Peter and the Wolf

Today was great. I got to go see Peter and The Wolf. I love classical music. Honestly. Also, we went to go see The Incredibles, which was pretty funny. This was for Dad's birthday, which was today.
On a side note, wish me luck/courage because on Wednesday I might be face to face with embarassment or worse. I might see G. I need to get it over with, or I'll just worry my face off. And I'm much to cute to do something like that.

Cold=Very yes!

Hale Farm


These are some pictures from Hale Farm. Notice the really cute one of Baby with a red nose.

Tal and my party 

Collage from my birthday party 

Hale=hail

We went to Hale Farm today. It was very cold, but very fun. We went there with Blue and Two. The best part was a woman who was really convincing as a woman from 1805. I think it was 1805, anyway. She talked like she was from that time period, and let Edison and Monet use the flint to make sparks. She let us sit on the bed, and feel her rabit gloves. It was really cool. We told her we'd come back and visit her in the Summer. I hope we do. We also learned about maple sugaring. I got some maple sugar candy. It was expensive, but I couldn't resist.
The worst part was probably when a man asked Edison what 86 divided by 2 was, and he didn't know, and Mom said that I should have answered, even though he wasn't asking me. Yeah, and then everyone would call me a show-off. Catch-22. Really, how do you think I got my reputation for being a bossy know it all? Because I answer questions, because I don't want people to think I'm stupid just because I'm homeschooled. Geez. If I would have answered, I'll bet you Edison would have been mad, and said that I didn't even give him a chance, and called me a show off.
I just finished watching Sky Captain and the World of Tommorrow. It was okay. There were funny parts, but it wasn't the best movie I've ever seen.
I finished reading The Outcasts of some number Schuler Street by E.L. Koningsburg (I don't know if I spelled that right, but oh well), Darkest Hour by Meg Cabot, The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchet, The Unbrella Man by Roald Dahl, and I'm almost done with Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by I forget who. Does Lola remind anyone else of Anne of Green Gables?
Oh, I also just finished listening to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I also listened to an interview with him, and it was really interesting.
Here's what's weird. Realizing that someone you last saw as 10 years old, and either on your roof or offering to kiss his brother's butt in your honor (literally) is now 15. That's slightly scary.
I'm thinking of when I played soccer. I played for... 6 years. From age 5 until we moved. I think I was 11. Anyway, mostly the same people were on my team every year (one girl was on my team the entire time. We were tight, being pretty much the only girls regularly on the team). Dad saw one of the assistant coaches (father of the roof climber) the other day, and was telling Mom about it. Of course I know that I'VE changed a lot since then, but it's a real shock to think that everyone else probably has, too. I have a picture of the 97 team on my cork board. They're all MY age now, or older, even. Totally weird. I wish I could see them again. I never really even got to say goodbye to any of them. I moved over Summer, and Spring and Fall are when we played. They probably had no idea what happened to me.
Now I feel kind of sadish.
Maybe that's just sadistic.

Do do do!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAHEE!
That was fun. Even though I can't give her a present. Oh well.

The prodigal son returns

Except, of course, I'm not a son. I'm a daughter. And unless Mom is reading this, I'm not your daughter, either.
So, I had a great time at Tal's house. We played FIFA football (soccer) on his X-box, and although Nintendo 64 is ever so much better, it was a lot of fun. We also played X-men legends, which I wasn't too good at (I wasn't good at FIFA either, but whatever). It was a blast. I also watched The Two Towers extended edition, which was great. We realized that Orlando Bloom really only has about 5 different expressions total.
Tal gave me a traveling guide/phrase book to the Star Wars galaxy (AWESOME! BLOODY BRILL!) and also a little book to keep track of books that I want to read, recommend, or borrow. Oh, and Cranium Zigity (I think that's what it's called). I haven't played it yet, but it looks fun. I gave him a little notebook and a lego guy, Mom got him a journal.
Today I got 100% on a test, and also on a quiz. The quiz was Consumer Math, so I was pretty proud. The test was College Planner, so it wasn't as hard. I'm still bummed about getting a D on the Story of the Constitution, which sucked majorly.
Yesterday I watched Shark Tale, pretty funny even though Monet kept insisting that Will Smith and Eddie Murphy are the same person. Oh, and the little kids wouldn't stop talking. Today I was going to watch Sky Captain something something something, which EVERYONE I know has seen, pretty much, and liked a lot (except Mom, who saw it, and didn't like it very much). Turns out we have to go to bad about right now, because we're going on a field trip.
My lips hurt real bad.

I would put this on my sidebar, but it's too wide...

*HUGS* TOTAL!
give Bard more *HUGS*
Get hugs of your own

Yeah and bleh

So, I still don't feel TOO good, but I don't feel too bad, either. I got some books, too. Happy happy joy joy. At the library. And I need to go do some laundry, so ciao!
P.S. I CAN'T WAIT TO GO TO TAL'S HOUSE!!!!!!
I even got him a present. Finally. I knew what I wanted to get. So I got it.
Ha ha Tal, you don't know what it is. Nanny nanny boo boo.
By the way, Tal's birthday is the 22nd. So say happy birthday to him, either now or then. Or now AND then. Be happy, okay?

Laaaaaaaazy bones

Today I probably didn't do anything.
Actually, I did do something. I cleaned out from under my bed, started a scarf, talked to Kat (who didn't even TALK to G on Wednesday, let alone say something about me), and read Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones. I have to say, although I liked it, I think I may have to re-read it later, so I can catch everything I missed the first time, now that I know the ending. It was kind of confusing to me. Besides that I think I have a sinus infection (my teeth hurt, my nose hurts, my nose is stuffed, and my nose feels tight,) also a sore throat and a headache. That is SO not Jolly. At least it isn't my birthday.
Shawn is sending either me or Mom something in the mail, and I think it's me. I think maybe it's a bomb, or possibly poison. I'm getting kind of worried. I'll probably get it Saturday. Except I won't be here Saturday, so I'll get it Tuesday. Because I'll be at Tal's over the weekend + Monday. And yes, I did just use a plus sign instead of simply typing the word. And yes, I am really lazy. And no, I don't need to get a life.

Okay, maybe I do. I think this one's broken. Irreparably. Possibly the sanity section.

Uhyup.

That pretty much sucked

I'm here. Unfortunately. Not that I don't like my family, or anything. I just kind of was looking forward to going to Kat's today, that's all. Everybody (including me) has a cold, so Dad didn't go to work, so I didn't go to Kat's. I had a pretty bad day other than that, too. Headache, disapointment, lots of work, and a D in History of the Constitution led to a breakdown. The only really good thing that happened today was that I didn't have to face G. Of course, now I have NO idea what Kat said to him about me, if he was at church. That could be a bad thing. It probably is.
For good news, I finished Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and that other guy that I always forget. I'm in the middle of The Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett (which is really really good so far). Um, that's pretty much it for me.

And I want to thank so-and-so for my success as a person...

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO:
Mom and Dad, of course, for managing to put up with me in my "purple moods," and also for all the awesome presents you gave me.
Tal, for being a REALLY GREAT SUPER FANTASTIC friend for practically my entire life, and only complaining when I throw things at you or get mad for no reason (which, thankfully, was a while ago), and also for sending me a E-card that was really sweet.
Grandma Mom and Grandpa, for sending me Napoleon Dynamite, Train, and Drops of Jupiter (which I just got today,) and also for being grand in general.
Silverstar, for mentioning my in her blog, and wishing me a happy birthday and all the other cool things you've done (like those avatars).
Dahee, for being really funny and also pretty weird, and now that I think of it, pretty scary in general.
Em-Bot, for being cool, and starting Bob, and IMing me to talk about burnination, thongs, and cooking.
Wennie, for letting me call you Wennie, and kicking boys, and telling me I'm not THAT old yet. Bean, for E-mailing me, and calling me, and being a great long-distance friend. You're SOOOO cool, Bean.
Kat, (who probably won't ever read this, but who cares anyway?) for standing by me, even when you were probably mad at me for teasing you and telling you that I had a door in my closet when I really don't. Also letting me repeat stories when I don't know I already told you.
Ash, (who will also probably never read this) for being like an older sister to me, and hanging out, and not teasing me when I told you about TU, and letting me practically live with you at certain times in the year.
Lil sis, for calling me today even though you're probably really busy, and talking about growing up and Napoleon Dynamite.
Edison, for the candy, and going with me to sell cookie dough, and being cool sometimes and not always being mad at me, and reading The Last Hero so I have someone to talk to about it.
Monet, for being sweet most of the time.
Sweetheart, for not being too old to cuddle every once in a while. Even if you DO think I lock my friends in my room while they're here.
Baby, for watching Prairie with me (and liking it).
I think that's pretty much it.

Get ready for the big one!

I'm kind of sorry I didn't post Friday, Saturday or Sunday, but kind of not. Friday night Kat came over (and gave me my birthday presents which I will divulge in a minute.) Saturday we picked up Ash, and Sunday Ash went home, and Kat stayed. It was a TON of fun, and I wish all of you guys reading this could have been there, too.
Item One: Kat's presents.
She gave me two bookmarks, Exodus Plus One CD (where they turned cool and I like them), and a picture.
Item Two: The picture.
An unfolding drama that I haven't posted on my blog. Haven't you missed out. A few weeks ago (right after the retreat) Kat confided in me that she asked G (I guy who I've pretty much liked for a while but hardly ever see) if he liked me, and he told her that I was "cool, pretty, and will probably be a good bass player once I learn how." I kind of wish she hadn't asked, because he probably thinks I asked her to ask, and I didn't. Besides that, it's kind of immature. If he really liked me, he'd probably tell me. Anyway, I figured this was Kat embellishing a story, and wasn't even sure she actually asked him in so many words. Then came Friday. She gave me a picture of him. No biggie, right?
He signed it. She told him I like him!
She also told him that I said I wanted him in a box for my birthday (which I'm pretty sure I didn't, and even if I did, I didn't want him to KNOW this fact). Now I'll bet he thinks I'm a freak. At least Kat means well. I'm going to her house this Wednesday if all goes well tomorrow, so I'm kind of dreading seeing him. Since he'll probably avoid me like the plague, I might not have too much to worry about.
Saturday we ate at Panara Bread (totally yummy) and then got Ash. We went to the mall. I ended up getting three sets of earrings, hair clips, and one shirt. Oh yeah. I couldn't find anything that:
a) I liked,
b) fit, or
d) was decent to wear in public.
The one shirt I got was awesome, though. It was a boy's shirt which goes to show you how bad women's fashions are getting, it was the only non-see-through thing I found there that wasn't a extra-small. It's brown, and says "Night Owl," and it's got a pink outlined owl. Tis great. I got rocker earrings (electric guitars in pink, purple, and blue along with studs of the same colors), monkey earrings, and some hoops with blue beads. Also a cute big sis/little sis necklaces for Sweetheart and me. Ash gave me a foam heart-shaped box that she painted and put stickers on, and filled it with candy. Edison gave me a box of chocolates. Mom and dad gave me:
A CD player (In the words of Napoleon Dynamite "YESSSSS"),
Reliant K CD, Mhmm (or whatever)
Toby Mac CD, Welcome to Diverse City,
Chocolate covered cherries,
PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beanie baby monkey,
Season Four of LHotP!!!!!! W00t!!!!!! Pa, here I come!
Tinkerbell poster,
and Mom said there are more things coming (probably in the mail).
That night we ate Chinese food, and Blue came up to teach us how to use chopsticks. Ash and I both had to know before the 19th for choir, by order of Mrs. Jay. It was really good. The whole way home we sang along with the songs on the radio. Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson came on every time we listened. Also How Far is Heaven. Weird. We stayed up late watching PotC plus all deleted scenes (Bloody stupid Will) while Kat mooned over Johnny Depp, and Ash said she wished Orlando Bloom would say "Ash" to her the way he says "Elizabeth" in the beginning. I said I wished they'd stop talking about those two losers, and talk about someone cool. That earned me some really great glares.
Sunday we went to Target, where I had better luck with clothes. I got a red t-shirt that has Marvin Martian, and says "You, off my planet," a dark pink one that says "Where the Wild Things Are," and has the Wild Things. I like the Wild Things. I also got a green shirt that says "A wise man once said 'I don't know, go ask a girl.'" Talk about cool. In addition to that, I got pink sweatpants and toe socks with monkeys and also lipstick. We went to Don Pablos after that, where a series of funny things happened. Mom called me a salsa hog (to the waiter). He came back and gave me my own thing of salsa. I ate that, and half of Mom's while Kat and Ash had only eaten less than half of their shared one. He commented on that, then brought me another salsa, and stuck a straw in it. Mom told him it was my birthday, so he brought a dessert thing to go. While we were waiting for that (Mom was paying at the front) I accidentally spilt a full glass of water. A guy came out to clean it up saying that he was the calvary. Immedietly pointed to me, and said "She did it." He laughed, and told me that he would clean it up, as long as it never happened again. I vowed that I'd turned over a new leaf. He asked what we were doing for Valentine's Day, and Ash said that we were celebrating my birthday. He looked surprised, and said "Happy tommorow birthday," just as I said "It's the day after tommorow." He laughed, tried to change what he was saying at the last second, failed. He jokingly told us that "I suck at this, I'd better go back to mopping." He did, and asked us if we were doing anything else. There was a pause, so I said, looking at the others "Well, I'M not." They all laughed at me, and Ash teased. The cleaner-upper-guy wished me a happy birthday, and left. Kat later insisted that he was flirting, I think he was just being nice. Besides that, he was in his 20s, and we were all minors.
After that we saw Finding Neverland and some really annoying people sat behind us. They threw popcorn at each other, and wouldn't stop talking loudly. GRRR.
Then tonight we picked up Tal and his brothers, and took them to the choir pizza party. It was fun. When I got into choir, TU started playing This Love, by Maroon 5, on the piano really well, and we all laughed and sang along (mostly at the "Oh oh ohs,"). Now here I am.

For the HUNDRETH TIME,

*exasperated sigh*
My siblings have been watching Princess Diaries 2 for most of the day. Over and over again. I didn't really like it the first time (Nicholas was okay, but definately no Michael, and so not nearly good enough. Besides that, it was WAY less original than the first one, and the characters acted different. It reeked of sequelism.), now I'm thouroughly sick of it. *gags* The only parts that remain funny are:
Any Parts with Lionel,
Mia Stomping on Nicholas' Foot, and
When They Fall in the Fountain, and the Fight Directly Afterwards.
Other than that, I'm gagging. Raven. RAVEN?! What is this world coming to, when RAVEN gets to sing with Julie Andrews? It's going to the dogs. Or really awful actresses, anyway. Hillary Duff's next, I can feel it. Princess Mia's new best friend.
Now the song Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson is stuck in my head. Fairly good song, but so easily caught in your brain.
Brain, not bran.
Today was pretty much a bust for me. I finally finished Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkein. Finally. Also finished The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett and Reunion by Meg Cabot last night. Now I'm reading Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and another guy that I forget his name. It's really good so far. I also did a ton of cross stitch. That's pretty good. Also finished the second skein of yarn, and am pretty well into the third. More than halfway done.
I'm re-reading my post, and have realized that I lead a pretty usual life, for the most part.
I am so a Hobbit in life.
Tal is taller than I am. My world is crumbling before my eyes. I think I'm short. I'm doomed.
Hobbits are cute, though. I like them. Pippin is cool. Sam is, too. Frodo's kind of a weirdo. Merry's kind of just there, for the most part. He's okay. Pippin is way better. But what do you expect? He's a Took. Tooks are just a notch above the rest of the world. I think I'm probably a Took. I will be, anyway. After I marry Pippin.
Muahahahahaha. Watch out, Pippin.

It's a wonderful life!

I just finished reading Pagan in Exile by Catherine Jinks, which was really good. So go read it.
Last night we watched Anne of Green Gables. I love that movie. I love the books, too. More, even. Anne is so dramatic, and Gilbert Blythe is so... Gilbert. And thak.
Apparently, the only way to get a boy to like you is to hate his guts. Just look at how many books that happens in. Howl's Moving Castle, Dianna Wynne Jones, (to some extent) All American Girl, Meg Cabot (not hate, exactly. Indifference.) and about a thousand others. Too bad I'm really bad at hating people's guts, I guess. I'll probably have a lot of friends for that reason, though. Maybe I should smash a slate over TU's head. But I'd have to have a reason.. And a slate. I'd definitely need a slate.
I did a lot of laundry today. I bet you aren't really interested. That's okay. Neither am I.
I also cleaned my room. It wasn't too bad, just needed straightened.
I only have an hour and a half left of The Two Towers. I worked on Shawn (Kat's mom's) scarf. I'm almost done with the second skein of yarn. There's three.
That reminds me. I can now safely tell you what I gave my friends for Christmas, because I finally gave Tal his. Scarves. Ash's was blue with bright green eyelash yarn (kind of like the one I posted a picture of, only bigger), Tal's was blue, and Kat's was HUGE and variegated, with an overall color of reddish. I might post pictures, I might not. It all depends on my mood.
Yeah.

Book time! W00t!

Yeah, I pigged out majorly at the library. Last night I finished Wendy by Karen Wallace (I think that's the author's name. I'm too lazy to look it up on the library site) and The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine, which was a re-read. It was okay, but not nearly as good as Ella Enchanted. I'm still suffering from the travesty of the movie's storyline.
I started reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and also Pagan in Exile by Catherine Jinks. It's the sequel to Pagan's Crusade, a truly funny book. Pagan is so sarcastic and realitic, it's great. I borrowed 8 books, one book on CD, and two DVDs. I'm all stocked up. Happy happy joy joy. I can't wait to read them all! (I'm such a loser...)
I lost my library card, and was freaking out because I couldn't find it anywhere. I figured it must have dropped out of my pocket in the driveway, and I thought I would never see it again. Then Edison said that he'd picked it up and given it to me. He hadn't given it to me. It was on his shelf. *sighs*
Today we went on a field trip with Blue and Two to the post office. I know that sounds kind of boring, but it really wasn't. There were all these machines that spit mail into boxes and stuff. It was (to borrow Mom's phrase) way mobie cool. I don't know what mobie means. But whatever.
My birthday is in ONE WEEK. I'll be 15. When I was little, I thought 15 was grown up. *snorts* Little did I know.
I guess I'll just sit here while my life flows away. Or something.

Close up on my hair. 

I'm not a morning person. At all. 

More me. 

Isn't she lovely? 

Stolen from Emmo

Bold ONE from each list that most describes your personality.

STRENGTHS

1. Adventurous, Adaptable, Analytical or Animated (although Animated would probably work too.
2. Persistent, Persuasive, Playful, or Peaceful
3. Submissive, Self-sacrificing, Strong-Willed, or Social (none of the above, really.)
4. Considerate, Controlled, Competitive, or Convincing
5. Reserved, Respectful, Refreshing, or Resourceful
6. Satisfied, Sensitive, Self-Reliant, or Spirited
7. Positive, Planning, Patient, or Promoting
8. Sure, Shy, Scheduled, or Spontaneous
9. Orderly, Obliging, Optimistic, or Outspoken
10. Friendly, Faithful, Funny, or Forceful
11. Daring, Detailed, Diplomatic, or Delightful (Um, maybe?)
12. Cheerful, Consistent, Cultured, or Confident
13. Idealistic, Independent, Inoffensive, or Inspiring (Does that mean I imagine a perfect world, or that I'm ideal? Because I mean the former.)
14. Demonstrative, Decisive, Dry-Humored, or Deep (Not really any.)
15. Mediator, Musical, Moving, or Easily Mixing
16. Thoughtful, Tenacious, Talkative, or Tolerant
17. Listening, Lively, Leading, or Loyal
18. Contented, Chieflike, Chartmaking, or Cute (Oh so very cute.)
19. Perfectionistic, Pleasant, Productive, or Popular (I think I'm pleasant, but I'm really not any of the others.)
20. Bold, Bouncy, Behaved, or Balanced

WEAKNESSES

21. Blank, Bossy, Brassy, or Bashful
22. Unforgiving, Unsympathetic, Unenthusiastic, or Undisciplined (I don't think I'm any of these.)
23. Reticent, Resentful, Resistant, or Repetitious
24. Fussy, Fearful, Forgetful, or Frank (so totally both.)
25. Insecure, Impatient, Indecisive, or Interrupting
26. Unpopular, Uninvolved, Unpredictable, or Unaffectionate
27. Headstrong, Haphazard, Hard to Please, or Hesitant
28. Plain, Pessimistic, Proud, or Permissive
29. Angered easily, Aimless, Argumentative, or Alienated
30. Naïve, Negative, Nervy, or Nonchalant
31. Worrying, Withdrawn, Work-obsessed, or Wanting Credit
32. Too Sensitive, Tactless, Timid, or Talkative
33. Doubtful, Disorganized, Domineering, or Depressed
34. Inconsistent, Introverted, Intolerant, or Indifferent
35. Messy, Moody, Mumbling, or Manipulative
36. Slow, Show Off, Stubborn, or Skeptical (I'm not outwardly either of these, I'll pretend that I agree just to end it, but it's really hard to actually change my mind once I've made it up.
37. Loner, Lord over, Lazy, or Loud
38. Sluggish, Suspicious, Short-Tempered, or Scatterbrained
39. Reluctant, Restless, Revengeful, or Rash
40. Compromising, Critical, Crafty, or Changeable (mostly of myself)

What color is most reflective of you? Purple. Dark purple.
How did you get the idea for your diary name? Uh, I blog, and I'm barmy.

What time were you born? 2 something.

Has the death of a celebrity ever made you cry? Not really.

What color underwear are you wearing? Stripeity.

Do you want a baby? Not at the moment.

What does your dad do for a living? Manages well drilling.

What does your mom do for a living? Takes care of us kids.

What is your pet's name(s)? Hobbit, Potter, Gred, Forge, Isis, Pippin. (Okay, Pippin is Sweethearts, but who cares?)

What color are your bedsheets? Purple.

What was the last movie you saw? Babes in Toyland. *gags*

Who do you dislike most at this moment? Hillary Duff.

What food are you craving right now? None.

Did you dream last night? I don't remember. I think so.

What was the last tv show you watched? Gilmore Girls? Unless ones on DVD count. If so, LHotP.

What is your favorite piece of jewelry? Unsure.

What is to the left of you? A wall.

What was the last thing you ate? Pasta and garlic bread.

Who last IMed you? Emmo, I think. It was a while ago.

Do you have a crush? Several.

What is his/her name? Like I'd tell YOU. Idiots.

When was the last time you cut your hair? Like a week.

Are you on any meds? Not that I know of. (Mr. Bean moment.)

Do you have a mental disease? Oh yeah. Paranoia, Pantaphobia, Multiple personality disorder, ADD, OCD, and I'm probably forgetting something.
In actuality, no.

What shirt are you wearing? Camp t-shirt.

What time is it? 11:11 PM. Awesome.

What color is your razor? Purple. I'm so COOLIO.

What is your fave frozen treat? Ice cream cake.

Whats your favorite shopping store? Target, I think. Borders. Ha.

Are you thirsty? Not really. I chugged a bunch of water at dinner.

Can you imagine yourself ever getting married? Not really. Vaguely. But probably no.

My and my Hair-o. 

My loverly scarf that I made by myself. 

Is my head still here?

Because a certain young ruffian (Edison) decided to hit me really hard in the head, I have a head ache. I also have two burn marks on my hand, a hurt finger, a boily thing on my elbow, a bruise on my knee, and a scratch on my ankle.
I only know how a few of these ailments came to be.
So guess what! In addition to the going-over-to-Tal's-as-soon-as-Mom-calls-to-work-out-the-details, I get to go shopping, movie seeing, eating, and general hanging outness with Kat and Ash next Saturday. I don't usually like shopping, but I really need some clothes, and I think I'm going to actually try using fashion this time. So that's good. I don't know what movie we're going to see, but probably a good one. I wish Willy Wonka was out, but unfortunately, it's not. I wonder what's on...
So, fashion tips in accordance to my personality, anyone?

Damage Control

Mom and Dad went out on a date tonight (hence the late posting). I didn't really have to do much while the kids were up. Put on the Music Man and read for a while. Despite the fact they complained about my choice of movie and swore they wouldn't watch it (except Baby, who doesn't really care), they were all quickly sucked in.
It was only AFTER a decent hour that I had anything to do.
I was heading up to bed, and Pop asked what my parents were doing. This was after they had been gone for at least 3 1/2 hours. He apparently thought (though Mom told him otherwise before they left) that they were just driving Amish. I told him they were on a date, and wouldn't be back for a while.
"How am I supposed to ride my bike?!" I had such a hard time not saying "With your legs, what do you think." I had the vague feeling that would not have gone over very well. I told him I would watch Baby, and he left, I though he was actually riding his bike. I put on LHotP, and settled in for some quality time with my little sister, instilling adoration of Pa in her from a young age. About a half an hour later (just when the plot was thickening) he came back up. He hadn't even started riding his bike yet. He put on Care Bears for no apparent reason, and relaxed in a chair. I figured he was only going to let Baby get used to him so she would cry when he left (he does this often) but he sat there for another half an hour. I finally asked him if he was going to ride his bike or what. It was about 10:00 by then. I was kind of tired, but mostly wanted to read. He told me childishly that it "wasn't time yet." I finally got fed up, and told him if he was going to make me stay up for some ridiculous amount of time, I was going to bed. He threatened to call Mom and Dad and tell them to come home, but whatever. He wouldn't do it. He called up five minutes later and said that Baby was asleep. He put her on my beanbag, and I went downstairs for a drink.
Disaster area.
The first thing I noticed was the popcorn all over the floor. Not good.
Late night clean ups are NOT good for sanity. I think I had a nervous breakdown. Lewis (our black lab) kept pushing on the dog door, and I thought it was either:
A) My mother, who was going to kill me repeatedly because of the mess the kitchen was in, or
B) A robber, coming to steal everything in the house, and kill me because I was in the way. I couldn't figure out what was worse.
I have a weird way of cleaning.
Pick up dish. On the way to sink, pick up paper. See other paper in different part of the room. Go and get it. Still carrying dish. Drop dish of at sink, on the way to getting dress off of floor. See popcorn. Note to self: clean that up soon. Lewis comes in. Have heart attack. Recover. Wonder if Lewis will eat popcorn. Fiercly think at dog "eat popcorn." Dog licks leg. Sigh. Wipe down table. Pick up other dress. Wonder briefly what Sweetheart's dress and Edison's boxers are doing on kitchen table. Decide I'd probably rather not know. See the sink is full of dishes. Put away dishes in dishwasher. Think that the washer (protesting quietly upstairs) is garage door. Drop book. Recover. Notice spot on spoon. Figure no one else will see it. Put spoon away. Washer begins to protest loudly. Run upstairs proclaiming "Oh, great" under my breath. Balance washer. Plead with Edison to fold some clothes. Edison presumably sees spark of madness in my eye. Obliges. Run back downstairs and finish dishes. Notice popcorn. "I really have to clean that up." Baby is awake and screaming, probably because she doesn't know where she is, and the lights are off. Run upstairs. "Baby's awake," Edison tells me. Gee, I think, How did you ever know? Get Baby's pajama's on. Sweep up Popcorn. Put on Frost the Snowman. Try not to fall asleep. Eat some croutouns. Feel guilty. Eat a yogurt.
Pop finally got done, and I went to my room and finished Alice, I think. Hated it.
Hey, at least the kitchen is clean.

In Which Bard Plunges Her Hand Into a Scalding Pizza

Talk about pain. My knuckles are pinkish, and slightly itchy. On a brighter note, I finished reading A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. It was pretty good, though also creepy. Poor Pippa. I'm now reading Alice, I Think, and the author (Susan Juby) seems to think that homeschoolers are either completely unhinged and hippies or uber religious and tell you that you're going to Hell. I know for a fact this isn't true, because I am only unhinged in a good way and the same thing with my other homeschooled friends, my parents are not hippies, I don't even know any hippies, and I wear pants rather that skirts.
Not to say that all homeschoolers are as well-adjusted as I am, some of them are weird. But geeze, no wonder there are so many misconceptions about homeschoolers. The book is funny, though. I have to say that.
My hair is wet. I think I'm a hermit. Or monk, or something. I'm usually secluded. And I rather like it. It also might be the fact that I've hardly had any time to myself lately.
Yeah, that's it. I've been busy.
11 days until I hit my golden birthday. 15 on the 15th. Amazing.

Ta-da!

I break from poor-me posts. Today was okay, if a little frustrating at times. I had a buttload of chores to do, and I ended up doing just about all the get-ready-for-guests chores. I'm totally not kidding. I wish I were. Edison, Mom and Dad were gone most of the day, while Sweetheart, Monet and Baby didn't do anything. Not only that, but they made more messes. But I managed to snag a few minutes to chill out (even though I got in trouble for going off to my room when there was stuff to be done. I was going to explode if I didn't get a minute to myself, so it was worth it) then Nita and her parents plus Du and Blue and Two (I don't remember what I called her before, now she's Two because it rhymes). They played a game whilst Nita, Edison and I attempted to watch LHotP (Little House). After a while the other kids made WAY too much noise (not nose or noiser, like I tried to type) so we migrated to my room, where Nita watched me play Jetpack on my good old Windows for Workgroups 3.0. That thing is SO OLD. I'm the only one in my family who knows how to use it. I'm going to have to make a floppy of all my stuff from the downstairs puter so I can use it upstairs. No dolls or stories up there yet. Annoying.
I also ate more cake and ice cream than was good for me, and now I feel twice my usual size (and that's saying something). My fingernail is actually finally showing signs of growing back. I'm amazed.
Guess who's turning 15 in 12 days! ME! W00t. I'm soooooooooooooo cool. Because I am. And I'm going to go shopping with Ash and Kat, spend the night at Tal's soon (I'll call you ASAP, Tal) and whatever else. Here's what I want for my birthday:
Radio,
Train CD(s),
Jars of Clay CD(s),
Gift certificate to Borders,
Probation lifted,
Bookshelf,
Whatever poster Mom was talking about,
Jeremy Sumpter in a box,
Toby Mac CD(s),
Teen Idol,
Playmobile stuff,
Napoleon Dynamite,
PotC,
Skills,
Willow,
That guy in PD 2 drawn and quartered (The scalliwag. Michael was SOOOOO much better),
Various other stuff that I can't really remember.

Why do I continue to be surprised?

I mean, it's not like it's ever happened before. Something I was looking forward to got screwed up through no fault of my own. I shouldn't have gotten so excited.
Today we went to the senior center. I was completely prepared to read poetry to some of the residents, and had been working on choosing poems that I thought they'd like for two weeks, and even reading most of them out loud to myself to prepare. I was really hyped about it, because I've been wanting to get the nerve up to do something for the community, and bothered that I hadn't really done anything useful yet. The woman I spoke with seemed really excited about it, and said that the residents would love it.
Apparently they didn't love it as much as she thought. No one showed up. I ended up going to watch Edison do magic tricks, and pretending that I didn't want to go off and cry somewhere.
It wouldn't have been so bad if I had not wanted to do it, and was only doing it because Mom asked me. I actually wanted to help someone. I'm not really good at anything (I don't have any skills, as Napoleon Dynamite would say) and I'm not wonderful at reading aloud, but at least I like it. You have no idea how hard it is for me to get excited about being all alone, helping seniors. I usually avoid strangers like the plague.
It also wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for Edison. He was just getting his stuff together this morning, and learning new tricks. He ended up doing a lot of repeats, and messed up on one. Guess what.
A) Everyone just laughed when he messed up, and it was no biggie. For me, everyone would just stare, and I would feel like a failure,
B) He had a whole room full of people,
C) Almost none of them were the same from the last time, so they didn't care that he'd done the tricks there.
You know what? He's got another gig in two weeks, and I can tell you for sure, he's not upstairs practicing, and he probably won't. Until the morning of the 17th, when he's going there again. But everyone will still love him, and not care that he did the same tricks, and had to set everything up right before he did it. I'll tell you something else. I'll get ready for reading again, and no one will show up. They'll all be watching Edison. That's the way it always works.
Come on, who would rather listen to some stupid, stuttering 14 (by then 15) year old read boring old Browning and Kipling when they could watch an entertaining, suave 13 year old do magic tricks?
Other than me, that is.

At the library, you will find...

Yippie! Mom paid off the fines on my library card, so I could get books out on my own card. Speaking of books, I just finished Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, which was really good, but more than slightly depressing. I also finished Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones. Re-read. Wonderful. Blade is my hero. Besides that he's thak, to borrow my dear friend Bean's word. It means hot. Mom always tells me to stop using the word hot, so I guess thak is a good alternative.
Um, I think I'm going slightly mad. But no loss, right? Besides that I'm getting paranoid about stupid things, and worrying about stuff beyond my control. Gosh, I'm such an idiot.
We were going to go to church tonight, but Mom had to drive, and then get dinner ready, so we didn't get to go. I'm disappointed. I'm deeply feeling the need for spiritual guidance. I can't seem to do anything right, anymore. Even the things I do that might be right, I'm afraid I'm doing it for the wrong reasons.
When I went to the retreat, we made a list of things we wanted to get rid of in our lives, and threw it in the fire. Everyone else seemed to be really happy about it, as if that was all it was going to take. I felt like I was the only one who was depressed about it. I know from expirience that just saying you're going to do something doesn't do anything to the problem. Every time I come up against something I put on my list, I have to fight hard not to lose my temper, or whatever else I put on it. I feel like the ashes of my paper are still floating around me, giving me a hard time. Sometimes I forget, and do something wrong anyway, which results in me feeling even worse.
Sometimes I think I'm the only one who can't seem to get it...
So forget about the pity party for me. Gotta look happy, or whatever. I am mostly happy, but there are some things I just can't seem to ever get right, no matter how many times they come up.

Whatever I want, gosh!