"Solitude" by Ella Wheeler

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone,
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough on its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on air.
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But are slow to voice your care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go.
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all.
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.

Happy Valentine's Day, :P
Steven

"High School As Horror Film"

So I've found a new show to follow on DVD. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but...I actually like Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

I had always known about the show, but never really took an interest in it. Then I got introduced a while back to the tragically-cancelled Firefly (and its brief resurrection as the feature film Serenity), and I found that Joss Whedon is a good writer. Needless to say, I was rather surprised to discover that he was the creator of Buffy. My interest level immediately went up.

I just finished the first season today, which consists of twelve episodes. Although it feels at times like "Monster of the Week", the dialogue is witty and the characters are pretty well thought-out. I like the style of the show, and I'm told that it only gets better from here. Whedon has commented that he built the whole premise from the basic idea of "high school as a horror film." Man, can I relate.

And forgive a slightly chauvinistic drooling-at-the-mouth moment...Sarah Michelle Gellar is (or was) a total babe. Especially with all those skirts and knee-high boots. Mmm... ;)

Be seeing you,
Steven