(DISCLAIMER: I am writing at 2:05 in the morning. Insanity may proceed.)
1. I am a 17 year old girl living in Austin, Texas, on the brink of my last year of high school. I am excited and terrified at this prospect, and wonder at my being properly prepared for "real life".
2. I sometimes find myself with a deep longing for the refinement and careful arts education of the past.
3. I want to have adventures.
4. I want to be most excellent.
In Chapter 8 of Pride and Prejudice, Caroline Bingley proclaims that, "[an accomplished] woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.'' (Mr. Darcy proceeds to throw in that a dame should also read a book or two to be thought so.)
Well, I would most certainly like to be accomplished. And perhaps the concept, my concept, of accomplishment is slightly different from that of an age sans indoor plumbing, but I'd like to be within those ranks nonetheless.
I'd like to be one of those six ladies Darcy knew.
And here's how I'm going to set about it joining their ranks.
Amongst other feats of greatness, I intend to:
1. Read the Miss Manners books cover-to-cover.
2. Attend a "Teen Musical Theatre Intensive" where I will sing! dance! act!
3. Bake some real live sandwich bread.
4. Take part in the Sketchbook Project.
5. Backpack across Europe.
Oh, it'll be cray-cray.
Class of 2011!!!
