cleolinda: (galadriel)
[personal profile] cleolinda
We sat down tonight and actually had dinner around the kitchen table like a family, in honor of Sister Girl's boyfriend Mr. Kyle being on furlough, or whatever it is he's on. I hate family dinners. There's never anything to talk about, and after my mother complained that all I talk about is movies, I've been left with nothing to talk about. And that's what makes me angry--you know, maybe I talk only about movies because there's nothing else to talk about. As it is, we sit around and they talk about the military. Or George does, rather. And when Kyle's here, George and Kyle talk about the military, and the awesome food in the military, and the stupid berets in the military, and the annoying bureaucracy in the military. And Mom and Sister Girl nod and interject like nice little army wives. I mean, maybe I'm tired of hearing about the military, and ... it isn't advisable to talk about war over here.

Politics? Please--war entirely aside, because even the army guys in the family are against the war--I'm a liberal. It was a long hard fight before my parents finally got disillusioned with Bush.

Current events? Generally too gruesome. Also, if it involves any sort of foreign country at all ("The Socialists in Spain won the election"), political leanings come back into play ("Damn commies"). Let's not even mention the spectre of gay marriage.

Music? Oh, not even. George was in the army band until recently, and now plays the random gig here and there. I'm upstairs listening to--well, this past week "Tori Amos" and "Siouxsie and the Banshees" have cropped up a lot. I have hideous taste in music and haven't listened to the radio in a few years now. My parents do watch American Idol. That's good for 5-15 minutes of conversation sometimes. Sometimes.

Books? George is reading two books currently: one about Iwo Jima, and another called "Flyboys."

TV? My parents really enjoy watching the History Channel and whatever that mail call show with R. Lee Ermey is. Oh, and JAG. Is JAG still on?

School? Which part do you want me to talk about, the "Literature of Antebellum Reform" part or the "I don't know when I'll finish my degree" part?

But movies: everyone likes movies. Mom's cousin works in the industry. There are war movies. New movies come out all the time. We see movies all the time. It's pretty easy to keep politics out of movies (although it's just as easy to squeeze them back in, I admit). But no, I'm "obsessed with movies," not "desperately searching for a common ground that won't start an argument." And so now I don't talk at all.

And then my mother comes up later and asks, "Why were you so quiet at dinner? It kinda looked... antisocial."

STAB STAB STAB!

I wish Vladimir were here. I would have someone to talk to at dinner--more than that, someone who could say, "Look, GI Joe, I fought in a goddamn war, so stuff it."

Maybe that's my Rescue Me, I'm a Princess complex talking. As in, I was never a Daddy's girl, I was always "Sport," and I always wanted to be a princess. (As in, before my alias was "Cleolinda Jones," it was "Princess Cleolinda.") Except that now that I'm older, I don't think I'd enjoy being a princess much. I have a feeling I'd rather be a queen. I'd rather have my court around me like, "SHHHH! Do not speak of the army, IT VEXES THE QUEEN. LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE, THE QUEEN IS VEXED!"

Yes. I would like to be a queen. Maybe a pirate queen. Arrr.

Date: 2004-03-14 06:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] malenky-devil.livejournal.com
"SHHHH! Do not speak of the army, IT VEXES THE QUEEN. LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE, THE QUEEN IS VEXED!"

Yes. I would like to be a queen. Maybe a pirate queen. Arrr.


Hee! Dude, make plans now while I'm plotting to be tyrant queen of the world to choose which country you want when I hand them out to people I like. Oh, and I'm keeping a few warm spots so my harem boys (Sean Bean, Maynard, etc.) don't get cold.

That reminds me too much of my ex, who would start political arguments just to piss me off (he enjoyed arguing with me). The sad thing is that he never had valid facts to back up his statements so I would generally win and he'd just ignore that and continue ranting. He still refuses to believe Jesus was Jewish and doesn't get why I wouldn't join the army ever. He says it's because I'm a hippie and he plans to bomb all the hippies. I think he's going to snap in the military.

Date: 2004-03-14 08:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cleolinda.livejournal.com
Hmm. Italy is nice, I think. ;)

Date: 2004-03-14 11:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] edda.livejournal.com
It is a proven fact that the leading cause of piracy in women is boring, hostile family dinners. (Shit, should that be "are" or "is"?)

We have a lot of those. They'd be worse, if I weren't so utterly lackadaisical about politics.

And I wanted to be a warrior princess, and succeeded in being an antisocial serf. Life, she is not always kind.

The Awesome Food in the Military

Date: 2004-03-15 01:31 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Um, I know that an average US soldier carries more tech than my entire unit had during the war, but food? Being awesome? They REALLY have it good.

But it's always like that, everywhere. People who have the least to say usually bogart the conversation. Nothing can be done about it, except pack up and leave. Into the wild, preferably...

(Still lacking a personal LJ account, and didn't want to post this as Neven...)

Vladimir

Date: 2004-03-15 05:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bluewasabi.livejournal.com
I agree with you- "princess" implies that somewhere there's a queen, whereas I've always thought "empress" has a nice ring to it. Unfortunately, most empresses had to deal with lunatic husbands, which doesn't separate them too much from the general population, I guess.

"I'm sorry, Empress Khan, but Emperor Khan has just stepped out to try and pillage Russia, and he's asked you to entertain his step-mother and his fourteen brothers while he's gone. He says not to use the good china cups."

"I'm sorry, Empress Commodus, but the Emperor is off seducing his first cousins and won't be able to make it for dinner."

"I'm sorry, Empress the Great, but Alex has gone out for his usual bout of naked oil wrestling with the guys- why do you ask?"

But I could see how being a pirate queen would have its advantages. Reminds me of what pirate Anne Bonney said to her lover right before he was hanged: "If you'd have fought like a man, you wouldn't have to die like a dog." Hee.

Date: 2004-03-15 06:44 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] alysscarlet.livejournal.com
I'm sorry you had such an awful dinner, and I do sympathise. But you do write so hilariously about it I couldn't help laughing!

Re: The Awesome Food in the Military

Date: 2004-03-15 07:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cleolinda.livejournal.com
Awww. Well, what George was saying is that they feed the soldiers crazy good to keep them from getting (too) homesick--he said that on Thanksgiving on the destroyer they'd have turkey and ham and lobster (!).

I mean, MREs are still shit on a stick, I'm not saying those are great.

Date: 2004-03-15 08:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cleolinda.livejournal.com
That is so awesome.

Remind me to tell the story of the time I was forced to write my sister's pirate paper and was given a lesbian romance novel as a source.

sehr toll intro

Date: 2004-12-06 03:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] timfinnegan.livejournal.com
*Courtly bow* I crossed your LJ entry across a search engine, was somewhat curious why it pulled up this page, skimmed through it, found it quite humourous, and bedamned if I didn't cross another Siouxsie fan. I missed her in her stretch of American conserts much to my dismay. Placebo Effect, Face to Face, Spellbound, Wheels on fire, Israel, Melt!, Nightshift, Shadowtime, Carousel, etc etc. Queen? Why not Empress?

Re: sehr toll intro

Date: 2004-12-06 04:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cleolinda.livejournal.com
Awesome. I *love* "Face to Face," and just about everything on the Superstition album, but "Kiss Them For Me" is what I was hooked on earlier this weekend.

Re: sehr toll intro

Date: 2004-12-06 04:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] timfinnegan.livejournal.com
You want the music video? I have it around in mpeg, I can throw you a link to my file server once I have it up. Try out Placebo Effect, it's a tough call between Face to Face and Placebo Effect; it was awesome when Face to Face played in Batman returns

Re: sehr toll intro

Date: 2004-12-06 04:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cleolinda.livejournal.com
Ooo, that'd be great, thanks. : )

Re: sehr toll intro

Date: 2004-12-06 05:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] timfinnegan.livejournal.com
There's Placebo Effect mp3, still uploading the music vid, I'll keep you posted http://www.bombzone.com/deathspade/Siouxsie%20and%20the%20Banshees%20-%20Placebo%20Effect%20(Thorn).mp3

Re: sehr toll intro

Date: 2004-12-06 05:34 pm (UTC)

Re: sehr toll intro

Date: 2004-12-07 01:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] timfinnegan.livejournal.com
Finally got it posted, knock yourself out, hope your connection surpaseses my own
http://www.bombzone.com/deathspade/Siouxsie%20&%20The%20Banshees%20-%20Kiss%20Them%20For%20Me.mpg

Re: sehr toll intro

Date: 2004-12-07 07:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cleolinda.livejournal.com
Thanks! If not, I'm patient. : )
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