[Eris's Scrapbook] Shreds of Sophrosyne

[Eris]

The main purpose of this scrapbook is to store undercooked and over-baked ideas that either need a place to finish boiling or to cool down. Quite often, these ideas come in the form of photographs, sketches, and songs that find themselves on the shuffle playlist of my iPod. So, this will most likely be a mess – but a happy kind of mess. "Sophrosyne (σωφροσύνη) is a Greek philosophical term etymologically meaning moral sanity and from there self control or moderation guided by true self-knowledge." - reference.com So, that sanity they're talking about? I have very little of that left. To kick things off with a bang (or the screeching of a cello), here’s an awesome song: Oh, and as far as rules go...post at will. But please refrain from the "first/second" spam. Instead, post a picture of a kitty or a piece of cheese - I'm much more likely to appreciate that. Of course, chit-chat and meaningful conversation are always welcome. -Nessa (Iredeth, Eris, Cyrill, Cadence,)

[Eris]

I was sifting through some old sketchbooks today, looking for inspiration. And I happened upon this little sketch, coming from my abstract, oil pastel phase. I remember drawing it a few years ago after reading one of Sylvia Plath’s poems. Of course, once I remembered that, I had to go and read through her vast archive of poetry. Lately, I've been slack on reading poetry and I completely forgot all about this poem. Sylvia Plath happens to be one of my top favorite poets. I usually like only one or two pieces from a poet’s collection and rarely get attached to one particular poet. But, Syliva Plath is one of the exceptions. I really can't stop myself from posting my favorite of Plath's poems here. A Life by Sylvia Plath Touch it: it won't shrink like an eyeball, This egg-shaped bailiwick, clear as a tear. Here's yesterday, last year --- Palm-spear and lily distinct as flora in the vast Windless threadwork of a tapestry. Flick the glass with your fingernail: It will ping like a Chinese chime in the slightest air stir Though nobody in there looks up or bothers to answer. The inhabitants are light as cork, Every one of them permanently busy. At their feet, the sea waves bow in single file. Never trespassing in bad temper: Stalling in midair, Short-reined, pawing like paradeground horses. Overhead, the clouds sit tasseled and fancy As Victorian cushions. This family Of valentine faces might please a collector: They ring true, like good china. Elsewhere the landscape is more frank. The light falls without letup, blindingly. A woman is dragging her shadow in a circle About a bald hospital saucer. It resembles the moon, or a sheet of blank paper And appears to have suffered a sort of private blitzkrieg. She lives quietly With no attachments, like a foetus in a bottle, The obsolete house, the sea, flattened to a picture She has one too many dimensions to enter. Grief and anger, exorcised, Leave her alone now. The future is a grey seagull Tattling in its cat-voice of departure. Age and terror, like nurses, attend her, And a drowned man, complaining of the great cold, Crawls up out of the sea.

[Eris]

Name: Anastassia or Nessa for simplicity’s sake Age: (arcsin(.523) + 3) / 2 [Hey, if you're that curious, you'll figure it out. ] Sex: female Location: New York City DS account: Cadence PC accounts: Eris, Cyrill, Iredeth Likes: books of all genres; symbolic art; the subway (the transportation system, not the fast food place); chocolate cake; cats; the Victorian era; learning to cook; heights; painting; long road trips; learning new languages; music of any kind; mountains; traveling through mountains; psychology; analyzing people; cheese; coffee Dislikes: reality television; people who refuse to hear the opinions of others; rumors; waking up in the morning and realizing I forgot to do something important the day before; people who try to impose their opinions on others; celery

[Eris]

I am currently recovering from writer’s block and I find that writing poetry sometimes quickens the process. Time flutters, flits, philanders by. A room, alone, left to die. Forget me not. Not me forget. The room, the blood, all the regret. A rope, a knife, whatever for? To sleep in death And die in sleep. The bloody fleece of one lone sheep. The wolf will come for you, me dear. But will they hear? Are they here? Soft footfalls on the ground, padded. No rhyme nor reason. All is lost. Time flutters by, but at what cost?

[Eris]

Energy Surplus I’ve been feeling very energized lately. I go out for the whole day, volunteer, haven fun with friends, get things done and then come home and still feel like I should be doing something. Now, usually I’m more laid-back. I take great pleasure in lazing around on the couch with a book, knowing that there is nothing I have to do. But now, I have all this energy that I don’t know what to do with. And it’s summer! The hot, humid summer where sitting at the beach should be the most exerting thing I want to do. I’ve even read through some textbooks to get a head start on classes starting in September. The librarians are starting to give me weird looks at the library when I show up for the third day in a row to look for more books. I swallow one book after another and I’m left with wanting more, more, more. Reading and writing seem to be the only things I can sit still long enough for these days. Even painting - which I usually have a lot of patience for -has left me feeling jumpy and unfulfilled. I can lose myself for hours in a good book, but when I’m finished, I find myself at a loss as to what to do next. I’ve been putting in longer hours at my volunteering job and I’ve dragged my best friend to every museum in the city at least twice. I adore museums. I’m always very content when strolling through a museum. I feel hungry for all the art I haven’t seen. And then, there are the works which I’ve seen countless times. It’s like visiting an old friend – everything is so wonderfully familiar and yet, there are always new things to notice in their character. Sometimes, my friend and I sit down by a sculpture and sketch for hours. On the subway ride home, I must look very satisfied – like my cat after he’s had a good dinner. And then, I’m at home for fifteen minutes and I start itching for things to do. A lot of that energy has been going into my writing, which is very productive of me, considering I’ve had serious writer’s block for the entirety of last month. But I still don’t know how I should feel about all this new-found vigor. It certainly beats sitting around all day and watching reruns of crime dramas. But at the same time, I’m feeling just a bit insane, as if my mind is trying to soak in too much information at one time. And just look at all this yellow brightness. I am typically not a bright-yellow-overload type of person. And I haven’t even drunk all that much coffee. Honestly.

[Eris]

Hey, guys. I’d just like to apologize to anyone who I am currently in threads with. I know I’m taking an awfully long time to respond, but I’m going through a bit of an academic hell right now. Any time I have left to spend on the computer is used up doing research and typing up essays. I should get most of my work done during the weekend and I’ll try my best to catch up on all my threads then.

-Nessa
(Cadence, Eris, Cyrill, Sharakai)

[Magnolia Corvidae]

Hey, I'd just like to say you're totally awesome, Nessa. <3 Also, Surreptitious, secretive... : Cheese

[Eris]

Aww, thank you, Morse. You're awesome too . And thank you for the cheese - made me feel all warm and fuzzy .

[Cadence]

To-Do List Remember how I said I’d get to all my threads over the weekend? Apparently, that was a lie. I have more work piled onto me than I know what to do with. After studying physics and math for hours upon hours, my creative juices are left sadly dried out. So, I am posting a to-do list for myself so I can better plan time to focus on my Mizahar threads. This is the level of bliss and contentment I hope to achieve from completing all my tasks: My kitty. He’s just so fluffy and adorable, I couldn’t help posting a pic of him. Eris Thread with Jilitse Thread with Malia Sahova quest thread Find a way to advance the "search for her father" storyline. Cyrill Thread with Amon Flashback thread about Cyrill’s brother Sharakai Rite of Searching thread with Columbina Further develop plants to get her to Riverfall and find some traveling companions for the defenseless Chaktawe. Cadence Polish Alvadas locations currently in development: Gambling establishment, unofficial scholar research center Expand Alvadas wiki

[Eris]

I’m exhausted. I have not been this tired for a very long time. I feel like I’m running myself into the ground. I’ve got a test almost every day of the week, there are projects to be completed, essays to be written… After school I’m interning at a non-profit organization almost every day. There are commitments I can’t back down from - school newspaper, theater, promises to tutor people in math… I don’t even like math! I feel tired to the point that I can’t be bothered to form coherent sentences anymore. I also feel really bitchy and pissed off at nobody in particular (except perhaps, myself). Really, this is just one terribly drawn-out excuse. I’m sorry I haven’t been posting replies to my threads or popping into chat. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look like it’s going to change for the time being. I look toward every weekend with the hope that I’ll find some time to write and it always flies by too quickly.

Also, this was my version of a condensed rant. I try not to post my frustrations most of the time, but at the moment I feel groggy and light-headed and sleepy and I’m just going to click that enticing little "Submit" button.