Walking in a Winterless Wonderland

And a fall-less wonderland, as well.

For those of you who live in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the like, you understand what I'm saying.

For those of you who live in other parts of America or the world, let me explain.

We have very odd weather here.

It starts warming up in February.

No lie. 

It starts cooling off in October or November.

We basically have no winter.

I'm 21, and I've seen snow once in my life.

It was around Valentine's Day, and I was babysitting about 20-30 minutes away from my house. The kids' grandmother called and asked if we'd noticed the snow.

I got insanely excited -- 17 years old and it was snowing! Woo hoo!

I was really nervous about driving back into town, because I'd never seen snow, and now I had to drive in it? 

The kids' grandfather followed me into town, which was really nice, but then after running around in the snow like a three year old (which my dad described as "typical college kid behavior"), he wanted me to drive around with him.

I was really afraid of just going 'round town for fun, but it actually wasn't that bad, because no one else here knows how to drive in snow, so no one else was about.

Also, in my biology book, the author mentioned a compound - I think some sort of salty stuff - and called it a "deicer". Well, in my limited knowledge of ice and snow, I first assumed it was a fancy French word for something and pronounced "deh-eye-see-yer".

Um, no, it's "de-icer". A thing that melts ice.

Oh.

Well.

Okay.
This also explains why - when test driving a car - I looked in the dash thing-y (the word escapes me at the moment) and saw this really weird looking object.
It looked like a toothless comb.
I showed it to my dad like "What is this thing??"
He laughed and told me to guess.
Apparently it was an ice scraper.
Oh.

My Thoughts on . . . Carmen

So, Carmen's pretty much one of the most famous operas ever. 

Meh.

What would I rate it?

Gosh, probably a 2 or a 3 out of 5. 

I'm really not a big fan of it.

Why?

Well, not because it's "too mainstream" -- that really doesn't bother me. 

It just feels like there's something lacking in the ending, and if you don't know the ending, I'm certainly not going to spoil it for you. Go watch it yourself.

(Though I did stick a hint in the tags . . . )

The music is wonderful, and although the overture and music from the first and last acts are the most famous, there's some pretty good stuff in between, too. 

I have to admit, though, that the first time I watched it, I was struck by the irony . . .

It's an opera set in Spain, where they speak French, performed in Germany, while I was watching it in America, with English subtitles. 

(Oh yes, I do suggest watching operas with subtitles - very helpful. Unless you're actually going to one, in which case I'd suggest sticking a libretto in your mother tongue in your bag.)

But yeah, something just seems missing to me. And it's a bit overused (not the same as mainstream).

Overall rating: 2.5/5

Any thoughts on my review? Did I miss anything or not give it a fair shot? Comment below!

Next . . . Fidelio . . .

Seven Overdue Random Thoughts

(I've already said it was "overdue"; you're not getting any more than that.)

1: Whilst learning about the history of the English language - which is far more convoluted than it ought to be, by the way - we talked about the Norman Conquest in 1066. It's the reason for a lot of things, but what really jumped out at me was this: I think it's the most cheeky, audacious, and boldest things the French have done to date. (No offense.)

2: It's quite warm today. About 80F. In February. That is messed up. Summer's gonna be killer.

3: I really want to make a wax-seal-stamper thing-y. Saw how to do it on Pinterest.

4: I can't wait for Series 3 of BBC's Sherlock. Best. Show. Ever.

5: I want to be teleported to Friday. Mostly because I don't want to give a presentation and take two midterms. Yeah.

6: I should probably get back to studying . . . oh, look, a birdy! Nevermind . . .

7: Follow me on Tumblr. Because I tumble a lot.

Random English-y Thought . . .

So, in Old and Middle English, "knight" was pronounced "ki-nig-it".
Yes, like in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail French Taunting Scene.
True story.
The pronunciation, not the . . . well, you know that . . . right?
Anyhoo, I was just letting my mind wander off because I get tired of holding onto that leash with white knuckles, and I wound up thinking about that new Batman movie coming out this year, "The Dark Knight Rises".
. . .
How awkward would that be if we still said it that way?!
I mean, we wouldn't really think twice about it, I suppose, if everyone said it like that.
But still, "ki-nig-it" and Bale's Batman voice (which sounds like he's gargling marbles, apparently) is . . . um . . . pretty stark contrast.
Just sayin'.
Although, it would be pretty awesome to hear the Joker say it that way.