February Wrap-Up + Quirk

This is the part where I talk about the weather, or complain about how fast the year is going, or whatever, but...I talk about the weather later, and the year doesn't feel like it's going very quickly at the moment, so...on to the rest of the post!

1. I have, overall, had an excellent February.

I got to go to SEEK 2022 (more on that in a moment), managed to stay on top of schoolwork (ish), took my first ever essay test (it was HARD, y'all), went to Culvers (apparently a Midwest staple chain?) for the first time ever, experienced snow + wind for the first time (not my favorite thing), and watched several episodes of Julie and the Phantoms. Among other things.

In addition to other Illinois-related firsts, I also had the lovely first of a fire alarm that went off at like 5 AM on a Thursday morning, when it was below freezing, and the wind was 12 mph. It. Was. Cold. And also a bit scary, because I'd never actually experienced a fire alarm before (#homeschooler), but everything was fine and there was no fire, so we were all able to go back to bed after not too long. (Well, it felt like too long, but it was only 1/2 an hour or so.)

Mom and Legolas came to visit towards the end of the month, and we had a lovely visit! I got to take them to see some of my favorite things (including two of the libraries, and the art museum), they met many of my friends, we ate delicious food, Legolas got to sing with the Mass choir with me, and she also got to play an organ-horn duet with one of my horn major friends, which was absolutely beautiful! That's not to say there weren't mishaps...Legolas got food poisoning the last night, for one thing...but it was overall a wonderful visit!

Besides that, one of my favorite things I got to do this month was go see a play in person! I hadn't been to a play since December 2019, I think? (That month being the time I went and saw Howl's Moving Castle the musical twice, and regretted it not a whit). My friend Fia (she of the "people don't like labels, Peter", from August's Wrap-up), who is a Theatre major, had one of the leading roles in a play that was performed here this past month, and I carved time out of my schedule to go, and was really glad I did! Not only was she phenomenal (her fake crying skills are extraordinarily enviable) (also, I'm not entirely sure how she managed to seem so much younger than she is while other people managed to seem so much older. It was really quite impressive), but the whole play was very intellectual and thought-provoking, about what happens when the truth conflicts with the settled "interests of the people", and what happens to those who tell the truth anyway, and also about what happens to families when things like this divide them.

Also, I got a job as a Wedding Liturgy Assistant at my home parish over the summer, which basically means that I get to boss people around as they're getting married. XD It should be fun.

SEEK, ft. me stalking Dominicans

2. So, I got to go to SEEK 2022! Going to SEEK is something I've wanted to do since I was in High School, and since UIUC has the perk of having FOCUS missionaries on campus...I got to go this year...sort of. I got to go to a gathering that was 90% virtual speakers, and a lot smaller than usual. Also, shorter than usual.

Oh well. Next year, it's in St. Louis, which is even closer than Tennessee, and a full five days again! We'll see if I get to go, but I really want to...

Oh yes, did I mention the gathering was in Tennessee? Did I mention we'd had a gigantic snowstorm (15'' of snow) the day before? Did I mention those things make a usually seven-hour-long car ride take twelve hours? Did I mention the driver of the car was an extrovert? (She's also one of my favorite grandma-like people I have ever encountered, but she is STILL an extrovert.) It was a bit of a rough ride for everyone involved.

BUT. The actually event was amazing! The speakers, both the virtual and in-person ones (hello Paul J. Kim WHO I ACTUALLY MET. HE SHOOK MY HAND. AND ASKED MY NAME. HALP, I THINK I JUST DIED.) were phenomenal, the fellowship was excellent, Mass with a bunch of priests concelebrating (including a Dominican, who, by the way, had the best vestments of anyone there, just saying) was beautiful, and I got to meet some of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia! And I came home with several lovely pieces of art by Catholic artists (prints & stickers. I am a college student, after all, it's not like I'm buying fine art pieces or anything). 

And the ride home was way better (and five hours shorter), with only one small hiccup. As soon as it was announced that we were going to be travelling through Indiana to get back, I got "Indiana Christmas" stuck in my head, and I don't think I got it out until we were out of Indiana. Which was several hours later, for the record. I mean, I guess the lyrics were apropos. "Indiana...that's where I'm going." I was, in fact, going to Indiana. Or...through Indiana. #details

3. Miscellaneous Quotes 

Kay: "You need to remember that sometimes, a valid answer to the question 'what would Jesus do' is 'flip all of the tables'." 
Me: "Well, that sounds like a fun Saturday night."

Random guy coming out of a class: "I never knew a class would make me want to do drugs."

Paul J. Kim: "Donuts saved my Catholic faith." 

A girl in our SEEK group: "So, I crowd surfed [tonight]. And I landed in a cute boy's arms, actually. So, I got his Snapchat."
Me: *dies*

Overheard in the caf: "Australian is like British, but drunk."

In a meeting: "Just because we've been doing something for a hundred years doesn't mean there's any reason we should keep doing it." [*Chesterton rolls over in his grave*]

Legolas, describing food poisoning: "It's like I'm a lava lamp that someone dumped a can of tuna into, and it's still trying to bubble, but then there's the tuna..."

4. I accidentally got Netflix this month (long story), and I decided that I might as well take advantage of it while I had it. Some of that was successful, other parts of it not so much, but I did watch one thing that I really enjoyed.

(I may have watched it at, like, 11 at night and been slightly delirious at the same time, but hey, Friday is movie night, no matter what.) (That is actually a lie. It's not no matter what. But in any case.)

Enola Holmes.

(Thanks to Chloe for the recommendation!)

You see, I went into Enola Holmes knowing nothing about it except that it was about a Holmes sibling, and Chloe liked it. I was not expecting the loveliness that ensued.

First of all, the aesthetic. The movie simply had the loveliest aesthetic, and that includes both the actual scenic aesthetic, and the film choice to have Enola use direct address at various points. That's something that's not utilized much in film storytelling, and it was wonderfully fun to have her break the fourth wall at times, like she could tell we were always watching! 

Second of all, the homeschool vibes. Enola's mother raises her at home, and teaches her all sorts of skills, including reading large amounts of books, playing tennis indoors, painting, plant identification, karate, and so on, at their leisure. It's homeschooling at its finest, and as a homeschooler, I approve wholeheartedly!

Third of all, the sibling relationship. Note that I said relationship, singular, because yeah, one of the sibling relationships between Enola and her brothers is really horrible, but the other one...well, the other one is exceedingly sweet. In a very non-demonstrative way. 

Fourth of all, the theme. *minor spoilers until the end of the paragraph* Enola is raised very feminist-I-don't-need-a-guy-don't-depend-on-men by her mother. And her arc throughout the movie is basically learning that that is wrong. She can depend on men, and maybe she does need a guy? At the very least, it's not wrong to want one. And <3 <3 <3 I love that very much. It's so rare to see in modern entertainment, but it's so TRUE, and the fact that someone was gutsy enough to say it...I approve.

There were a few things I didn't like as much. While the mystery was intriguing, it seemed like it was solved by fortuitous coincidence, with Enola getting a reputation for cleverness with a bare minimum of actual crime solving skills. So that felt a little faked. And the plot did seem to be paced a bit strangely at times.

But all in all, I enjoyed it. :)

5. Miss Megan will be glad to know that I finally made the acquaintance of Dym this month! I finally read Enemy Brothers (by Constance Savery, should you be wondering), which she recommended to me (and everyone) long ago, and I Absolutely Loved It.

It had a very unique feel to it for whatever reason. I hadn't read a British children's book for a long time, and this felt like a mix between a YA book and the best of those. The plot didn't move especially quickly, but it showed the slow growth and development of the Max and his forgiveness. Dym's patience there was very evident. 

DYM. I'm going to rave about him for a minute...because he's so...kind, even-keeled, determined, forgiving, diligent, and loving, especially in a Chestertonian sense of loving just because someone is his. He's also considerate and meek--hard without being abrasive or hurting. An iron fist that has a control, so it can't and won't squeeze too hard. He's just...the perfect example of true masculinity, the opposite of effeminate--he's not afraid of suffering, and he's full of virtue. LOVE THAT BOY.

I also love how the book shows what it's like to live in a big family. It's a little overwhelming sometimes, loud, chaotic, and squabbly, but...it's still a tight-knit community of love, despite all that. There's loyalty there, even if it doesn't seem like there is.

Also, how on earth does the author make so many beautiful poignant moments?? That moment on the train, the hospital, the hug. 

And the ending! I was on the edge of my seat! It was insane. The whole book had me wandering around with my nose in it to the point that I actually forgot to swipe my card for dinner, and one of my friends had to yell my name to get me to come back and actually pay for dinner...

6. Jem is on fire! She's 2 for 2 on Quirks for the first months of 2022! So, here I am with another Quirk! (Dang, these are fun.)

Somehow, today's Quirk wanted to be in free verse, so...it's in free verse, I guess? Enjoy. (Floating around in my brain is a completely different idea not in free verse, which I might decide to gift to you later, but for now, this is what I've got.)

Him

Face in the metal, fingers working        
Exploring the car's underbelly
Even here, she won't leave me
She tucks her hair behind her ears
Darts glances at me when she thinks I don't see
I close my eyes, as hers fill my vision
The way they open wide, excited
Her fingers brushing over clippings
Papers, thumbtacks, string
The way she moves the light to better see
Her plans

How do I make 
Her plans
Our plans?
Change two letters
Not hard
Right?

In my mind, she purses her lips
A little frown between her brows
And I lose concentration, jolt, bump, frown
Pull my fingers down, shake them
To dissipate the pain

Breathe the car, I tell myself, breathe the car
But it's hard, when all I want to breathe is her.

Her
I push my face into my pillow
I know what he's doing right now
Under the car, his legs sticking out
High-tops, ragged jeans, getting all greasy
Nimble fingers moving
Doing things I don't understand

It's strange
How much I want those fingers around mine
Doing things I'd start to understand

But do I?
I raise my head, look at my wall
My plans, I tell myself, my plans

I shake my head, trying to dislodge him
The way his nose crinkles when he works
His masterful hands
Please get out of my head, I tell him
I'm trying to sleep

But he won't.
And I know he never will.

Say it with me: Fifteen. Inches.

7. Just a moment on the weather, to be Chestertonian and democratic and everything! 

I don't know if you guys know this, but it's COLD in Illinois. It's snowed multiple times this month, and freezing rained once (it was also snowing at the same time. I was walking back from class with only a sweatshirt. I didn't know my hands could turn that color). It's especially strange, because we'll have a couple of days of 50 degrees and raining (or even sunny) and then it snows again, and it's in the negative temps with windchill at night. Every. Single. Time. I get my hopes up and think it's going to different.

Maybe someday. But it's snowing again this week. 

In the PNW, it's already spring, just FYI. The bees are out of dormancy (oh yes, we successfully overwintered bees for the first time, praise God! I'm happy enough about this that I don't actually care that they stung me when I checked on them right before the end of break, and there's still a scar almost two months later), the trees are blooming, and it's starting to be a bit warm. That makes this entire "it's still snowing regularly and under 0 degrees sometimes" scenario a bit more nightmarish. 

Is it spring yet for you? What's your favorite British children's book? Have you ever had food poisoning, and if so, do you agree with Legolas? XD