What's Making Me Happy Today

After my slightly ranty post yesterday, I figure you're all in for a happy post. Like what's making me happy. Because I'm too busy to write up a very good post, this is going to rely on youtube videos. Just warning you. :)

1. Blue glasses! (yes, that is me. With my glasses.)

2. NaNoWriMo: also known as "that crazy thing where you write a ton of words in a month."

3. Rick Rolling people. ;) (Search it if you don't know what it is.)

4. Flash mobs! And all hail the youtube videos:

I don't have any idea how someone can watch a flash mob and not smile. It's impossible for me. :)

5. Vacations! I get to go on one tomorrow! I'm going to Wisconsin. And I'm not doing any homework there. None. Nada. The big goose egg. And I'm going to be gone until Tuesday... That means I get to skip Monday! *wheeeeee*

6. Getting all my Western Civ homework done two days after the class was. Need I say more?

7. Triangles.

8. New music on my ipod.

9. The library, which I might go to today! Wouldn't that be awesome? I could get.. Books! And music! and that would be amazing.

10. Being happy in the first place. :)

Time Management, And I'm Not Feeling so Hot.

So, hey guys! I know you're all waiting for me to post my rebuttal of the ehow "disadvantages of homeschooling" since I've told no one about that except for my mom and my sister so of course you'll know about it, but sorry.
It's already probably about two pages long, and I'm only a third through.
You'll have to wait for the post of doom.

No, today I'm putting up something about those two words all teenagers dread...

Time Management

Whatever teenager does not get filled with despair when they hear those obviously are either brilliant, or they have completely given up and spend all day sitting in front of the computer. Like me.

But wait!

Maybe I'm not quite without hope. This morning, I woke up at 6:30, and decided that I was going to keep track of everything I do today and how long it takes me to finish. Why? Because it would be interesting. Because I always wonder where the time went to, and maybe I could find out. Because it's motivating and I really do want to get 8th grade math done with for good.

*cough*

(How's that for revealing some of my soul? I'm still in 8th grade math, and it stresses me out every day. *End of semi deep moment*)

So, I've been doing that. And it's pretty cool...

Except for the fact that today was not a typical day for me.

Why?

Because for the past few days, I've been feeling feverish and tired. My blood sugar seems to disappear at the drop of a hat, so I've already consumed most of the candy I got from the orthodontist. I've been sleeping more than usual, I've been more tired than usual. And let me tell you, this is not usual. I mean, sure. There are weeks when I get crabby and grumpy and tired.

But I've never felt this feverish before.

Besides that, I haven't wanted to eat.

I know, I know. Eating disorder alert, call the eating police.

But seriously.

It's not that I feel anorexic. I don't think I'm fat, and I don't make myself throw up. I still eat normal, regular meals... I just don't like them. I don't like bread anymore (too dry) or sandwiches (Same reason.). Milk tastes too sweet, and chips taste sandy. I don't want cake or cookies or anything.

No.

Let me take that back.

I want... Yogurt. And fresh vegetables. And fruit. And water. And that's about it. So, if anyone has noticed me eating strange meals (i.e. a can of kidney beans and not much else for lunch), that's why. Because it's too... dry.

Anyway, getting away from the stuff that might possibly make people concerned about me (psh), let me share a list of why I haven't been posting prolifically like I usually do.

1. I have way too much homework. And it seems like more since I have to get two Western Civ chapters done, write about four essay questions, do more math, get ahead in biology, and all that, before tomorrow, since I'm going to Wisconsin. For a vacation. (And for once I intend to be vacation-y.)
2. I've been having friends problems- some of them are being clique-ish (not naming names), and the others have dropped off the face of the planet or are not talking to me. I know, I know. Teenage social drama. And I had tried so hard to avoid it...
3. I've been too busy running my tongue over my new, un brace-afied teeth. Complete with birthmark! (Yes, birthmark on my tooth. It's.. distinctive.)
4. I've been watching Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.
5. I had Girl Scout bridging last night! I am officially a Freshman and a Senior at the same time. Isn't that awesome? ;)
6. Crazy piano lessons. (I could rant about that, too, but I'm not going to. Who really wants to hear someone rant? I mean, I bet most of you wouldn't mind, but who wakes up and says, "wow. I really want to hear Angela rant today!" ...that's what I thought.)
7. Crazy piano teacher.
8. Crazy stupid Burgmuller and his stupid Ballade. [/end mini rant]
9. Thinking about Girl Scout camp next year.
10. Cleaning my room.
11. Planning Christmas presents.
12. Stressing out about math some more.
13. Writing "Reaper" more...
14. Planning for 2011 NaNoWriMo! (Who else is doing NaNo this year? Or is no one else as insane as I am to be trying to get 50,000 words done in a month? Come on, you all know you want to turn into hermits attached at the hands to your keyboard!)
15. Making too many lists about why I'm not posting. ;)

I think that'll hold us for a while...

A Comic I Clipped Today

So, I don't clip a lot of comics. Only the ones that, to be screwy, "speak to me".
I think this one "speaks" to... Everyone. :)

Got it from here.

I Was Really Tired. Sorry.

So, yeah. That was me. Sorry about the shrill giggling at the end, but that's what happened when you get a few girls together and have them film a movie until after 9 at night, and then have one of them mess up.
Why did she mess up?
Because this is improv, and hey. I didn't plan what I was going to say.

Finished Video

So, as you can tell by that blooper I posted last night.. We were filming!
What were we filming?
Roman Religions Survival.
(aka, let's watch Angela talk and see up her nose!)
Thanks so much to Mae, Valerie, Christina, Kenneth, and my mom for this video. :)

If Y'all Are Wondering What Angela Sounds Like Recorded...

I Speak Pterodactyl

One of the most interesting things about living with a 4 month old child is hearing them talk.

No. I don't mean words. No "mom" or "dad" or "Ongola" or "Nani" or anything like that. I mean, talking. With airquotes. So, "talking".

See, when Kenneth, my brother, was that old, he swore.
No, not words.
I mean, the sounds coming out of his mouth were exactly "baby swears". He was loud, and grumpy, and sounded something like "Schrush ghes WOIHGUH hihge! HIIGHELK!" and he would get mad. (Which was really funny, because, hey, have you ever seen a baby "swimming in his own chub" get grumpy? Very funny.)

Philip/PJ/Phil/PipSqueak?
He speaks pterodactyl.

In fact, sometimes he speaks so convincingly that we look around, expecting to see one of these in our living room/kitchen/bedroom:



By the way, I do not claim any rights on this image.

 But no. We, instead, see this:

Baby.
Not just a baby.
MY BROTHER.
Is a pterodactyl?

Because were are living with someone who speaks the ancient language of pterodactyl, my family and I are gradually learning it.
To say something, you generally pronounce it like this:

AAAAAAAAAAACHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
SQQQUUUEEEEECHHHHHHHHH.
HIIIIKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!
HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEE!

Say it with much gurgling in your throat.


Oh, and just to make my workbook friends really jealous, here is what I had to do for biology today:

Yes. This is a coloring page of an animal cell. I don't claim rights on the image... just on the coloring job. ;)

Scurvey Dog!

Angela, your pirate name is
Deckswabber Jacquotte the Bastard
What is YOUR pirate name?
Avast! Today happens to be Speak Like a Pirate Day, ye land lubber! As such, you should check out this link here to find out how to speak like pirate, what yer pirate name is, and what type of pirate you are!

Me ship's name? Arr! The Disgraceful Poison of the Caribbean be her name, ye dog! And that's not all...

You are The Quartermaster
You, me hearty, are a man or woman of action! And what action it is! Gruesome,
awful, delightful action. You mete out punishment to friend and foe alike
– well, mostly to foe, because your burning inner rage isn’t
likely to draw you a whole lot of the former. Still, though you may be
what today is called “high maintenance” and in the past was
called “bat-shit crazy,” the crew likes to have you around
because in a pinch your maniacal combat prowess may be the only thing
that saves them from Jack Ketch. When not in a pinch, the rest of the
crew will goad you into berserker mode because it’s just kind of
fun to watch. So you provide a double service – doling out discipline
AND entertainment.


Here is another quiz, for POTC personalities particularly (I'm:For 40 % you are: Hector Barbossa! You are smart (book smart and street smart!) daring and a bit crazy, but you get the job done. You tend to focus on the big picture through the facts at hand. You know how to make the rules work to your advantage! Your pet is your baby.
18.7400 % of 2508 Quiz participants had this profile! )
Can you be captain Jack Sparrow? (Test says... yes. I can be. xD )
Here's another one
and my results:




What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

Your result for The Find Your Pirate Personality Test...

Yellow Beard

You scored 18 Cruelty, 29 Greed, 22 Evil, and 33 Insanity!

Its all about being a pirate. You rape the Gold, kill the Women, and steal the men. Or is it rape the men, kill the gold, and steal the woman or something like that. Your proudest day in life will be the day your own son murders you. Now if you could just remember where you hid everything.

Take The Find Your Pirate Personality Test at HelloQuizzy

And another pirate name one... my results were "Captain One Eye" and "Evil Blackbeard".

Me thinks that's enough for ye bilge rats!
(Until next year...)

Anthropology

You know how you're walking along and then all of a sudden something happens and you go "I'm blogging about this"?
Or is that just me?
Well, that's beside the point. The point is- I had that happen about four times today. And instead of putting them all on seperate posts, which takes way too much time and effort, I figured I'd just put them all in one post and hope it makes some sort of sense. You all are smart. I'm sure you can figure it out.

So, our story begins at about 1:30, when my mom, Philip and I ended up at this library book sale. It's the last day, and it was 50% off today. Not the best price, but hey. $1 a book is about as cheap as you can get at Goodwill, and there was a much larger variety.
Anyway.

We were standing around, looking at these card game rule books for Christina, when these two worker people walked past.
Note, for this story, it is very important that you know that they were teen girls. (Also know that while I am making fun of teenagers here, and weeping for my generation, that in no means am I trying to be mean to these two girls.)
See, we were standing in the same aisle as they had the "Sociology and Anthropology" books.
Here is their conversation:

Teen one: Anthropology... What's anthropology?
Teen two: I dunnoooo... Um... I know it's a store? That sells skirts and stuff?

Okay, yes. There is a store called Anthropology, and yes, it does sell "skirts and stuff" as she mentioned.
But.
These books?
WERE NOT ABOUT A STORE THAT SELLS SKIRTS AND STUFF.
No, it was about the 'original' anthropology, which happens to be the study of people and of the behavior of different societies. (I've known that since I was about eight, when I read "Love, Ruby Lavender" which is an excellent book y'all should read.)

Okay. To be honest... No. The definition of anthropoloy didn't just leap into my brain when I read the sign. But on the other hand? It only took me about five minutes to remember what it was.
Oh, and if she had asked me, and I hadn't known the answer?
"I don't really remember, but I know it's a scientific study. Why don't you go over and figure it out?"

Anyway.
My mom and I finished looking at the books, and we went to check out.
Now, my mother had put me in charge of packing the books into this paper bag, and, not to brag, but I have mad packing skills.
I'm not even kidding.
You give me... 25 books and two cliffnotes and a computer game, and I'll get them all to fit into a single paper grocery bag. Even if they're big books.

Unfortunately, people do not understand my mad packing skills and seem to think that I'm an octopus. Or an alien. Or something.

So, checking out at rummage sales and bag days are always interesting.
This was no exception.

As they unpacked our books, to see how much we had to pay, one of the women looked at me and said
"I think I'm going to use another bag. I have no clue how you got these all to fit."

Like I said.
Mad packing skills.

Okay. Here I want to take a small side break and note a couple of the books that we got at the book sale for me. Why? Because I got quite a few cool ones. I'm only going to talk about... oh... Three or four of them, though.
First book:

Tooth and Nail. This looks really cool. In case you can't read the cover, it's a book for learning SAT words. But it's a mystery novel. Not a word list.
And the coolest part of this?
No, not that it cost $1.50.
No, the coolest part is that... I know a lot of these words already. Words like.. Subtle. Decrepit. Context. Commendable. Innovative. Tedious.
Get the picture?
Anyway, yeah. That's the coolest bit about that book.
Next book.

Abarat by Clive Barker.
Awesome book.
Marvelous characters.
Fantastic... pictures?
Yep! Clive Barker has illustrated all the Abarat books so far. (Which is part of the reason that they take so long to get out.) And the illustrations are AMAZING. I love them.
So. I have my own copy of Abarat now. :D
Next book.

Forgotten Realms: The Avatar Trilogy: Book One.
Okay. Okay. Call me a geek (I won't deny it.) Forgotten Realms are a bunch of books that are based off of the fantasy role playing game that you all know I'm avid about. Aka- Dungeons and Dragons.
The reason that this book in particular is so epic is that I had books two and three to this same trilogy, but they hadn't had the first book at Goodwill when I got them. Now I have it! That means... I have... This entire trilogy, the entire "Preludes" trilogy, two random books, and my moms copy of the first one of the first series. (Which were the first ones published, not necessarily the first ones in the... Time... sequence? If that makes sense?)
Oh. If anyone wants to read any of these books, I have a surefire way of finding their location in a bookstore/book sale/Goodwill.
Technique? Find the geekiest looking guys. You know... The Star Trek ones. Chances are they're looking at SciFi. And for some reason, they lump Sci Fi and Fantasy together, even though they're completely different genres. So, find the geeks, and you'll find the geeky books. Simple.

Moving on.
After we checked out, we went to Barnes and Noble to get Slaughterhouse Five, which is what I'm reading for my literature group next.
We got out of the car, and my mom picked up Philip to put him in the sling. As she picked him up, she said the second memorable quote of today:
"You are a stinky baby! Such a stinky baby! You smell like death!"
Just so you know, that is the first time I have ever heard anyone reference the smell of a four month old child to death.
Interesting how my mom's brain works...

Anyway, after we got the book, we got in the car, and went home.
Oh. One more thing quote, also from my mom, from on the way home:
"My college grades weren't great... Sure, there were things I could have done better. ...Actually attending classes, for one thing..."
Yeaaaaah... xD

Anyway, so I've been home now for about an hour... I wrote my name in all my new books (kind of an obsession with me, I write my name in all my books), and came upstairs, and wrote this blog post.
Brilliant.

Now, I'm off to write my own books (either Reaper or Illegal [aka, Morbid's book or Amanda/Gavin's book] I'm not sure which) and then down to do Western Civ (FOR FUN) and then to read other books, then to come upstairs and eat.
Wow.
I read a lot.
No wonder the SAT words aren't unfamiliar...

What Amuses Me

Is when I get comments on my blog saying "wow! That's so good!" or that I'm a good writer. Or that my work is funny. Or anything along those lines.
It's not that I don't like these comments.
In fact, they make my day/week/month (depending on what's happened in that space of time.)

But.

It amuses me because, generally, I don't plan out what I'm going to write. Sure, I have a loose outline in my head. I know the topic I'm writing on. I might generally have a few sentences planned.
But, really, it's whatever I happen to write down that gets posted. I don't generally go back and erase what I've written, and sometimes (like today) I get some crappy post that isn't going to get comments/be funny.

The other reason it amuses me is because I don't edit my posts. I don't go back and say "wow, that was a dumb comment I put in here about Angela being a psychic, maybe I should change that", because I'm lazy enough to skip it and I don't care if I've made a couple dumb remarks.
So what you people are saying is really good/funny?
That's my cruddy first drafts.  (There is a reason I always edit my books/stories at least once before letting someone read them.)

I just thought that was something I should mention. (Although, like I said, I do enjoy the praise. Who doesn't? xD )

Plan for today:
Math
Western Civ
Biology
Other Worlds

Wow. Math? Western Civ? AND biology? My three hardest subjects in one day!
Wish me luck...

G-L-A-S-S-E-S

I suspect that most glasses-less people go to the eye doctor dreading getting glasses.
Most probably want to keep their glasses-less face.

I am not most people.

For as long as I can remember, every time I went to the eye doctor, I wanted glasses. I was always disappointed when I was told that I didn't need them.

Today...
Was different.

I arrived, sat down, and noticed to both my horror and joy that I couldn't read the last line of letters.
Nope.
I could read the other four, but not the last one. I couldn't see it right. It was blurry and too small. I thought I could make out an "O" but I wasn't sure whether it really WAS an "O" or whether it was a "Q".

At the end of the appointment, the doctor said that I have a stigma in both eyes.

For those of you who don't know, that means that the lenses in my eyes are all wonky and I'm seeing things that are a slightly different shape. (So while the circle might look like this: O  I'm seeing it more like this: 0.)
This doesn't matter for most things, but for reading, it definitely does.
(And sightseeing, according to the doctor.)

So, guess who is getting glasses!

My brother!
And me. :)
:D


Ken has a problem kinda like double vision, where his eyes are both projecting a slightly different picture, and his brain has to work 3 times as hard to put the images together. Like my stigmas, it's not a big deal for larger objects (i.e. a car), but for reading it's very important.

So, next week, both Kenneth and I will have our glasses.

Ken will wear his glasses:
While reading
While playing piano
While playing video games

I will wear my glasses:
Whenever I'm doing homework
Whenever I start driving
Whenever I'm playing piano
Whenever I have to see something far away (that matters).

What The...?

Sometimes, one of the most interesting ways to get a laugh is to search your name, and then "is..." after it.
On google.
Or bing.
Or yahoo.
Or whatever search engine you use.

Here, for your reading enjoyment, are a couple of the weirdest things I get when I search "Angela is..."

Angela is a fictional character...

Huh. Who knew? I certainly different. If I am a fictional character, does that make my blog fictional? And if my blog is fictional, does that make my readers fictional? So are we all living in a nice big fiction book? That can't be, because there isn't nearly enough drama/conflict in my life to be a book. So if the book isn't fictional, maybe I am not? I don't know. It's confusing.

Angela has retired from modelling.

...Am I missing something?

Angela competed for the fourth time at the 2010 winter Olympics.

It's like a secret life, you know?

Angela is a hero.

I'm glad SOMEONE thinks so...

Angela spends most of her time writing books and screenplays.

And just as I start thinking that maybe these don't have anything to do with me, one just jumps out and reminds me that... Well... Maybe I AM a fictional character who used to model, is a hero, and competes at the Olympics while also writing books and screenplays in her spare time. (Come to think of it, that Angela sounds a lot more interesting that I am...)

Angela's pregnancy will not be without complications.

...I'm starting to worry about what happened in my secret life...

Angela is a Real Joy.

I don't know why that's capitalized, but I guess I'm glad someone thinks I bring joy... Or maybe I AM joy... hah! Take that!

Angela is a lingerie football league.

...I have not comment. Not one.

Angela is the 6th woman in the U.S. to have achieved IFMGA Mountain Guide Certification

Holy smokes.

Angela is unique, powerful and inviting- truly angel-like.

I'm not sure if I should be insulted.

Angela is calling you

I'm not even holding my phone and I'm calling you?! Maybe this should say "Angela is psychic"?

Angela is a nationally known, reputable and spiritual psychic...

...Forget I said anything.

Angela is popping up again in downtown Menlo park

I was unaware that I could do that!

Angela's Hooker biography

Oh dear.

Angela is rude.

Beg your pardon but we do not have spicy rice!*

*inside joke. Maybe I am rude... ;)

Angela is an angel and an experienced hellspawn and a bounty hunter.

My secret life is getting more and more... Interesting.

Angela was murdered.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Angela is a college student.

That's what the infamous past high school teacher named Heather thought...

Angela is back

Back from what? Staring blankly at the screen and saying "you have got to be kidding"?

This is angela... She hasn't quite realized prostitution is illegal!

I AM NOT A PROSTITUTE! [headdesk x 12]

Angela is the girl with the pretty red box in her hair.

I don't even have anything to say anymore.

Angela has done it all

According to the search results... Yes. I apparently have "done it all".

so, there you go.

Have a spare moment?

Search your name, and then "is..."

I guarentee that you will find that your secret life is far more... Interesting than you would have ever expected.

EVER.

Edit:  Another fun thing to do is search your name on encyclo.co.uk and see what you get.
Personally, I get to add "Angela is slang for a passive male homosexual" and "Angela is a cultured variety of potatoes" to my list.
Huh.
Potatoes.

It Gets Easier.

The biggest thing people complain about, on their blogs, about their blogs, in real life about their blogs, in email about their blogs, and so on..
Well, there are two things.
1. "I don't know what to blog about"
and
2. "I never seem to have the time to blog."

I guess for them, blogging is like getting a drink is for me.
See, I'm thirsty. I know I'm thirsty. I should drink. But
1. I don't know what to drink (I never seem to want just water)
2. I simply do not feel like getting up to get a drink of water.

So the result?
Well, in their case, it means that their poor blogs will go on being neglected and that their friends will eventually give up reading it.
In my case, it just means that I'll become dehydrated and get a horrible headache and get testy and grump at all my friends until I finally suck it up and get a drink of water.

But don't worry.
It gets easier.

I know that this is hard to believe. How, you may ask, does it get easier to
1. think of a post subject
2. compose a meaningful post
3. get the courage to post it out on the web where basically anyone can read it
4. actually post on a regular basis
how?
How does that work?

Well...
As everything..
The unfortunate answer is "practice".
I know.
I hate that one word too.

But let me tell you. After four years of blogging, after four years of struggling to figure out what to post about, I have finally gotten it down.
After four years?
It's easy.

Let me tell you, though, it has taken work. People expect me to be at least mildly funny in each of my posts, and if I don't have my "voice", chances are no one reads my post.
(For those of you who don't know, your "voice" is basically how you write your posts... If you take one of my posts and one of my friend's posts, and you stick them side to side and remove the names... I'm sure you'll be able to know which one I wrote. Just a guess.)

Here is a short list of what I have to try to get my posts to be:

1. Funny.
2. At least slightly witty.
3. Unique.
4. In my voice.
5. Not too long.
6. Not too short.
7. Interesting.

Here is a list of what my posts need to do:

1. Entertain.
2. Make people think.
3. Make people laugh.
4. Generate comments.
5. Retain my followers. (Y'all are awesome. :) )
6. Make me happy.
7. Allow me a chance to procrastinate.

So, you see, there's a lot I have to do in my posts. Of course, each blogger has different goals. Some of them aim to be deep, or poetic, some of them want to reveal truths about life, some of them simply want to tell people what they've been up to.

Whatever your goals are, there is a good chance you once or a while have no clue what to post and therefore don't.

That's a mistake.

In my experience, it's better to write a cruddy post, than not to write at all. Even your worst, most uninspired, uninteresting, unfunny, uninformative, pathetic posts, will prove a surprise (Sometimes).
I mean, I wrote a post apologizing that it was lame, and people still commented.
This just goes to show.

But anyway, the moral of this post is:
Keep blogging. It'll get easier to think up subjects. The writing process goes smoother. You'll become more confident that you are funny/smart-intelligent/entertaining/etc. You will increase the loyalty of your fans. Your creativity will be sparked.
So, yeah.
It gets easier.

And I apologize for the cruddy post. Just something I wanted to share. :)

Why I Nearly had a Mental Breakdown at Jewel the Other Day.

Angela stood in front of the refrigerated section, starting at the cheeses.
"Just find the refrigerated, Pillsbury rolls, okay?" her mom asked, handing her a coupon. "Get either the loaves or the bread sticks. I'm planning to have them and some soup for lunch one day."
Angela could barely nod her head. "Alright... Alright..." She glanced at her mom. "Where are they...?"
"They should be down there."
Angela nodded, and walked down toward the refrigerators where her mother had motioned. Scanning the shelves, she didn't see any of the iconic blue tubes that she knew held pre-made, refrigerated dough, made for lazy housewives and cooking-impaired dads who just wanted to get the food done for heavens sake.
"This cannot be happening," Angela muttered. She rubbed her head and tried to stop sweating. "Not this... Not after earlier..."
She flashed back about half an hour to when she, her mother, and her sister Monica had been leaving Michael's. She hadn't felt any better then, either.
"It's not like Monica's talking helped."
She remembered walking down the aisles at Michael's with her overly talkative little sister, trying to find the 'Jumbo bag of mixed buttons'. Not only had it been a complete and total failure, but she had to endure her sister's talking, which included things along the lines of, "Angela! Angela look! Leaves! Real leaves! Are those real leaves? Angela! ARE THOSE REAL LEAVES!" as they passed the fake flowers, or, "I don't want to hold your hand! Glue. Why is there glue? Is that glue? That's glue. Angela!" as they passed the foam aisle.
Angela blinked, the odd stare of a passer waking her from her dream.
"...Crud," she muttered, as her task came back to mind. "Dough... Crap... I don't see it..." She muttered under her breath. "Mommy.." She wiped at her eyes and tried to ignore the prickling sensation behind them. She felt very hot, and the world was starting to blur. The sounds of people talking and bickering seemed to reach all time high levels in her ears, and she felt tempted to sit down and start crying. She would have, too, if she had even felt a bit capable of movement.
"Mommy," she muttered again. "They're not here..."
Forcing her legs to move, she turned around and stumbled back down the aisle where her mom was.
"I can't find them.."

.....

There you go, folks. I didn't do a very good job describing it, but yeah. That's what happens when an introvert is over stimulated, exhausted, stressed out, and hungry.
Blurring and crying and over-emotional responses to random crap.
Moral of this story?
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, go to a craft store and then grocery store with a 4 year old. You will regret it, and come close to possibly having a mental breakdown in the middle of Jewel.

I Was Only Four.

When the two planes crashed into those towers, when the one plane crashed into the Pentagon...
When the heroes on flight 93 decided it was better to crash their own plane into a field in Pennsylvania, rather than to let the terrorists crash it wherever they were planning to...
I was only four.

I was in the car with my mother, and with Veela, on the way to my mother's doctor appointment. (She was four months pregnant with my sister Christina.)

I don't remember a thing.

All I remember is growing up with this fear of the date "9-11", with knowing that something bad happened then.

And honestly, the only way I really knew about it at all, or remembered, was because 9-11 is what you call when you have an emergency.

I'm thankful for that number.

Even though I don't remember the people who died that day, or even that day at all, I'm glad that I grew up with knowing that something bad had happened.

Something horrible and tragic.

Ten years later, and I'm 14.

I'm not going to lie and say that I'm patriotic and that I start crying when I say the Pledge of Allegiance. I don't get overly hyped up on Fourth of July, or on any of the countless days that we celebrate (or simply remember, on the case of 9-11)...
But I love my country.

And today, I almost started crying for those people.

Imagine.

Before that day, it hadn't happened.

Kids got up. Got dressed. Brushed their teeth.
They went to school.

Adults got up. They went to work. Maybe they died in the towers, or maybe they just got scared as they stood in a McDonald's and listened to the radio.

Either way.
Imagine waking up.
Imagine answering someone "what day is it?"
And not having that drop of the stomach when you realize what day it is.

That's the most horrible part for me. It's the fact that all those people, over 3,000, got up that morning with the full expectation that they were going to live through it.

It's that those firefighters went into the building knowing they were going to die.

And all those people who fought with them. Maybe someone had a teen, and they had ended badly. Maybe someone was worried they were going to get fired, or maybe they had just had bad news themselves.
A car crash.
Cancer.

But after that, it didn't matter anyway.

Sorry for the rambling post. It's kind of pointless, but I just wanted to do something for 9-11. I don't remember, but I remember.
I didn't ever know, but I can't forget, either.
I wasn't ever hating those people who did it, but I have to forgive them.

I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of America.
And to the republic,
For which it stands,
One nation,
Under God,
Indivisible,
With liberty and justice for all.

Pictures

Hello, salutations, heyza, hola, bonjour, konnichiwa... And so forth...

Last Monday my family went to "Cake on the Lake", which is basically this big party that's held at lake Michigan, by the rest of my family. It's a tradition... And it's fun...
Yeah.
And it's in September.

Usually, that isn't actually a problem. I mean, it's slightly chilly, but it's usually definitely warm enough you can walk around the beach in a swimsuit and go swimming, and it's not like, "WOW it's cold..."
Uh uh.
This time it was really frigid, and there were huge waves. (Huge waves = huge riptide = not safe), so no one went into the actual lake.

Pity.

Instead, we all huddled around a fire, and buried ourselves under blankets.
And wrestled on the sand.
Fun times.
(Except that my neck/back still hurts... Urgh.)

It was really weird, though, because we stuck our feet in the water, and the water was warmer than the air... Which NEVER happens... So that was really strange.

Either way, I have a few pictures from CotL that my stalker friends will all wanna take a look at. (*cough*Sheila*cough*)

And one more note before the picture-age.. Well... Two..

1. Yes, we are actually at the beach, that isn't just a dropcloth behind us.
2. Let me mention that when I say "the rest of my family", I mean... A lot of people. About 3/4 of my first cousins, a couple of my second cousins, some aunts and uncles, my family (hey, that's 8), my grandparents on my dad's side, family friends, cousins of my cousins... Random dudes who drop by... People. Lots. And lots. Of people.

Enter the picturage.



That's me.

 

Veela. She's much more photogenic.

And Christina.

The troll- I mean... Monica.

Reason #1 why my neck hurts.

Pretty beach.

Reson #2 my neck hurts.

Squish.

Kenneth!

Veela and I trying to squish each other. Epic fail.

Random picture at the end.



There you go, stalkers of mine. Pictures. (*cough*Sheila*cough*)

How to Ignore People

Are you sick of people telling you JUST TO IGNORE THEM? Do you hate it when you need to IGNORE SOMEONE but CAN'T?
Do you suffer from the INABILITY TO IGNORE whoever you want to?
Have you found yourself ANSWERING THE PERSON even though you swore you would ignore them?
If you've answered YES to any of the above YOU NEED THIS GUIDE!
The Guide is a COMPREHENSIVE, EASY TO USE guide for all of life's problems*.
Call 123-456-7890** to buy the guide for only $69.99!
This is our EXCLUSIVE DEAL!
Don't MISS YOUR CHANCE!
LAST CHANCE OFFER!

*The Guide is not guarenteed to prevent paper cuts, save your cat from a tree, or save you from a sasquatch.
**Like I always say. Not a real number. I think. Anyone want to try it and tell me what happens? ;)

Chapter One: How to Ignore People (The Right Way)

   Chances are good that you have been told at least once in your life to "just ignore them."

   Chances are also probably good that you have either been unable to resist making a sarcastic remark to them, engaging in regular conversation, or have been unable to stop them from getting on your nerves. You probably find yourself wondering why they tell you to ignore someone... When it's obvious that ignoring someone is never going to work.

   Chances are good you've never read this chapter before.

   It is, in fact, possible to ignore someone. If you ever find yourself zoning out while your mother is lecturing you, you are ignoring her. If you ever find yourself forgetting to respond to that text message, you're (accidentally) ignoring the person.

   But how do you harness that power? How do you channel it and actually use it to ignore your annoying sister? Or that jerk who sits next to you in class? How do you prevent yourself from screaming when someone continues to bug me?

   Well, chances are it changes from person to person. But the staff here at The Guide Inc. have found a few tried and true methods of ignoring someone.

1. Think about something else. This may seem obvious, but often times we are so caught up in ignoring someone, that we aren't. So, go ahead. Completely forget that someone is sitting there. Think about how you're flunking math. Think about what you'd do if an agent randomly came up to you and told you that you were going to become an international singing sensation. Tell a story in your head. Ask yourself impossible questions (Did the chicken or the egg come first...?). Go ahead.
2. Eavesdrop. If it's at all possible, focus on someone else's conversation. If your sister and her friend are in the back seat, listen to what they're saying. If your friends are having a conversation a few feet away, try to lip-read what they're saying.
3. Observe your surroundings. If there's no one to eavesdrop on, and you can't make yourself focus on thoughts, find something to look at.  Look at a tree. "Wow. That's a green tree." It's okay to sound obvious. After all, it's just in your head.
4. Get a song stuck in your head. This is another thing to focus on. Start singing a song in your head. Hum it out loud. Just focus on the song. Choose a really catchy one. If you already have a song in your head... Great! Just focus on the song, and chances are you'll get so caught up singing in your head that you won't notice what the person is saying.

   The last tip that we can offer is to focus on what is making you zone out when your mom is talking. Figure out what it is, and use it later.

   Have fun ignoring people...

   If you were even paying attention to this chapter, that is.