important thing.

I plan on being a faithful blogger from now on. I have so many daily thoughts that I feel the need to let some of them spill out at 92 words per minute on my adorable pink netbook. Wish me luck.

Love, Shelley.