what's a girl to do?

thank you, dear readers who sent me kind and lovely birthday wishes. i was the happiest reluctant 22 year old on the planet! i really don't know how i came to deserve such wonderful ppl in my life. thank you.

it was a pleasant Xmas and birthday. i've been enjoying the time at home with my family, and they're a delightful lot. i don't recall laughing this hard or this frequently since i first discovered Arrested Development, of which there's been some time to revisit as well.

i've also been making some slight progress on my thesis, but at the cost of utter isolation and perhaps some bad personal health choices (no breakfast until i have one solid paragraph written, reduced appetite, poor posture due to my unconventional work habits, failing eyesight due to staring at a screen for 80-90% of the day, messing up my body temperature b/c i've moved a space heater into my room b/c i decided i like the sound of its whirring right next to my head, not using my vocal chords in a long time, not thinking about much else besides democracy and education and thus not being able to have normal conversations with other human beings... the list goes on but i'll spare you.)

the current progress report: a decent introductory page and half, which must now transition into a convincing discussion of democratic theory, why schools must carry the democratic promise, and basically outline the remainder of the thesis, setting the tone and approach. oy! it's gonna be a long haul to Jan 1, when my first 30 pages are due...

anyway, i don't mean to bore you with all that. my real reason for posting today is to share this terrifically spooky video, of one of my recent musical findings, Bat for Lashes:



i'm in love with the animal masks on bikes. delightful! some of my favorite bands, i'm realizing now, have animals in the name: Animal Collective (and Panda Bear), Wolf Parade, Band of Horses, Cat Power, Grizzly Bear, Caribou, Andrew Bird... or, at the very least, employ an animal energy and imagery.

fangs and claws,
stephanie