Alone

Alone doesn't mean "not with other people."
I have experienced alone.
Alone is when you are utterly isolated in mind and soul.
Alone is like an oceanless beach, dry and safe,
but without danger, what is "safe"?
When you are alone in body, you can dance and be yourself.
It's only when the others arrive that you hole yourself away
where you can hide in plain sight.
Some have wondered what the weight of the soul is.
Alone can give you that answer.
It is as large-heavy-dense as you need it to be in order to escape.
Alone is not bad.
It is you as you know yourself.
It doesn't mean "no friends".
It can mean no peers.
It can mean retreating until you feel
you can share who you are.
Alone is reached by yourself,
an independent achievement.
Alone is okay.

A letter

Good-bye you evil harpie, you wicked witch.
I won't miss you.
If I do feel a twinge of regret, I absolutely refuse to acknowledge it!
You laughed at my normalcy, my life as I knew it. You dragged me off of the deep-end, and until my eyeball was pressed against the bottom drain, you had me so deceived that I still called you friend.
Because of you, little things are what makes the crazy come out. Today, in fact, I laughed and teared-up hysterically because the boy on the intercom sounded like Spongebob. Everyone was being normal, like usual, and I just couldn't stop laughing.
It's all because of you.
Because of you, when I'm brushing my teeth, I make strange faces and end up choking on toothpaste because of my laughter. Every time I giggle, chuckle, laugh, guffaw, hoo-rah I think of you.
You have poisoned my life.
I get strange looks. Me-the serious one, because of seeming bouts of insanity. Sometimes people laugh at me- and I join in.
Because of you, people claim that I've lightened up, have learned to live life to the fullest.
Because of you, get this, I've become "a better person."
And it's all because of you.
Thank you.

To write

Have you ever watched someone write?
Have you ever identified those born calligraphic, with their long liquid strokes, holding the pen like a delicate canary bone, creating art with every waltzing dance of their wrist?
How about those who are destined writers, with their fevered devotion to the words spilling onto the page, with no care to the formation of individual letters, just an energy and tempo so intent?
Have you ever watched those who never learned the fluent language that wrists share with fingers, which translate to the foreign language of the pen? They bend over the paper, fists clenched about the pen, with their mouths agape as they clumsily transfer their thoughts doggedly and with much effort.
Strong hands, soft palms, angled wrists, fingers bent just-so.
Writing might be one of the characteristics of advanced society, but it would be nothing were it not for the thick, thin, strong, weak wrists which faithfully translate thoughts shallow and profound.
These are beautiful things.

Summer 2010, in short

Well, I had a fantastic summer here on PEI. I competed in six miniature horse shows with the horses I trained myself. Over the course of the summer, Montana and Cheyenne have taken home one 6th, two 5ths, six 4ths, three 3rds, eight 2nds, thirteen 1sts, and a Reserve Champ. This is the second year I have ever competed in any horse shows, with very tough competition to boot (come of these kids have been showing since they were two!). Hopefully, I'll have two horses trained and ready to compete in driving classes for next summer! The best part of showing for me is training the horse, and showing it yourself; that way, even if you don't place, you have the satisfaction of knowing that your horse did a good job, and is gaining experience. ...Of course, building a good reputation helps, too. :)

As far as riding goes, I'm still riding Dama, the Icelandic horse. We have progressed very far in the short year that I've been riding her. She's gone from not understanding leg cues to me being able to steer her with minimal leg and rein pressure. She backs up willingly, moves forward without balking, and will even go for rides outside of the the field (BIG change, let me tell you!). She is attentive, and no longer looks peeved at being saddled. I am just very happy with her overall. I do miss horses with a large stride though (AJ)!

Also this summer, I went to vet camp at the Atlantic Veterinary College. It was a lot of fun, and very very interesting. We got to dissect pig hearts, watch a necropsy done on a calf, and work on some bacteriology and parasitology labs, among other neat things. Also, a few kids fainted, so I guess not everyone was having as good a time as I was. Oh, well.

American Indians

The term "Native American" was originally introduced in the United States by academics in preference to the older term "Indian" to distinguish the indigenous peoples of the Americas from the people of India, and to avoid negative stereotypes supposedly associated with the term "Indian". Because of the acceptance of this newer term in academic circles, some academics believe that the term Indian should be considered outdated or offensive. However, many actual indigenous Americans prefer to be called American Indian. Also, some people point out that anyone born in the United States is a native of America, and that the academic who first promoted Native American confused the term native with indigenous. People from India who are citizens of the United States are called "Indian Americans" or "Asian Indians."

Criticisms of the term Native American come from diverse sources. Many American Indians have misgivings about the term Native American. Russell Means, an American Indian activist, opposes the term Native American because he believes it was imposed on the Indians by the government without consent. He has also argued that this use of the word Indian derives not from a confusion with India but from the Spanish expression "En Dio," meaning "in God". Some American Indians question the term Native American because they argue that it serves to ease the conscience of "white America"* with regard to past injustices done to American Indians by effectively eliminating "Indians" from the present. Both Indians and non-Indians argue that the term Native American is problematic because "native of" literally means "born in," so any person born in the Americas could be considered "native". However, very often the compound "Native American" will be capitalized in order to differentiate the intended meaning from others. Likewise, "native" can be further qualified by formulations such as "native-born" when the intended meaning is only to indicate place of birth or origin.

A 1995 US Census Bureau survey found that more Native Americans in the United States preferred American Indian to Native American. Nonetheless, most American Indians are comfortable with Indian, American Indian, Amerindian and Native American, and the terms are often used interchangeably. The traditional term is reflected in the name chosen for the National Museum of the American Indian, which opened in 2004 on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Why classify people, and then worry about offending them? If only people would think before speaking.

Sources:

Jack Larkin (2003). "OSV Documents- Historical Background on People of Color in Rural New England in the Early 19th Century." Old Sturbridge Inc. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=2044. Retrieved 2010-3-21.

"I am an American Indian, Not a Native American!". Russell Means. http://www.peaknet.net/~aardvark/means.html. Retrieved March 21, 2010.

"What's in a Name? Indians and Political Correctness." All Things Cherokee. http://www.allthingscherokee.com/atc_sub_culture_feat_events_070101.html. Retrieved March 21, 2010.

"American Indian versus Native American." Infoplease. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aihmterms.html. Retrieved March 21, 2010.

The Book of Negroes

I recently finished The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. I had very high expectations for the book, as everyone I know who has read it has raved about how much they loved it and how "emotionally intense" the story is. A friend of mine lent me the novel, and I delved straight away into the book.
The story sucks you right in, to the effect that you can't put the book down. Aminata Diallo is a believable heroine, an ex-slave and a respected leader in every place she's traveled. She narrates the story, in first-person participant told from a future time. The language is well thought out, but simple. Overall, a good read.
However, the book did not live up to my expectations. It was a tad disappointing. The reason could be that the events are narrated in such a way as to be distant. The novel was predictable; even the big surprise at the end was something that I predicted halfway through the story. A lot of the parts that people seemed really shocked at (the people in this case being from liberal Canada) didn't even make a tug at my heart. Perhaps I have been desensitized to violence, or at least the watered down, alluded-to violence that is prevalent in this book. Perhaps not. Either way, though I couldn't put the book down, I just wasn't satisfied with it as a whole.
I recommend this book as an interesting read, but I'm not sure if it would be worth reading twice. Feel free to disagree with my review, I look forward to hearing a counterpoint.

Books to read twice: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, and Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner

What is the Difference Between Awake and Asleep?

When you fall awake
Into your own world and
Slumber up to face the day,
Is there a difference?

When you open your eyes
To a brand new world,
With new and familiar
Characters every night and
Every day,
Is there a difference?

You dream that you are awake
And wandering,
And when you sleep,
You awake and continue
The journey that paused
The night of nights ago.

So I ask you,
What is the difference
Between awake
And
Asleep?

Kingdom Animalia

Animals are heterotrophic multicellular eukaryotes. These organisms ingest food and most digest it in a central cavity. All animals reproduce sexually, although some members of some phyla can reproduce asexually.
CHARACTERISTICS:
All animals, excepting poriferans and cnidarians, have three germ layers of cells. These layers are as follows: the ectoderm (outer layer), the mesoderm (middle layer), and the endoderm (inner layer). The ectoderm develops into the skin, nerve tissue, and sense organs of the organism. The mesoderm becomes the muscles, blood, kidneys, and reproductive organs. The endoderm develops into the lungs, liver, pancreas, bladder, and stomach lining.
Except for sponges, all animals digest food extracellularly in a wholly or partially developed digestive system. Animals can be classified according to two digestive plans. The "sac body plan" has only one opening to the gut. Food and wastes enter and exit through one opening; this plan is termed "incomplete." The "tube-within-a-tube body plan" features two openings to the gut. Food enters through one opening and leaves through the second, earning this system the designation of "complete."
Most animals have symmetrical body plans, one that is regular and balanced. Some possess radial symmetry, in which the organism's body is organized equally around a central vertical axis. Others possess bilateral symmetry. This is when the body can be cut into two equal, mirror-image halves through only one vertical plane. There are four body surfaces on a bilaterally symmetrical organism: the anterior (front), the posterior (behind), dorsal (top), and the ventral surface (bottom). The sense organs are concentrated at the front to help orient the organism in its environment. There will always be an exception to the rule, however, and that would be sponges. Sponges do not move as adults and are asymmetrical.
The coelum is a fluid-filled body cavity completely surrounded by mesoderm. It provides space for the development and suspension of organs and organ systems. Animals with a coelum are known as coelumates, and those without: acoelumates. A coelum gives animals a structure to brace their muscles against, allowing them to respond and move more quickly. A coelum allows for more complex organ systems to develop.
Some animals produce asexually as well as sexually. Poriferans and many worm species can develop entirely new organisms from fragments of the parent. All animals produce sperm or eggs, and can carry out sexual reproduction. Less complex animals can have both male and female organs; these hermaphrodites produce sperm and egg cells, enabling them to reproduce without a mate.
IN SUMMARY:
Characteristics such as body symmetry, the presence or absence of a coelum, and the number of germ layers may be used to classify animals. Animals are multicellular heterotrophs. The simplest animals have two cell layers and a single body opening. The evolution of three cell layers and a coelum allowed animals to become more complex and mobile.
Use some of the words from this entry next time you play Scrabble!

United States of America, 1786-1800

The central government's strength grew out of the Constitution created in 1787 by delegates from all of the North American British Colonies.
Nationalists had long argued for a strengthened union of the states. The nationalists were drawn from the elite circles of American life. Nationalists included merchants, former officers of the Continental Army, and conservatives who wanted to restrain what they believed to be the excessive democracy of the states.
In March 1785, a group of men from Virginia and Maryland, including James Madison, George Mason, and George Washington (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbRom1Rz8OA), drafted an agreement to present to legislatures recommending uniform commercial regulations, duties, and currency laws.
Only five states sent strong nationalist delegates to the Annapolis Convention in September 1786. Alexander Hamilton drew up a report to call on Congress to endorse a new convention to be held in Philadelphia to discuss all matters necessary to render the constitution of the federal government adequate for the newly formed union's present and future needs.
Despite serious disagreements between localists (supporters of state autonomy) and nationalists, most Americans agreed that the Articles of Confederation needed strengthening, especially in regard to commercial regulation and the generation of revenue. Early in the year of 1787, the Confederation Congress cautiously approved the plan for a convention for the sole purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation.