The Pursuit of Refinement

People used to think I was a girly-girl. Goodness. I thought I was a girly-girl. But I wasn't. (And I'm not.) We labored under the delusion that because I wasn't a tom-boy, I must be a girly-girl. But "everything pink" was not me and is not me. Sure, I like pink things and I like to look pretty and I love things that sparkle and glitter, but I'm not the typical girly-girl.

I don't like zebra stripes or tu-tus.

I don't wear high-heels when it's ridiculous to wear high-heels.

I don't get manicures and pedicures every weekend.

I didn't ever want a room that was entirely pink and frilly. (or at least, not in my memory)

There's nothing wrong with any of those things, but I'm just proving a point. I'm not a girly-girl. Got it? So what am I? Dear, dear. We've got a rather narrow mind, haven't we? Thinking girls can only be sloshed into one of two categories. I've discovered what to call the sophisticated, feminine strain in my personality. I call it:

The Pursuit of Refinement. 

"The Pursuit of Refinement" isn't prudish or wax-dollian or boring when exercised in its proper capacity. It simply means that my tastes are more refined, sophisticated, and cosmopolitan than they are flirty, giddy, and fluffy.

I admire multi-lingual people, and wish I knew French, German, or Italian.

I love polished wood and coffee shops.

I love travel, and talking about travel, and old suitcases.

I love big hats and tiny waists. (And I have neither. :P)

The idea of going to the theatre or an opera or a concert thrills me.

Red lipstick ought to come back into style.

Nights on the town (in the most innocent sense of that term) are my cup of tea.

I'd love to go to a horse-race someday.

I take fashion-inspiration from old actresses.

Bookstores hold my literary-heart in captivity.

"Effervescent" describes me to a "t": "vivacious, lively, sparkling"

City-life fascinates me.

Rich people fascinate me.

I read classics because I truly love them--not because I've been assigned a reading project.

I have a deep-seated desire to be "accomplished" in the manner of those good-old-days.

I love dressing up.

I prize cleverness and wit.

So I quote clever and witty people. ;)

Anyone who can play well on any instrument has my deep regard.

Intelligent conversation is a must.

I work at becoming a well-read person.

The Pursuit of Refinement inspires me to write, to draw, to sing, to dance, to visit historical houses and to be mindful of my posture. It lends magic to words like "masquerade," "ball," "tea," and "aristocrat." It gives me bourgeoisie satisfaction in truly clever things, and teaches me the difference between wit and wise-cracking. Of course my entire life is not about pursuing refinement, just as the girly-girl's life isn't all about painting her nails and the tomboy's life isn't all about paintball-ing. But it does lend a certain atmosphere to the ways I choose to cultivate my tastes, pleasures, and talents. :) So what sort of a girl are you? If you'd like, write your own blog post about it and leave a link in a comment. I'd love to read about your personality in this respect. <3

Mambo Italiano. (because it sounds like a fun title)

I am full of ideas right now. Too many things have either Happened in the month I was gone, or Have Not  Happened due to not-enough-time, and so I find myself with a rather full mind. Perhaps that is why I've been having strange, monumental, epic dreams every night. Once I was faced with the dilemma of disliking a person who liked me while liking a person who disliked me, and in another I was held captive by half the grown men and boys in my church who were threatening Society with the iPhone gun app, and in another I was campaigning through Georgia again. It was a very very strange string of dreams, I tell you.

I would appreciate prayer in deciding what sort of business ventures to pursue this fall. We are considering stopping the baking section of our business for a while because it has not been very lucrative in recent months. But if we stop that, Sarah and I will be on the hunt for a new sort of way to make money. I've got Ideas, like I said, but as of yet they have no form or fashion. They're just wispy and winsome and out there.

I'm trying to get back into the flow of ink and pick up my writing where I left it. I did do the teensiest bit of research for my one novel by watching Master & Commander while down in Georgia, but that doesn't really count. Instead, I've just been scribbling various and sundries and falling in love with things I shouldn't fall in love with because they have no place in Current Projects, and... (most of the trouble is because I can't find my USB port with all my stories on it! ACK!)

Eating cake. Oh yes. Forgot about that. Because there were three birthdays in our family on August 6th so there were 3 cakes to feed the same number of people 1 cake generally feeds, which means waistline expansion I suppose. ;)

Pretty soon I hope to introduce you to a darling someone I have decided to call My Italian Prince. Any guesses? Forgive me a cruel chuckle. Bwahahahaha! [and no, Julia, you cannot guess. :]

I have been plunging through With Fire and Sword which is full of Polish names and Vodka. Interesting combination, especially when you arm them with swords and guns and such.

So what have you been up to? Anything fun and summerish? I felt the Gypsy Wind (pretty nearly) the other day and it made me so excited for Autumn! :) *joy and jubilation*

Well, toodle-loo, people! I'm off to continue scribbling and then try to attack my mountainous pile of To Be Replied To letters. Goodness, how things pile up when one is gone a month!

Movie Night: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

After the tragic happenings of July 20 in connection with the third Batman film: The Dark Knight Rises, I was a little apprehensive about seeing it. Of course just because the sin of one man led him to do such a horrible thing, does not mean it had any connection with the Batman film, I was temporarily scared of theaters. :P
But I had watched the first movie in the Batman trilogy and enjoyed it, though I'm still a fan of the Marvel heroes above the DC comics. I did not watch The Dark Knight, however. I had heard so many conflicting reports of whether it was good or not. Some said they enjoyed it, others that it was incredibly dark. After watching five minutes of the film in Sam's Club (gotta love display t.v.s ;) I decided I was not interested in seeing The Dark Knight. (The second film.) It gave me a feeling of depression and fear and nastiness. So when this third movie came out, I was not originally pushing to see it. I was rather neither here nor there about it. But more and more people whose opinions I respect and admire were saying that this third and final installment, The Dark Knight Rises, was a film worth seeing. In the end, not expecting to like it all that much, I decided to go with my brother, his girl, Sarah, and a group of other friends. I entered skeptical, and I left  incredibly satisfied, which was a surprise to me.

The Dark Knight Rises begins with a reformed Gotham City. Since I missed the second film, I'm not sure if this is simply a carry-over from then, but it is a far different Gotham than the Gotham of the first film. Crime is at an all-time low thanks to the efforts of the late Harvey Dent. But it is a city going through a bit of depression because of Dent's death. Most of the citizens accept the fact that Batman murdered Harvey Dent, but there are a few holders-on who think differently. Among these are Commissioner Gordon, (Gary Oldman) and a young officer-turned-detective named Blake. (Joseph Gordon-Levitt...loved him a ton, by the way. Amazing character. :)

Early on in the film, the real truth of the Dent-dilemma is learned by the villain, Bane, (Tom Hardy) and  he attempts to kill Gordon to keep the real story from the rest of Gotham City. In the meantime, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has become a recluse in his home, Wayne Manor, and has forsaken his persona as Batman. He lives there, a wreck and ruin of what he once was before losing Rachel and with her, all that was precious to him.

The film begins to pick up speed with the introduction of Cat Woman, (Anne Hathaway) Bane, and the young, zealous, Blake, and soon is a full-out fight between the residents of Gotham City as led by Bane, against the privileged and wealthy who, Bane tells them, have been holding back and making life miserable for the commoners.

This is where the film really caught my attention. I had not expected to find this, but the plot essentially follows that of the historical French Revolution.

Selina Kyle: "There's a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us."
Bruce Wayne: "You sound like you're looking forward to it."
Selina Kyle: "I'm adaptable."

The struggle between the people and their ruling powers. The dissension, the back-bitings, the sedition as whispered by Bane to the citizens of Gotham. The comparison grew as Bane begins taking over the city, and leads his own "Storming of the Bastille" by releasing the prisoners with the people's consent; telling them that the prisoners were innocent men condemned by the rich and wealthy who saw them as a threat. The parallels continue as Bane institutes a mock court presided over by none other than Scarecrow, (a.k.a. Dr. Crane of the first film. :) who mockingly tries cases and exiles/executes the new prisoners and captives.

This is the city that Batman must now try to save. But he is weak and out of shape. His personal life is a mess, his company is bankrupt, and he essentially fires his trusty butler, Alfred. Things are not going well, and, fueled by anger, Batman goes to "save" Gotham. In the following confrontation, Bane cripples Batman and locks him in a virtually inescapable prison.

As he recovers in the pit, Bruce Wayne realizes he's just been wallowing in self-pity, and that it isn't helping anyone. As he sees what Bane is doing to the people of Gotham, Wayne works to rebuild himself and tries to escape, knowing he has to put aside his fears, failures, and depression and save Gotham city. He escapes the prison and returns to Gotham, organizing an uprising among the remaining faithful law-enforcement officers who have been trapped underground, waiting for his command. But things are looking grim, as Bane has flicked the timer on an nuclear bomb and it will be exploding very soon.
In the end of the film, Batman rescues the city by attaching the nuclear bomb to his plane and, presumably, flying it out into the harbor where it then explodes, out of reach of the city and its people.

Selina Kyle (Cat Woman): "You don't owe these people any more! You've given them everything!"
Batman: "Not everything. Not yet." 

The true heroism and courage of this act touched me deeply. It had a deeper message than that of the first film. The Dark Knight Rises proved wrong the theory at the end of it's predecessor that perhaps the truth wasn't good enough and it was better to give the people hope by telling them a lie. It proved that, in fact, one lie leads to another, and there is soon nothing left but lies. It would have been better to have told the truth from the beginning, and then Bane would never have been able to get a foothold in these people's lives by telling them yet another bundle of lies.

At Batman' s funeral, Commissioner Gordon completes the parallels of the Revolution/Gotham's uprising by quoting Sydney Carton of Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities. (And yes, this had me Dickens-spazzing-out all through the credits :P)

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known."

*sniff, sniff*

*weeps a little weep*

*dries her eyes*

There is a closing montage that reveals a few surprising plot twists, and then the screen goes black and the epic credit-score begins to play. I was left feeling a fist-clenching hope, and a sense of deep satisfaction. Wrong had been righted. Heroism was not dead. Batman, a modern-day Sydney Carton, had put aside his apathy and done this valiant deed.

In the end I liked The Dark Knight Rises. I liked it a lot. In fact, I liked it better than the first film, which I certainly did not expect. As expected, it did have some issues such as a bit of language and a definitely fast-forward scene between Bruce Wayne and his colleague, Miranda Tate, as well as a few questionable moments involving Cat Woman. But beyond these things, I recommend the film if you like action/adventure/crime-fighting. The violence surprised me, actually, by being less gun-involved and more physical.  Bane, the villain, is essentially a great big bald guy with mean muscles and a metal breathing apparatus. And he is very violent. But there were surprisingly few people shot, and more people beaten up by use of punches and kicks. There was very little (if any) blood, and the fist-fighting brought to mind more of a dramatic, modern-day barroom scene from a Western than a typical superhero-movie. :P And I was pleased to find that there really was less language in this film (or more mild forms of it) than in the previous Batman movies.

In the end, my verdict on The Dark Knight Rises is that it was a very good movie. Some might even argue it was a great movie. In my opinion, the film spoke surprisingly relevant messages to our culture today. Socialism, communism, and relativism are all slapped in the face by the very fact that Bane tries to use these tactics to woo the people of Gotham into a marriage with his ideals. True courage, valor, and heroism are exhibited, and it showed a hero that, for once, acted upon a the principles of true Love that Jesus has laid out for us.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." -John 13:15

no need to say goodbye.

Now we're back to the beginning

It's just a feeling and no one knows yet

But just because they can't feel it too

Doesn't mean that you have to forget.

Let your memories grow stronger and stronger

'Til they're before your eyes

You'll come back when they call you

No need to say goodbye.

-Regina Spektor "The Call"

I have come home. It is so good to see little faces and give kisses eight times a day to each chubby cheek, and pull Grace onto my lap or ruffle Levi's hair. It's good to be eating homemade food again, it's good to sleep in my own bed, it's good to talk with Sarah after getting in our pajamas. It's good to be with home-people, speaking of home-things, seeing home-sights...Georgia's pretty but Virginia's gorgeous. Just sayin'. ;) Abigail Taylor came up Thursday night after we got home, so I haven't had a long time to get Campaign-sick yet. She's amazing enough herself. <3

We also ended up getting together a group of home-people that I hadn't seen for at least a month, which was so much fun! We went to see the newest Batman movie, and (after I got over my temporary theatre-fear :P) I really enjoyed it! The themes of heroism, courage, and A Tale of Two Cities will be discussed in a different post. Suffice it to say, I liked it very well. :)

But despite all these things, I will admit it that a sensation of Missing Them is lurking, and I didn't expect that. :D I miss my guys and girls that I spent such a long, eventful month with. It's crazy how quickly you grow close to people when you are working together with a common purpose, a common goal, and sharing the same life. :] Thankfully I expect to see a good many of them again someday--homeschooling, Christian, political circles just aren't that cavernous, and I am fast becoming a believer in the 6-degrees-of-separation idea. I mean really, I just discovered that I'm two degrees away from Michael Phelps! (A friend's cousin is Brandon Hansen--a guy on the US Olympic swim-team which means he would know Michael. :)

I have had so.many.memories on this Georgia trip, and though we did not win the election, I cannot in any way say it was a waste. Not when I flip through  my mental scrapbook. Not when I picture Autumn giggling or John laughing, or Zach's happy-dance. Not when I remember the many sighs and laughs and exclamations, or all the thousand-and-one stories of going door-to-door.
These people have made indelible prints on this summer of memories, and I hope I will linger in their thoughts awhile. :) I know they've effected me!

I'll never again eat Skittles without remembering Wyatt Fairlead.

I'll never smell Axe without recalling the Axe-opinion war I waged with Micah.

I'll never hear the words "Eagle-stare" without remembering my first day with Autumn.

And I'll never ever ever hear anything about 6-packs without thinking of Katie. 

Even though the girls we had were few and far between, I got to be great friends with Katie Frost, Autumn B, Bridget, and Mamie Carlstrom. You girls were awesome, and when you were around we had larks by the bucket-load. I love you! <3

But a huge thank-you goes out to my hotel boys. These dozen or so guys made life as the only girl at the hotel simply amazing. The surprise birthday party...the literary discussions...the anticipation over Olympic events....you've spoiled me, guys. You were such gentleman that I really am missing you majorly.

I actually had to open a door by myself...two of you were always there to do it in Georgia. 

Since coming home I've kinda lost my Royal Retinue...I always had a pod of 3 or 4 of you wherever I went. It was fun being your Queen. :)

I'll have to look for fashion in the Belk-ads now...Jere and Stephen, you definitely gave us some laughs.

I've gone back to doing laundry at home...Nystrom boys...you'll have to get your own laundry soap from now on. ;)

Russell...no one can sleep as deep as you. Period.

Ian...Bumble-bee kilts and you are forever paired in my mind.

I now know a deal about loose-leaf tea, Southern soul-food, Pentatonix, Kansas, and why I don't run marathons. Thanks, Zach. :)

Elijah...you with the face. That's all.

Justin...you make a splendid Puddleglum, even when you're cross. And you can run like nobody's business. You and Zach should race sometime.

I just wanted to let you guys know how much getting to know you blessed me. :) You turned what could have been a lonely, drab hotel time into a grand and glorious hullaballoo. You were entirely awesome and I'm still smiling over my month. And thank you, Jesus, for bringing our amazing team together. Thank You for blessing us with Your grace and letting us bring You glory, even through what we see as a defeat. You are amazing, God. :)

Olympic-love

Creme de la creme! I think that is supposed to me "Cream of cream" in French, but I use it in the same manner as I use "Good grief!" which is to say, it appears in Rachel's Dictionary like so:

creme de la creme: an expression used to denote extreme surprise, exhaustion, etc. Usually paired with a raised eyebrow.

Now that you are informed of the proper usage, I may continue. For some reason the hotel internet will not work in my room. I have concocted a brilliant plot in my head as to Why. Some crazy techno-chap is in the room next to us using up all the internet. ;)

At any rate, I am downstairs writing this blog post while talking with Mamie and Charles. We are all excited about watching the olympics tonight. :) Unfortunately we won't be at the hotel to watch them on the t.v.--we'll be at dinner--but hopefully we can find them online somewhere, or come back not too far into the show. I am dead-set on hearing a Scottish accent. Honestly, the men don't know how easy it'd be to catch my eye--or ear, rather. All they have to have is a tolerably passing Scotch accent and I'm theirs. ;)


I've never been able to tell which Olympics are my favorite. I think I change every four years...when Summer comes around I swear those are my favorites...then winter comes and I swing back in the other direction...I'll have to limit it to my favorite sporting events:

the ice-dancing finals:

men's figure-skating:

swimming:

girls gymnastics:

men's beach volleyball:

downhill skiing:

speed-skating:

fencing:

Golly. I love it all, it seems! :D Anyhow, I am so excited the Olympics have come around again, and that they are held in my beloved Britain! But Team USA is still my favorite--in fact, I'm wearing my blue Team USA t-shirt and some red lipstick and some gold, glittery eyeshadow just to celebrate the opening ceremonies tonight! Let's win as many gold medals as we can! :)

//Further chronicles of the south//

Hello darlings! I'm still down in Georgia, and am presently enjoying a quiet hotel room before heading out to The Varsity this evening. :) (It's supposedly some amazing, All-American greasy burger place that is entirely famous. :P) It is also supposedly the world's largest drive-in restaurant! We'll see how it goes. My 20th birthday was on Friday, and the dear guys went all out for it. It began with a wonderful package from my family--you can read about that here--and went on to include being treated fabulously all day. :) 

My glitzy package. :) <3

Toward the evening some people were needed to run down to the office and map out a precinct or two--initially I was not going, but then Daniel changed his mind and asked me to come along. At first I was suspicious that something was afoot, but after getting down to the office and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, I forgot all about it. 
We got back to the hotel and Daniel tried his key in the door--it didn't work. He then told me that Ian (one of our guys) needed me to help him with the laundry machines. I went to the second-floor laundry, but then Daniel called me back: "He's on the first floor!" So I tramped downstairs to the first-floor laundry and was almost there when Daniel came dashing out of the elevator: "He's actually on the third floor--sorry!"
At this point it was midnight and I was exhausted. I began despairing over Ian's sanity--I mean, what 18 year old guy can't figure out a laundry machine? But I am the unofficial hotel-Mama (the only girl in a group of 11 guys!) so I knew I had to help. ;) Then Daniel took pity on me. "I'll get it," he said. "Just come in and put your stuff down." He fit a different key into the door and swung it open. All at once a loud chorus of "Happy Birthday!" filled the air and the light-switch came on. :) Brandt, Justin, (two of our home-guys) and John (An Arkansian--and a twin! :) had stayed awake the whole time we were at the office, and had decorated my room with all the things Mama had apparently sent. :) 

They did an amazing job, and I was so touched and blessed by their forsaking their sleep to wait up for me and give me their little gifts and cards. It was so much fun! Zach (another of my boys) had bought a huge card on behalf of the whole crew, and everyone signed it. They bought Bieber because they knew I was such a fan. ;)

Hee-hee. :]

^My enormous birthday-pin....yes, I wore it to Steak n' Shake. :P

Because of course we had to seal the night with Steak N' Shake afterward. That put us back at the hotel after 1:00 a.m. I definitely let my golden-birthday out with a bang! :D I think the  best part of this whole campaign has been being the only girl in the hotel--the guys are such little gentleman, and make me feel like the queen of the realm. :D It's rather a lot of power. ;) When a decision is to be made, one or another always pauses and says, "Well what would Rachel like to do? She's the girl!" :)

Here are some pictures of the rest of the fun we've been having between all the work...enjoy!

Zach enjoying some sparkling-water at Moe's. We walked there for dinner the other night. :) I'm learning lots of fun trivia about my teammates. For instance, Zach and the Frosts love old movies, and are edu-ma-cating me in which ones I need to watch SOON! Arthur is afraid of strong medication, and dogs don't like him. Arthur's brothers [the twins] like BBC dramas! :) Zach's family owns and operates a British imports store called The Queen's Pantry that I want to visit someday!

I had my birthday lunch at Five Guys with my five guys. :D 

Left to Right: Brandt, Russel, Charles, Daniel, and John. (John and Charles are twins, and therefore two of my favorites. :)

Mail!

We campaigned in old Senoia, which is where many films have been shot, including Driving Miss Daisy! :) That was so neat!

Ever tried to fit 10 or 11 guys in the back of a mini-van? Well, it works....if you don't care about legality. :P L-R: Jeremiah, Ian, Zach, Arthur, Justin, Charles, Daniel, Brandt, and Stephen. John was buried underneath everyone! If you look close, I am told you can see one of his legs. I haven't tested that yet, though.

Our massive team we gathered for Saturday! Actually, Daniel, Brandt, and I ended up staying back at the office to make maps. It was a pleasant break!

Arthur and Ian saving the South, I believe. ;)

It's been such a blessing from God that after our long, grueling, highly productive days we have such an awesome group of people at the hotel to come home too! The hotel staff are pretty great too! :) All in all, I'm having a great time in Georgia, and I'm so glad that Daniel and I were given this opportunity. I appreciate all of your prayers, and all the dear letters many of you have sent!

More from Georgia. :)

Hey everybody! This is Rachel, and I'm here hollering up-country from the state of Georgia! I've been here a week and a half, but in many ways it feels like longer. :D We are campaigning for a godly Christian man who is running for Georgia State Superior Court judge. Our days are very long and full and productive! We start by getting to the local Chick-fil-A by 8:00 a.m. and meeting with the candidate and our boss, and then we divide out into cars and stared cruising through the neighborhoods going door-to-door on all the "hard R's" houses. :) The crew per car usually consists of 1 driver, 1 navigator, and 3-4 "runners" whose job it is to jump out at the correct houses, run up to the door, and speak with the people at the house. If there is no one home, they leave the lit, and we hop back into the car and continue on down the road.

We hit the jackpot on this one! :D

The leaders of the door-to-door teams (i.e. me, Daniel, Katie & Brant Frost,) have been hard at work mapping out the territories we plan to hit. :) The work is tedious and we pretty much pull 13 hour days, but it's amazing to slowly see our numbers climb and begin to get that heady sensation of the campaign race. :) It's hard work, yes, but to know that we're helping to get a godly, wise, equipped man into the position of Superior Court Judge is worth every bit of it. :)
But I think my favorite part of all has been the great company. I've grown to love Katie Frost and Mamie Carlstrom especially--we're a nutsy trio! Unfortunately, Mamie had to go home with her amazingly helpful family, and now all we can do is sit there and hope they'll make it back for the last week! :) Here are some of the pictures and links to some of our happy, funny, awkward, amusing videos! Many thanks to Mrs. Sherry Carlstrom for most of them! :D

I got to meet a dear blogging friend last Sunday! Julia is one of the dearest, sweetest people you'll ever hope to meet! :)

Daniel getting into "Haven't Met You Yet"

Some of us in front of McMurry's house

No, we did not use Campaign Money for our Starbuck's treat. :P

Worship time at midnight last night! :D

We have so. stinkin'. many. stories. Stories that make us bust out laughing at the slightest recollection, stories we'd rather forget, and many others that I can't wait to get home and tell to my family and friends! Actually, one really neat thing is that Justin W. and Brandt E. have come down to help through the end! Sing ho for home-peeps. They have been a real boosting-influence on Daniel and I. :) It's nice to have fellow-foreigners. :P

And this morning was the crowning happiness on the end of a tiring but good week:

We went to Passion City Church!

PCC is the church where Chris Tomlin and Christy Nockels lead worship. The building is essentially a warehouse, and entirely unassuming. The people are friendly and the spirit vibrant. It's also the church where Louie Giglio preaches, and after having (multiple times) watched his "Indescribable" and "How Great is Our God" sermons as well as "Fruitcake & Icecream" and "The 12 Words of Christmas," I was really really looking forward to it. God was good, and it was amazing. 

The worship time was like sweet balm to our weary souls, and the message was piercing and beautiful and as near perfection as any mortal message can be. Louie was preached on John 21, and once more in that curious way he has, his words hit close to home as he showed us the importance of this ending to Peter's story. It was simply and utterly amazing.

at Passion City Church this morning.

We hope to come back during our time in GA--it was so refreshing after the long week! Please keep us in prayer for energy, health, and patience, and I'll try to keep y'all updated on everything going on down  here! :)
                      Love,
                             Rachel