There should be more words for "rain"

Types of rain (as encountered in New England):

1. Movie rain; or, rain that comes suddenly and unexpectedly, usually while there's been sun out for some time.  Goes away quickly, dries quickly.

2. Summer rain; creates intolerably humid whether, is precipitated by thick ominous grey clouds, comes with thick drops that stick to your clothes and skin.  Falls in sheets.  Leaves an earthy, pungent odor after it passes.

3. Wimpy rain; rain that falls to the ground the way urine might piddle out of a frightened puppy.

4. Thunderstorm rain; a subset of summer rain but falls more heavily and is accompanied by thunder and lightening.  This is my favorite kind of rain

5.  Spring rain; very cold, drizzly.  Falls carelessly. 

6.  Freezing rain; or, winter rain, which occurs when it's not quite cold and dry enough to make snow. Colder than spring rain, chills you to the bone.

On "Beauty and the Beast"

Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" was my favorite Disney princess movie while I was growing up.  Now, Pocahontas, Mulan, and "The Princess and the Frog" heroine Maddie are up there as well.  It's kind of depressing to think about, though, considering how dark that movie is and the implications of the turn of events at the end:
1.  Belle says to the Beast (whose name, Adam, is never revealed in the film) that she loves him
2.  The rose is deflowered with the last petal floating magically down to the table
3.  The Beast (animal, base) becomes a Man (noble, gentle but strong)

Not to mention that this version justifies domestic violence in framing the female protagonist as the one who sees beyond the masculine one's abuse and endures it, ultimately transforming him through her love and patience and other feminine virtues.

There are many iterations of this story, both in text and film.  I have seen and read many of them:
- Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête (1946)
- Panna a nevtor (1981) from Czechoslovakia
- Cannon Movie Tales' musical version (1987) starring John Savage and Rebecca De Mornay
- Faerie Tale Theatre's Beauty and the Beast episode (1984) starring Klaus Kinski and Susan Sarandon
- the first season of the CBS drama Beauty and the Beast (1987) with Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton
- of course, the Disney version from 1991 (but not any of the sequels or spin-off straight-to-VHS movies)
- haven't seen it but I have the soundtrack of the Broadway musical version of the Disney version
- the Hellboy movies, with Ron Perlman, include a bit of "Beauty and the Beast" undertones
- ...as do werewolf stories (and probably vampire ones too, but I don't want to get into that)
- any sitcom with a hot wife and schlubby/not conventionally attractive husband counts as an addition to this list

I've felt conflicted about my passion for this story, but I've come to accept it for what it is-- patriarchal teachings to pubescent females-- and can't help but appreciate the storytelling and, well, the romance of it all. Oh, I'll have to watch some of those movies again and write a post in response to each one; there's just so much for me to analyze.

Some of my favorite things

The original:

My version (just pretend that it works with the music and meter):

Warm clean clothing straight from the dryer
Snow days and hot cocoa for when I feel tired
The bright crunchy leaves that fall always brings
These are a few of my favorite things

The velvety smell of the earth after rain
Closing my eyes while listening to Coltrane
Getting a new set of violin strings
These are a few of my favorite things

When mosquitos bite
When someone's words sting
When I'm feeling bad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I can feel less sad

Encounters at the End of the World (2007): a haiku and review

Yes! Antarctica!

Here dwell curious creatures--

not solely penguins

* * * * *

My Walden

For my seventh grade English class my peers and I were asked to find a quiet place outdoors and record our observations monthly in a nature journal, à la Henry David Thoreau.  There is a vast expanse of trees in my backyard, so I chose to do my writing from my porch.  Fast forward a few years to when I went out with my best friend to walk her dog.  She showed me her Walden spot, and since then I've sort of adopted it as my own reflection place.