A Girl With a Sword

don't worry about the government

It's been gloriously rainy in Columbia this week and I've been living on tea and toast this week, besides occasional visits to the local restaurants (I have a great neighborhood). Finally it's cold and now I remember why I live here, because cold isn't too fun. Makes you tense.

Hope came over here last night, to see the Dracula ballet. It was ridiculous, but hilarious. Lots of synthesizers, not much clothes, which seems pretty common for vampires. Also, apparently tossing one's hair is de rigueur for the women of the undead. After the ballet we went to see the new Elizabeth movie (we had to do everything all at once since Hope went home after church today). I liked it, the historical story and the subplot. Part of that might have been the costumes, but Cate Blanchett was amazing, and Samantha Morton as Mary Queen of Scots. And I have a weakness for stories of court intrigues. I honestly don't remember the first movie so I really can't compare them. I wonder if they'll do a third and bring in Edmund Spenser and Shakespeare and the dudes. Those were the good Elizabethan times.

And yes, we saw Stephen Colbert this morning. It was crazy at the horseshoe (USC's quad), so many people up so early. There was no stage or anything, so it was hard to see. People were climbing trees and steps to get a better view. People were holding signs, someone had one that said "I skipped mass for Colbert." They played The Battle Hymn of the Republic like twenty times, it seemed a little strange to me for South Carolina, but I think it was for the "his truth is marching on" part. There was a lot of call and response shouting in preparation for Colbert's appearance, but most of it just turned into "Go Cocks!" Then he came out and, after being named South Carolina's favorite son (today is officially Stephen Colbert Favorite Son day in South Carolina) and given a key to the city, he regaled us with his plans for when he becomes president. He will apparently crush Georgia, and Tennessee for good measure, and South Carolina will take it's rightful place as peach capital of the world (somehow he worked in shrimp capital of the world, too, but I can't remember where that came from). "South Carolina" he said, "in the 19th century they were the first to secede, in the 21st century they will be the first to succeed." "First to secede, first to succeed. I'm reserving the rights to that phrase, if you want to use it you have to pay me royalties." In closing he said, "I want to leave you all with our state motto--" "Go Cocks!" someone shouted. "I can't improve on that," he said, "Go Cocks!"