Sooooooo,

Top of the evening to you!
I am in quite a good mood. Have been for the past two days or so.
Just about ever since Friday, really. That was when Daly took me to an opera. It was fun. I'd never been to one before.
And I think they should sing a little more clearly.. It's sometimes hard to follow what they're saying. It may as well be sung in a different language.
But anyhow, I'm in a good mood.
Nothing can or will spoil it. I'm not letting anything.
Not even Master Vincent. But he was not particularly mean today, so that was fine.
But hey, I've got news!
Remember I have a mouse? Well I do. I actually have two mice.
The second one I got as a wee baby and they said it was going to be a girl. Well, not... Bronwen turned out to be a guy mouse.
Which is fine and dandy. Sim is a girl mouse.
But I don't like how Bronwen doesn't smell nice...
But that's beside the point.
Sim, my lady albino mouse, had 13 babies early Sunday morning!
I found this very interesting considering I had a pair of mice years ago and their first litter was just two pups. They always had small litters.
Well, Sim's first litter is 13 pups... Usually the first litter is the smallest.
She'll explode if she gets pregnant again!
But seriously, I couldn't be happier. Things are going right in my life for once.
I've got baby animals. Potentially a pregnant gerbil, a lady finch soon to lay eggs, and a new wee baby hamster I have named Indy. Not to mention I've got a little money, and am finally (FINALLY) going to get my driver's license tomorrow.
I am excited. Truly.
I am a little nervous about the picture on the license, considering I'll be stuck with it for two years..
But that shall not affect my grand mood!
I am hopefully getting a violin soon, too. That would be nice. I really would like to start learning to play that instrument.
Daly and I have been throwing around house ideas... After our biking venture after college, we'll build a house.
And after we're settled with that, we'll go boating around the world.
I think it'll all be amazing and I'm looking forward to it.
I love having the future planned a bit. It makes things so much easier, somehow.
So anyhow, it's getting late... I think I'll go to sleep. Or stay up later. Who knows.
But regardless, I'll end this entry with...
Good Niiiight!

The best friend thing..

This is a new post.
And the short version my occupancy over the last few weeks.
I have gone to middle school camp as part of the kitchen staff for the camp. It was exhausting work, but very entertaining with Shawn-e on the job.
I have gone to high school camp as a camper, which was surprisingly not as fun as being part of the kitchen staff.. Probably because a few individuals would not leave me alone...
And I have come back home. Daly is happy I am back. Very happy.
My animals... well, I think they're happy.
Despereaux is definitely happy to be back. I took him to high school camp. His sleep was interrupted ALL the time. It made him a bit cranky.
So now I am back. And it's good to be back.
But I definitely did not miss the way my Mom acts...
I quite enjoyed being away from her, I am ashamed to say.
It makes me wish for the days when I'm moved out..
Daly has given me hope. He says we'll buy a bit of land somewhere remote and live there one day. It sounds very nice.
And after college, he and I are planning to bike around the country everywhere. Stop by any place for as long as we like. Have no particular schedule. It will be grand, and it excites me.
Daly came and visited me while I was at camp on Wednesdays.
After he left, later that day and the next day, people would ask me who he was, and when I answered "best friend," they would say things like, "You should date him." or like, "I think you guys should marry each other. You're like, perfect together."
And I know I love Daly..
And I know he loves me..
And though we aren't like that, boyfriend and girlfriend type of thing, I have to agree with them.
I think, one day, we'll get married.
What better way for two people who love each other to spend their lives?
And... last year at the Radiant Girls Retreat thing, I had made two decisions.
1. Nobody gets a kiss until my wedding day. Then I will give my first kiss to my husband.
2. I will marry my best friend.
Now... I have not told ANYONE the second one. At the time, when I decided those, I had what some might call a "boyfriend" but no best friend.
So I am not telling Daly about my second decision until I am older... Potentially 22.
And that age is important because an adult that I respect once told me that 22 is a good age to start considering marriage.
Anytime before that could potentially get in the way with school stuff.
And besides, I don't need a boyfriend. I plan to never have one. After all, I will be marrying my best friend..
And my best friend makes me very happy. :)

Call me crazy.

I think he might be the one....

And there are amazingly grand plans happening!

Bah.

I don't know what to do....
*sigh*

Maybe if I find a recipe...

This should be fun..

Dueling Banjos on ukulele?
Bahahaha.


I'm getting good with the ukulele! It's really a fun instrument. I've been practicing chords, learning a few songs, messing around with tabs, and today, I plan to make a bag to carry my uke around in...
I intend to bring it with me to school every day next semester, and nearly everywhere else...

Yes, no, maybe so?

I got my SAT scores back today...
Critical Reading: 610
Math: 420
Writing: 550

I don't know if those are good or not...

It's going to be a nice day, you know

I have a ukulele!!
Now I've just got to think of a name...
And learn a few songs.
I'm already getting fairly well with Stairway to Heaven, Yellow Submarine, and Greensleeves. I'll learn a couple of songs and play them next time I see Daly. Or on Skype sometime.. He and I haven't "talked" in a while...

But while I have a ukulele and am really enjoying playing with it, I have got to catch up on my online classes... I'm already behind.

Did I mention I made scones the other day???
They were yummy.

Oh, and Noah has decided to call me Cici.
I don't know where they get these names...

I want my uke...

So Daly had a dream last night.
A bad dream.
But that's all he's telling me.
He won't tell me what happened, who was in it, any details at all.
He said it was "VERY bad" and that he just wants to forget it.
So I am trying to swallow my curiousity and forget I even knew he had a dream.

My ukulele should come in the mail tomorrow morning!
My book... who knows when.
Daly also bought something else he's calling a "rainbow." He says it's for me.
I think I'll start calling secret gifts "rainbows." It's pleasant and can apply to any season or occasion.


The summer semester starts today!
I will probably be helping Daly with his online Spanish class. I was thinking about letting him use my Spanish text book over the summer...
I myself will be finishing up some classes (I decided to actually start working on them today and finish them by the time Daly finishes his Spanish class).
So I'll go start working on that now, I believe.
Well, after my snack.

Oh, which reminds me. I had low blood sugar last night (happens every so often, especially when I eat a large amount of sugar with nothing else (like protein) accompanying it).
It scared Daly to death. It always scares him.
I don't know why, exactly. I guess he's worried about me.
And I do admit that last night, my hands were shaking (to the point where I could hardly pick up anything properly) and I could hardly walk in a straight line... But I sat down, ate some peanut butter, and was after ten minutes or so (took a little longer this time than usual).
Daly said he thinks he was almost crying and that he was so scared his hands were nearly shaking (he told me that this morning).
Which makes me feel bad. I don't want to cause him worry..
I have considered not telling him stuff like when I have low blood sugar or when I feel like I nearly passed out..
But I always do anyway.
Maybe I shouldn't..
I don't know.
*sigh*

Shweet!

New instrument to master:
Ukulele

Daly's buying one for me!

The deal with rodents..

So have you ever heard someone say to you at a pet store,
"YOU CAN'T PUT RODENTS OF OTHER SPECIES TOGETHER. THEY'LL KILL EACH OTHER."
or...
"Gerbils hate hamsters."
or...
"Hamsters are solely solitary animals. They will kill any other animal you put with them."
or perhaps, even,
"Mice are the only small rodents that can live in a community. Gerbils will kill each other for a mate and hamsters will kill anything."


Well...
False, false, false, and false, I say.
I know for a fact that mice and hamsters can live together happily.
I know that gerbils and mice can live together happily.
And I now know that gerbils, hamsters, and mice can all three live together with no problems.


I think that perhaps the reasons these myths have been formed in the rodent area is because people are not careful or strategic when introducing animals to another animal.
Here are my suggestions (goes for ANY animals):

1. If you plan to let any animals live together (in the same cage, or even in the same house), you should put them together as babies, or when they are still fairly young. Before sexual maturity is ideal.

2. When putting your 2+ animals together, let them "check each other out" on a neutral ground, away from anything that would have any of the animals' scent on it. A cardboard box works well for this when dealing with small rodents.

3. Monitor their interaction closely. While most animals get along fine with others when they're young, there are exceptions. One of your animals might not like the other(s) at first. This will take 1-3 days (or less) of monitored interaction before they will be used the other animal.

4. If your animals seem to be getting along perfectly fine after an hour or so, it is likely safe to put them in the same cage. But, do NOT put them in together if the cage has not been thoroughly cleaned out (to get rid of any previous animals' smells).

5. Keep an eye on the cage and a close ear to listen for squeaks (if your gerbil(s) squeaks, you probably shouldn't worry to much about it. They squeak a lot normally). Do keep within earshot of the cage the first day, though. If after 1 day, all the animals have interacted positively and haven't had any trouble, it is safe to let them stay together from there on out!

6. If the animals do have trouble with each other after sticking them in a cage together, you may try a few different things.
-put a distraction for them in the cage. With rodents, a running wheel works quite well as a bonding instrument as the different animals will be focused on the wheel and running all over each other.
-take all the animals out and start at square one with the cardboard box
-put a wire divider in a cage so that the animals (this works better with two animals) can see and smell each other, but can avoid any quarrels that may arise.

7. If your animals do not sleep "in a pile" right away, don't worry. That kind of closeness between animals comes with time. However, if you can see that they are taking advantage of objects in the aquarium to sleep on/under (to be away from the other(s)), it is safe to remove the objects for a while to encourage them to interact with each other more.


Best of luck!

Well hello...

It's been a terribly long while....
Sorry to have kept you all in suspsense of what's going on in my life (like you really care that much. Haha)
But yes, good to be back.
The past few weeks have been EXTREMELY busy. No time to do anything but check my Facebook and the weather forecast for the day.
But now with the semester over and my two months of summer ahead of me, I should have an adequete (how do you spell that word...) amount of time for computer.
Or at least, I fairly adequete (I think there's another 'a' in that word...) amount of time.
I do have a garden to keep,
Money to earn,
Computer classes to finish up,
And animals to keep up with.

So my summer will no doubt be nothing short of busy.

Plus I've got summer camp in June, which I am looking forward to...

I owe Daly $55.
Debt is bad.
Though he says I don't have to pay him back anytime soon (and I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I NEVER paid him back..)
BUT I WILL PAY HIM BACK.
ASAP.

Neato

Oh hey, this is my 101st post!

She's Leaving Home

I'm leaving today.
I'll be gone for the weekend.
I need to do two things before I leave:
1. Take the fish tank outside.
2. Make pancakes.

I'ma go make pancakes now, I think.

Bah at essays.

Two essays to write...
One before Friday.
One before next Thursday.
A booklet of Spanish review work for the final exam.
Due Monday.
I will be gone the entire weekend.
Not sure if I'll have much time to complete a lot of this..
I am going to try to finish this essay I've just started on tomorrow.

Walmart tomorrow!
I am excited.
I need to buy stuffs.
Daly is trying to get his old violin back for me...
We'll see how that works.
If it does, I should get it for just $75. Which is VERY good, since I don't want to spend the majority of my money on a violin at the moment.

I think I'll just go to sleep now, actually, since it's nearly midnight and I never work on homework past midnight.
Plus I need to be awake for tomorrow!

Despereaux is doing a little better.
Part of his foot may be getting infected. Michelle told me to poke it with a needle. That is kind of a hard thing to do...
But if it'll help him, I will do it.
I've decided to use alcohol instead of peroxide now, too, because it is stronger and will kill ANY infection.
I'll buy some more neosporin tomorrow, plus some for Daly, since he gave me his for Despereaux.
Michelle also says Despereaux will probably lose his toes. I have wondered lately if it would've been better to just keep the thread on. If then, maybe it wouldn't have gotten infected.
But it is probably best that it came off.

So yes, I sleep now.

Also!

I am learning to play violin from Daly now.

And I gave my bed to my sister. Yes I did.
Floor and chair sleeping for me.
I rather enjoy sleeping in my papasan chair.

No, I haven't died...

I've just been incredibly busy lately.
I promise you'll hear more from me.
But it might be after the weekend.
I'm going to Radiant!

By the way...
Despereaux got some thread caught around his foot very tight the other day. Daly and I took him to the vet lab at CCCC yesterday and they got it off. But Despereaux's foot was dark red/black and swollen at that point.
I've been putting peroxide and neosporin on it and today, it looks a little better. The swelling has gone down considerably.
I have decided to take him with me to Radiant. He'll need my care still.
Pray for him, guys. I want him to get better.

*sigh*

Today was the funeral for Daly's grandmother. I went to it.
It was horribly sad. I nearly cried. I definitely was on the verge of it.
When I talked to Daly, he looked so sad. He sounded so sad. After the funeral service, his voice kept cracking.
It made me so sad..
So I hugged him.
Which would be the first time we've hugged, by the way.
I stood by him until he and his family left to go home.
Then I went to Taekwondo. I was only two minutes late. It worked out fine.
Wednesday I get tested for my high white belt.
Oh, and I got a papasan chair today.
It was in the Classifieds for $20, and I had just been thinking about getting one, so I jumped on that opportunity and bought it. Quite a deal, I must say.
This evening I rearranged my room completely and found a good place for that 55 gallon aquarium Troy gave me.
I just finished my Spanish homework. In the nick of time, really.
And now I am sitting here, writing this blog, while Fezzik chirps about who knows what.
Despereaux is looking for my camera to steal more beads.
Windy and Sim are being hyper and eating seeds.
I think I may go to sleep quite soon.
Sleep is chasing me.

I feel like crying...

Daly's Grandmother died Saturday morning at about 3:30am. It's not like we weren't expecting it.
She had stage four pancreatic cancer and just had a stroke two weeks ago.
She was doing fairly well, considering, until Monday. Everything started going downhill.
And now she's gone.
And Daly is having such a hard time.
I feel so sad for him. I know there's no way I could know his sadness. And I really don't want to have to know it.
But I feel sad.
I don't really feel happy.
Not at all.
It horrible.
Not an ounce of happiness.
I don't think I'll feel better until Daly feels better.
It's as if our emotions are connected..
When I'm sad, he is sad.
When he is having an extremely difficult time, I find myself having an extremely difficult time.
I thought about emptying my happy wagon.
I may soon.
Right now it's at 6.
6 in.
6 rocks of happines.
Happiness that I don't feel.
I don't doubt that Daly has none or very little in his own happy wagon.
I fear none.
I have never had none in.
I don't think Daly has either, unless he does now.
I feel so sad for him...
*sigh*
The wake is going on right now.
I wanted to go. To be with him and try to comfort him.
But I have a stupid essay I'm writing that's due tomorrow...
And I want to go to the funeral tomorrow. But I have Taekwondo.
I would indefinitely skip, if it weren't for the fact that some of my family members also take that class.. They want me to go to class.
Daly won't come to Taekwondo.
I know he won't.
I knew he wouldn't even before he said he didn't want to.
He may not even come to school tomorrow at all.
If he does, I will do everything in my ability to cheer him up.
If he doesn't.... I have an idea. I will make a video and title it "Star's Search for Daly."
And I'll send it to him.
I am trying to come up with ideas and devise plans to make him feel better.
Every little bit helps.
*sigh*
It really makes me sad to see him like this.
It's horrible.

I had better keep writing that essay... After all, it is due tomorrow.
*sigh*

*sigh* <-- that's a happy sigh.

Yesterday was my birthday.
The day before that was St. Patrick's Day. I found two four leafed clovers. One I pressed in a book. The other I made a mini letter for Daly out of.

My birthday was the best birthday I've ever had.
I think Daly had a lot to do with it.
He is my best friend. I think best friends make birthdays 100 times better.
I have not had a birthday like this... in so long, if ever before.
It started out with my Mom waking me with singing the birthday song. I checked my phone. Daly had texted me at 12:35am wishing me happy birthday(that is when I was born) and Troy had texted me just 30 minutes before I woke to wish me happy birthday.
I texted them both back and went on with my morning.
Went to school. Got there almost before Daly.
Amy wasn't in Spanish.
Daly and I raced to get tea before Matthew came into the Student Center.
We ran out to the back of campus where the parking lots are.
We ended up adventuring in the woods.
I scraped my foot on a RUSTY (emphasis because of Daly..) piece of metal. It broke the skin. Daly made a big deal about it bleeding.
I have survived, though.
After only adventuring a short ways, we had to turn back because class would start soon. First we went to Daly's car to get my birthday gift. I ended up leaving it in his car during my class (it would've attracted attention since I would've had no place to put it except on the table during class).
Amy wished me happy birthday before Literature class.
Daly and I went back out to his car before Grandma came to pick me up. I did not open the gift, for lack of time.
Grandma came. I ate at La Dolce Vita with her. She gave me a card with $20 in it and took me to Walmart. I bought a pair of pants, a pair of capris, some black thread, two packets of seeds (for Daly's secret garden), and some beads for my hair.
I went to Taekwondo. Master Vincent's birthday is tomorrow. We brought him some balloons yesterday.
After Taekwondo, I went home, did some homework, went to youthgroup (brought the gift with me (I planned to open it in front of Daly, since he gave it to me and whatnot)). Ended up forgetting to open it.
Got a mouse.
Wee baby mouse.
So cute.
I need a name.
Something small, female, and pretty.
Unique, too.
Daly got a mouse, too.
To replace Pocket Mouse so his parents don't find out that she died.
*sigh*
But yes.
The kids at youthgroup sang happy birthday to me.
I went home (with gift and mouse).
Texted Daly that I was going to open his gift.
I did.
Guess what was inside.
A cardboard box.
Yes.
Guess what was in that?
Another box.
Yes.
BUT IT IS A SPECIAL BOX.
It is made of wood. Made by Daly. It is beautiful. On the top is has our mini letter insigna thing. With the star and the D as the seal for a letter.
It's beautiful.
And inside...
There was a card.
Handmade card.
I opened it and it had numerous little sketches of various memories Daly and I have shared. Everything from the first day at CCCC, things that happened with Mr. Stumpf, Taekwondo, and our Duel of the Immortals (really just an arm wrestle which he won 2 out of 3 (and incidentally, we plan to arm wrestle again tomorrow!)).
Underneath the card there were...
6 boxes of Tazo tea!
All six were the assorted kind (he asked me about a month ago what my favorite teas are, and I told him "I don't know..." so he got assorted, I'm assuming. Haha.)
So now I have 12 tea bags of 20 kinds of tea!
Three of them I REALLY like. I hadn't remembered those when he asked me. But it's all good because I have them all, now.
It is an amazing gift. It really is.
Oh! He also paid the $2 for my mouse. That was nice of him, I think.
He also says he's going to get me the Yanni CD that I've been wanting. But he is ordering it online, so it won't come for a few days.

The whole day was... wonderful.
My happy wagon.
It is full.
100%
Happiness.
It's never been like that before.
But I've finally been able to put the rock Daly gave me in the basket.
(I told him it was the 20th rock and that it would go in only when I was 100% happy.)

So it has been a very nice past two days.

Today wasn't so bad either.
My happy wagon is stable.
So that's a good sign.

I think I will sleep now, though.
Early day tomorrow.

St. Patrick's Day? Yes.

Aye, so my internet's been working on and off the past few days.
I had a midterm today in Human Values.
Finished early and went down to the Student Center with Daly and got a sub and two cookies.

I should clean now.
Or do homework.
I need to do both, really.
My wallet is bare (aside from the $5 I found in my pocket this morning!) and my savings are going down.
I need a job.
*sigh*


Tomorrow's muh birthday!
I'm getting a mouse.
So is Daly.
It is happy.
I'm excited.

Aye Aye, Captain.

Okay, I feel a little bad.
I haven't written anything in a few days and I've really been slacking off with stuff (pertaining to my blog and Facebook, anyhow).

But here's a little update!
I *may* get a mouse on Wednesday...
*May*.
See, well, I very well may be getting one (without the *may*) because well...
Yes.
I will get one.
My parents won't know about it (me Mum doesn't like mice).
It will be a secret mouse.
Like my secret hamster.
Yes.

Soon, Amy's baby hamsters will be big enough to give away...
I know what you're thinking.
But NO, I will ask about this.
I want two female hamsters.
I have a cage set up already and everything.

Speaking of animals, Fezzik eats out of my hand and has actually stood on my hand!
So that's neat.
I didn't know finches would get that tame...

And Troy will be giving me Wasabi on Saturday, along with his 55 gallon aquarium and all the accessories (by the way, Wasabi is an aquatic turtle that is 4 years old).

Oh! My birthday is on Wednesday!
It is kind of exciting.


I need to think of names....

Ah, yes.

So I've made an icubator.
And I have a chicken egg.
I've placed the chicken egg in the incubator.
And in 21 days, I may very well have a little baby chicken.



By the way, my "L" key won't work very well.... I'm having to bang it to get it to type!

Back for keeps?

I think I *may*
Just maybe
Be back.
For real.
For serious.
I know you've missed me.
I'VE missed me.
And it is good to be [potentially] back.
Really.
It truly is.
I went from 5 rocks to 13.
Two things happened to cause that.
1. Yo tengo una nueva gerbil!
2. My shoulder bag came in the mail.

Okay, details on number one:
I went to a pet store today.
They had gerbils.
I asked how old they were.
"Oh, about a year old."
"A year old?"
"Yes."
"Do you have any young ones?"
"No... well, actually, let me check in the back. Hey [insert name that has escaped my memory here]! Have we got any wee baby gerbils? Little babies?"
*faraway voice*
"Okay, I'm going to go look."
So I watched as the lady went through a door to the back of the store. I peeked through a window and saw that there were many cages lined up against the wall on shelves, housing mice, gerbils, and hamsters.
*door opens again*
"Yeah, we've got some little babies."
"Oh really?? How old are they?"
"They JUST started eating solid food."
"Are they still too young to tell the gender?"
"Yes, like I said, they JUST started eating hard foods."
"Okay, good." I laughed. There was a slight awkward silence before I said, "So, can I see them?"
"Oh, sure."
She led me through the door to the room I had seen from the window.
In a glass aquarium sitting on a wooden table, there were about 15 small white gerbils, running around with their mother.
So small...
So cute...
"I'll take one." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I thought, 'I could take two...' but then thought about how Mom might feel. For one, they are white gerbils. Albino. Red eyes. For another thing, she granted permission for ONE; she said nothing of two.
So I decided to just stick with my words and buy one.
Their mice were only $1.79....
*sigh*
Not even going to consider that (though I really do want a mouse...)
So I watched as the lady got a little box (they seem to be at every pet store..) and stuck it in the aquarium. While the majority of gerbils ran away from the strange object descending from heaven, there was one that just stood there for a few moments, looking up at it. When the box was gently set down in the aquarium, the wee baby gerbil sniffed the air then stepped toward the box.
Yes.
That is the one.
I want that one.
The lady scooped it up into the box and closed the top before handing it to me.
I listened to the little feet scratching against the cardboard.
We walked to the front of the store where I paid for the little gerbil.
$5.00-something.
MUCH less expensive than what they sell gerbils for at Town and Country (though I do love that place).
So that gave me 6 rocks, bringing my Happy Wagon up to 11 rocks.
Which is good... but still slightly not-good. I mean, I was averaging 15 rocks the past few months!

So then the second thing to happen..
My shoulder bag.
It is wonderful.
I ordered it on Friday.
It came on Monday, today.
Now unless it was shipped from somewhere terribly close, I don't think things are supposed to come that quickly...
I'm not sure where it was shipped from, so I'm just saying God sent it along faster, 'cause he knew I needed something else to cheer me.
When I got it, I added 2 rocks. Total of 13 in the "Wagon" (it is technically a basket...)

Now, I did take one out, because Daly found out that his Grandma has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Back to 12.
(I suggested the Wolfe Clinic treatment stuff to him.)

So yes.
That was my day.
It went fairly well.
Probably the best day I've had in two weeks.
It feels good.

No title.

The day before yesterday was a good day.
Yesterday was a good, mostly bad day.
Today has not been the best of days either.
*sigh*
Why can't I get out of this?

...

This was one of those days that was nice and not-nice.
So now, at the end of the day, I haven't taken any rocks out or put any in.
But it is three above what it was yesterday.
So that is good, at least.

And.....

Back down to 4 rocks.

I can't think of a title for this.

Youthgroup made me feel a little better.
I added one rock.

I've been left to my thoughts too much today..

I feel absolutely horrid.
I went to Taekwondo. We practiced our roundhouse kicks. Master Vincent gave me compliments. Oh, and I managed 30 crunches.
First time I've been able to do it there (I can do it at my house, for some reason.. just not there).
But I do not feel happy or accomplished.
Those things mean nothing.

Right now, my happy wagon is at a record low.
Four rocks in.
*sigh*

Why does it all happen at once?

Pocket Mouse died today.
I don't know how or why.
I was driving to school with her in my shirt pocket. On the way there, I felt her move around a bit.
When I got there, I stuck my hand in the pocket to take her out and show Daly (her breathing had improved since yesterday), only to find that... she wasn't moving.
She was still warm.
But not moving.
I don't know what happened.
But I feel really, really bad.
I feel like I can't take care of animals without them dying...
Daly pointed out, "But look at all the other animals you have. They've done fine."
He also said about Pocket Mouse, "Maybe it's for the better. She hasn't really been acting right the past few months.."
That was before my first class.
What does one do with a dead mouse during class?
Well, we went to Daly's car and put her in the jar she had been brought to school in yesterday.
We left her there until our hour break.
We took her into the woods and buried her under a tree, piling nice stones on top of the dirt.
*sigh*
I am sad.
Would she have died if Daly hadn't let me take care of her?

Pocket Mouse!

I am taking care of Pocket Mouse until Thursday!!!
It makes me so happy!
I've really missed her.

So here's the thing...
Pocket Mouse is a mouse.
Despereaux is a dwarf hamster.
They are in the same cage.
No fighting.
They slept side by side earlier.

So why do people always say that hamsters and mice will kill each other??
I even looked it up on the internet. I did read of a few instances where dwarf hamsters and mice got along.
But about 95% of everything I read was negative to the idea.

So I don't know.


Today was a pretty good day.
Daly and I went everywhere, just about.
Had tea. You could've guessed that.
But towards the end of the time I was at CCCC, we were walking down where the drainage ditches are and Daly noticed some wallet-looking things poking out of the leaves.
Turns out, they were wallets indeed. Three of them.
All the money gone.
Driver's licenses and student identifications were still in there.
All the wallets belonged to African-American males under 21.
Dodgy.
Very much.

So we ran to get a security guard (we first looked for the New Zealand lady, but resorted to Rocky when we couldn't find her) and showed him the wallets. Soon after that, my Dad came to pick me up.
So it was an eventful day.
Daly later said, "I think we will always be able to find adventure."

Yes.


Today was a much easier day so far as homework goes...
I didn't really have any to do.
So I caught up in a few things, like my Bible reading.
I'm in Joshua now, by the way.



I think I'll bring Pocket Mouse AND Despereaux to school tomorrow.
Two reasons:
1. They should stay together (I don't want them forgetting that they like each other).
2. They are both hiding animals (hiding from my Mom).
3. Well, I WANT to bring them.

So yes. I shall bring them.

Tomorrow is a hiding day. Anti-Matthew, in other words.
We have a creek to follow and adventure!
I wonder if 55 minutes will be enough...

Half Snow Day!

It feels so good to be writing again...

Wow, I have not blogged in a few days...
I've been so busy, so many things have been happening this past week.

Let's start with my Literature test and essay grades.
Test: 87
Essay: 93
(He said the 87 was good; most of the class scored MUCH lower than that).

And an update on Fezzik: He is doing quite well in his new home. However, he seems to enjoy throwing seeds everywhere (especially when I sneeze (by the way, I have caught a sort of cold... It is going away currently, though)). Yesterday, I sneezed and it scared him while he was eating, so he (accidentally) threw seeds in my yogurt. *sigh*

Update on me: I made a shirt out of a bedsheet I got at Walmart for $2. I have a cold. I have been drinking SO much hot tea lately. Speaking of which, my most recent cup of tea has gotten cold...
In Taekwondo, I've gotten some encouraging words from Master Vincent. Makes me happy.

Oh, and Kettricken... she has... well, she died.
After I bought a heat lamp for her (she kept getting cold) and tried to take extra care for her.
*sigh*
She died anyway.
That happened today, by the way.
So now I have two empty cages... And only one furry animal.
Despereaux.
Who is currently running on a sideways wheel on my desk.
*sigh* He is not allowed to die. No.

Speaking of death, Troy's Mom's boyfriend's brother died today.
Troy never met the fellow.
But Larry (the boyfriend guy) and his Mom were going to go up to Ohio for the funeral and whatnot.
Troy was going to stay at my house. For about a week.
We had everything figured out.
Then, Troy tells me there might not even BE a funeral (sounds dodgy, doesn't it?), in which case, only Larry would go up there. Which means Troy wouldn't come over here.
But I want Troy to come here! It would be so neat!
I won't know anything for sure until tomorrow, probably...

Update on Daly: he is doing well. He came to church with us on Sunday, which was quite enjoyable. He met Fezzik, saw my new room, and held one of our cats before his parents picked him up from our house afterward.
But this afternoon... his grandmother had a stroke.
Thankfully, the people she was with got her to a hospital very quickly and right now, she seems stable and is able to talk and such. She should be going home tomorrow.
Poor Daly, he's had a rough night.


I finished my online Spanish homework in the nick of time. It is due in a little over an hour, and I just finished it before I started typing this blog.

Speaking of Spanish, we didn't have class today.
You know why?
Because it snowed!
Which gave CCCC a 2 hour delay (all my county's schools were closed).
2 hour delay means no Spanish class, which is actually kind of unhappy because I do not like the make-up work my teacher gives...
I did go to Literature, though. We talked about poems. I love poetry! I also got my essay back today. He marked all over my paper... But regardless of that, I got a pretty good grade, so I'm happy.

But regardless of that... my happy wagon is not doing so well.
I've only got 5 in. Last time this happened was when Dormir died.
But this time, it is not all because of an animal's death. Kettricken did have me taking a good few out, but what got it all the way down to 5 was Daly's grandmother having a stroke and Troy's family's dilemma.
But now that Daly's grandmother is improving and seems to be all right, I think I will add two rocks.
So now we're at 7.
Which is better... But still VERY low.


Oh, I've decided something, so far as algebra II and chemistry goes.
I will not worry about it.
I will do it when I can.
If I can't, fine.
I will work on it over the summer before next semester.
Sounds like a plan, huh?

Something else concerning Troy....
He is giving away his turtles.
He gave away 4 of them on Saturday.
He's got two left, now. Wasabi, the turtle he's had for 4 years now, and a female (I don't remember her name..).
When spring comes, he will let the female go.
He doesn't know what to do with Wasabi.
He also is going to get rid of his 55 gallon tank, the heaters, equipment, and whatnot.
He offered it all to me.
And while he was at it, he said if I wanted, he could give Wasabi to me. He says I'm his #1 most trusted person.
I said yes, I'd take him. And the aquarium and equipment.
I've talked with my Dad about it a bit. He seems fine with it.
I'll mention it to my Mom later.
A 55 gallon aquarium is rather large... But I bet I could put it on my mirror desk. Also! It would free up my little 10 gallon aquarium for another animal (probably the hermit crabs). I'm sure they would like that.


So there are many things going on, still, even though the worst is behind me.
Oh, by the way, I'm skipping Human Values class tomorrow. We're watching a movie.
Remember the Titans.
I don't want to see it.
So Daly and I will skip class and spend the 1 1/4 hour adventuring someplace, no doubt.
That should be nice.

I have not told Daly about Kettricken yet.
Too much has been going on.
But I did post a bulletin on MySpace saying the status of my happy wagon.
When he notices that, he'll ask what happened. I will tell him then.

Ah da da...

Guess what! I have a Fezzik!

And I cannot stop laughing at Daly.
See, we have discovered the amazing, magical power of talking but not.
I have a headset.
He has a headset.
We both have Skype.
But I cannot talk (must be quiet at such a time of night).
So we instant message while 'in a call' and have constantly found something to laugh about.
It's no wonder we're Immortals.

Something that was making us laugh earlier was Fezzik. He was talking to his mirror in the middle of the night.
I think he needs a friend.
I will consider getting him one fairly soon.


I did not get a lot done today..
But I did finish everything that is immediately important.
Even though I have not accomplished any algebra or chemistry...
I'll get to that, though.
After this Literature test, Spanish quiz, and Human Values and Meaning essay.
*sigh*

Run! Run! Run!

Fezzik is tomorrow!!
Today I was slightly more productive than yesterday.
-Cleaned the house.
-Did my online Spanish homework.

I am not done yet, either.
I am currently working on Chemistry because I am a week behind..
And before I go to sleep, I will catch up in my Bible reading.
So there you go. My day will be productive yet.

The Bourn kids are over here. It's great to have my own room now. I do not miss having to sleep in the same room as those twins.. They are a bit obnoxious. But, alas, they are my sister's best friends, so I should not complain.
But now, thankfully, I do not have to!
The most noise I hear is Caleb and Ethan in the room above me waling around and such.

I closed my door; the cat wants out.
Despereaux is running on a sideways wheel.
It's amazing.

Bah..

List of "productive" things I did today:
-Made a Facebook
-Organized my room a bit
-Made a list of things that need to be done tomorrow


I really did absolutely nothing with my day.
I feel ashamed.

Moved!

I am moved.
Downstairs.
MY OWN ROOM.
Oh, 'tis lovely.
Really.
Nearly everything is organized and has a place.
Exception: granola and other.. food.
I cannot find a place for it.
Maybe I will tomorrow.
I hope so.


I saw Mr. Stumpf today.
Daly and I were going to run past his office and wave, but before we had walked one step in that direction, he came walking briskly around the corner. We froze, then ran away from him (it's something we do to Mr. Stumpf..).
"Keep running, keep running," he said as he walked behind us.
I have to say, Mr. Stumpf is my most favorite teacher of all time.
For serious.
Gotta love Mr. Stumpf.


I hope Daly and I will be able to have tea tomorrow..
If we can get tea AND avoid the half bean, it would be even greater.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, apparently.

You know what...
I think I may actually be starting to get caught up....
It's amazing what easy Spanish homework and finishing an essay will do to you.

Now... I shall start packing.
I'm moving out of my room, you know.

I thought this would be fun....

( Got it from Yamile's blog. It sounds like fun! :o )


Coolest Tag Ever!!!
Freebie Tag!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2- What I create will be just for you.

3- It will be done this year.

4- You have no clue what it's going to be.

5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on their blog. The first 5 people to do so, and leave a comment telling me they did, win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

No guarantees, no returns! Let the games begin!

Essay...

Dad found out about Despereaux.
He won't tell Mom, though.
He'll want me to.
I'm hoping he'll forget about it, though.


I'm getting there with my essay... Only need to write one more page. I *think* I have enough stuff to write about...


I moved around my furniture today.
It took up a lot of my evening.
In fact, had I not moved the furniture, I may have finished this essay tonight.

But it's just as well.
My room is still looking a bit messy, but that's mainly because it's so late in the evening and most of the house is sleeping.
So yes.
I am going to try to wake up precisely AT 7am so I can finish moving around stuff up here before school.
Wednesdays are very busy days for me.
I have school, lunch, Taekwondo(Daly will be there tomorrow!), about 1 1/2 hours at home, then youthgroup(sometimes the highlight of my week...), then home, three hours until midnight, then sleep.
Thursdays are usually a bit slower, which is very much appreciated.

Countdown to Bird Sunday: 4 suns.

Stress...

I have been working for a few hours now.
On an essay.
My Literature essay.
It's due on Friday.
I have about 1 1/2 pages written.
I have to have a minimum of 3 1/2 pages.
Two more to go...
I'll write the rest of it tomorrow.
If for some reason I can't, I will finish it on Wednesday evening.
I got everything done on my list today, except algebra and chemistry.
I am getting very behind in algebra... It's really not good. Not good at all.
But I'm so busy with everything else. This semester is the absolute toughest semester I've ever had!
I don't know anyone who has all the work I have. It is really quite stressful! I cannot finish it all!
*sigh*

But it's not the end of the world.
The sun will rise and set.
The moon will wax and wane.
Whether I finish everything or not, the world will still spin on its axis.

I have come to a decision in Taekwondo.
I must be as good or better than Daly.
He is one of the better in the class.
He is stronger than he looks.
I feel weak.
I don't try hard enough.
I need to match his efforts, at least.


Ah, but for serious.
I cannot wait until this semester is over and we hit summer.
That will be sooo nice.

*sigh*

Dormir is gone.

Some sad news...

Dormir is not doing so well.
I don't know what's wrong with him.
This morning, he was acting perfectly fine.
He woke me up for the second morning in a row by chewing on his wheel and "digging" in his box, making me want to remove everything from his cage so I could sleep...
I took him with me to church.
The ride up there, he was fine. He slept in my shirt most of the time.
When we got there, he started acting a little strange...
Sluggish.
So I held him, tried to keep him warm and whatnot.
During the service, Daly held him for a bit.
Towards the end, I held him again.
He didn't appear to be doing any better.
By lunch time, he was acting like something was definitely wrong.
At lunch, he sort of stretched himself out so he looked a bit flat and all his limbs were pointing in all directions.
I held him close to me and tried to keep him warm (he seemed to be losing body heat)
He started breathing irregularly, so I eventually put him in the jar I keep in my bag (in case an animal starts misbehaving, or I go somewhere where animals are not allowed). He stayed in there the rest of the afternoon.
When we got home, I took him out (he wasn't "flat" or spread out anymore) and tried to give him food. He didn't even smell the food.
I took a syringe and gave him a little water.
I think he drank some...
I then put him in his box with his food and water close by.
After about 20 minutes, I decided that was not going to keep him warm.
So I took him out (he was a bit cold..) and put him in my shirt (I did that with Kettricken that one time she was acting odd, and I think it helped her get better).
So now he is still in my shirt.
His breathing seems to have gotten regular again.
He is even moving his head slightly.
But I can tell he's still not doing well at all. I took him out a little while ago to see how he was doing. He didn't move in my hand, but just kind of sat there. He's limp, when I hold him.
I don't think that's good..

So please, please pray for Dormir.
He's been such a good hamster.
I don't want to lose him.

A productive day, indeed.

Oh, by the way, my baby hamster is now named Despereaux.
Maybe his ears will grow bigger because of the name... Wouldn't that be neat.
He hasn't bitten me yet.
That is good.
Very good.



Daly is coming with us to church tomorrow!
And we are going to newhope after all.
Petsmart afterward, hopefully. I need to buy another hamster wheel(for my desk, for Despereaux), a 10 gallon aquarium(for the reptiles), and some crickets(for the reptiles and Kettricken).
And I'll still have money left in my wallet after buying all that!

I earned $42 today cleaning the house. It took approximately seven hours.
That's like being paid an average of $6 an hour...
I did not put any of the money away for saving. I stuck it straight into my wallet. I will probably spend about half of it tomorrow. I need some of it for buying my sister's birthday gift, and for some breakfast foods for myself.
So yes.

I started my Literature essay tonight.
I ended up changing the story I was going to write on altogether.
It should be easier to write now, though.
Technically, I have finished all that was on my list for the day.
Clean the house, clean my room, start the essay.
So now I can go to sleep!

Life is like a box of chocolates...

Happy Valentine's Day!
I have yet to wish it to anyone outside my family.
And no one outside my family has wished it to me.
But it's all right.
Who needs a boyfriend when you've got the bestest best friend a girl could ever have?


Mom asked me(out of curiousity) if anyone had given me anything for Valentine's Day.
Nope.
Dad said maybe someone would on Monday.
I laughed.
I don't think anyone will.
But that's not particularly a bad thing.



Yeah, I want to watch Forrest Gump again.

Namelessness

This is the first day of my weekend.
It shall be busy.
I accomplished most of what I set out to.
My main goals for the weekend are my Literature essay and cleaning the house. T'would be nice to get both done and finished before Monday.
Tomorrow is an all out cleaning day.

Also, today is the 13th of February. Yes. Exactly six months ago today, I was dreading my hair.
Amazing how time flies...

My little baby hamster...
Did I tell you of him?
No?
Well, I got him on Wednesday along with the baby hamster I gave Diane today.
He is an "albino" but not completely.
His fur is a tannish color.
His eyes have a hint of red in them.
He has a little dark streak on the top of his head.
He is the runt.
The runts are my favorite.
He is also a hiding hamster.
He lives in a Converse shoe box.
HIs bed is a tea box.
The only thing that troubles me is...
He has no name.
Yet.
I will decide on a name tomorrow.
It may be Despereaux, Monty, Echo, Somewhere, Gawain, or Rush.
Or it may be none of them.
We shall see.

Dandi didn't lay an egg today. That's two days in a row.
I told her to lay one tomorrow.

My rant for the day.

I am so stressed...
Way behind in algebra.
Spanish is challenging.
I have an essay that's due next week that I haven't even started writing.
I have another essay that's due just a week after that.
I need to clean the house on Saturday or I'll have no money for my sister's birthday or to buy things I need.
My sister's birthday is a week from today.
I have Human Values and Meaning homework I need to do over the weekend.
I have algebra to get caught up on over the weekend.
I have online Spanish homework to do over the weekend.
I cannot do it all, though!
There are simply not enough hours in a day!
I feel like just going to sleep and not waking up or twenty years...
I wish I was getting Fezzik the finch this Sunday. That might ease some of this stress.
And I wish we weren't going to have a busy day on Friday.
School, Taekwondo, Grandma's house.
That will take up the entire day!

Bah.
Why must my life be so busy and stressful???
*sigh*

Sleep deprivation by algebra.

Too... late... to be blogging....
So tired...
SLEEP.

Not enough hours in the day.

Past midnight...
I didn't get everything done that I wanted to..
Still got maths and chemistry.
Bah.

Tomorrow is hamster day!
It should be a good day.
Nice and warm out.
We'll sit on the courtyard steps and drink tea.
Matthew cannot ruin good days.
Taekwondo in the afternoon without Daly.
Youthgroup in the evening with the proper small group.
Late night doing schoolwork.

That's the plan, man.

Church.
BIRD.
BIRD BIRD BIRD BIRD BIRD!
Hear my jubilant cry!
Speaking of cry, Troy said I was crying.
I was sooooo so so happy.
Still am.
But I'm not overcome with the emotion anymore.
Lunch.
Agape Corner House.
Name stealer's house.
Bob Evan's.
Troy's house.
Home.
Spanish homework.
Maths homework.
Sleep.
Tomorrow.

The Outing.

I had an off-ish morning.
What happened was, I was talking to my Mum about cleaning, and she was telling me it didn't need to be done (which, trust me, it did). She told me I should clean out the chicken house, if anything.
Some more talk happened and apparently, I was disrespectful to Mum. She informed me of this. I apologized. She said she didn't believe I was sorry.
THAT WAS IT.
Not more can cut me deeper than that. Whenever I say I'm sorry, I mean it. Every time. For someone to say they don't believe me absolutely tears me apart.
So I went upstairs and got my stupid shoes on (I have one pair of shoes that are indeed "stupid"). Cleaned the chicken house. Said little, if anything to Mum.
She apologized to me during lunch.
I still felt badly.
I don't have bad days very often. But when I do, it lasts a few hours (depending on the circumstances).
Mum needed to go to the grocery store. I did too.
So I drove us, but she decided she wanted to stop off at The Haven thrift shop first. I browsed their records while Mum looked at other stuff..
I found seven records! Good records! In grand condition!
It was unbelievable!
I also found three Bill Cosby records for my Dad. He loves Bill Cosby.
The ones I found were
Fresh Aire by Manheim Steamroller
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme by Simon & Garfunkel
Pheonix by Dan Fogelberg
Still Crazy After All These Years by Paul Simon
(the 1975 one) by Fleetwood Mac
Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel
Angel Clare by Art Garfunkel

The three Bill Cosby ones are titled "Why is there air?" "I started out as a child" and "Bill Cosby is a very funny fellow right!"
My Dad was pretty excited when I showed them to him later.

After the thrift shop, I drove us to Lowes Foods.
No sign of Scott's truck in the parking lot.
We walked in, got a cart and started... well, picking out food.
I picked out some dried banana chips. Love those. So good.
Walked past the bakery section... They had bread samples. GOOD bread samples. I took a few.
In the dairy section, I got some Chobani yogurt (BEST yogurt I've ever had, by the way!)
Reached the end of that aisle when Mum got out the coupons. I backtracked through the dairy section to pick out some biscuits and cinnamon roll type things. I spotted "that lady" not far off... Wearing a pink shirt and baggy-ish pants. Her white and grey hair in the usual hair style. Curled under. Just touching her shoulders.
She saw me.
Glared at me.
I smiled.
Laughed to myself when I had walked past her.
She kicked me out of the Student Center at CCCC once. For having a hamster.
Daly calls her "stupid."
I strode through a few aisles, fetching things for Mum with coupons. She gave me one for an air freshener type thing. I started walking in the direction of the aisle I thought it was in. I heard a voice behind me. Something about "dreads" and "sister." It suddenly occured to me that someone may be trying to talk to me. I backed up towards the aisle I had just walked out of and saw a fellow and a little boy of about 2 years walking toward me. The little boy held the fellow's hand. I was assuming he was his son.
Once more, I heard something like "sister" (the fellow did not speak all too loudly).
He said, "Wow, congratulations on having dreads in Sanford!"
"Er, thank you." I smiled.
He extended his left hand (he was holding the little boy's hand with his right). I shook his hand. He told me he used to have dreads himself and that he's from Carrboro, where apparently EVERYONE had dreads. We talked for a little bit, then he asked, "So where are you from?"
"From here. I've lived here all my life."
"Really? Wow.." he shook his head. "That's awesome."
We eventually parted ways, me heading off to get the air freshener, him off to... who knows.
In my search for the correct aisle, I ran into him again. He said "Dreads again!" and laughed.
I found the air freshener, looked for Mum's cart, found her, gave her my find, and walked with her into the cereal aisle.
Life cereal was on sale!!
Mum got like, six boxes of it. Three kids eat a lot... Plus, "buy one, get one free" is a very nice sale for something like that.
Mum saw one of my neighbors and stopped to talk with them for a little bit. I grabbed some cereal bars to add to my stock.
As I was walking through another aisle, soon to be joined by Mum, I spotted a tan truck pulling in the parking lot. There are huge windows in the front of the store I could view this from.
Scott.
It was him.
He is the only one in Sanford with a truck quite like that.
I instantly got paranoid. Walking slowly, looking in all directions.
I texted Daly with the news. He wished me "luck."
Not even a minute later, I recieved a text from...
Yes, Scott.
It said, "Peek a boo i see you"
I instantly went, "D'oh. He recognized me."
I guess it was my Mum being with me..
Bah.
I did not text back.
I got less paranoid, though. No need to hide anymore. He's seen me. There's no going back.
So I continued to help Mum out with finding the groceries she wanted..
When it came time to check out, we found register that had no line. As our purchases were being rung up, Scott walked past me. He smiled and held up his hand in a "peace sign" gesture and said, "Peace." He laughed. I half-smiled.
About three seconds later, a girl from my Human Values and Meaning class stole my attention, asking what she missed at class on Thursday. I told her that we were given a few papers to read. She looked surprised, disappointed, but then shrugged it off. "Oh well," she laughed.
And then we left.
I drove home. All the way thinking about the encounter with Scott.
I no longer have a secret identity.

Masquerade

This is to say that my abs are sore and my ankles are sore.
In Taekwondo today, Master Vincent paired me and Daly up for crunches.
It was probably the best pair he could've made, since Daly knows me best.
We learned some punches today.
Master Vincent picked on my yell. Apparently it's not very yell-ish.
I'm working on it, though. Really.
I did manage at least two good yells today. When we were doing our roundhouse kicks.

I am a bit tired. It's getting late.
Tomorrow is a house cleaning day.
And maybe go to the grocery store.
I'll wear my glasses.
Scott won't recognize me.

Had me worried, there.

Kett was sick this morning.
I don't know what was wrong with her. She was not acting right..
She was sort of stumbling around her aquarium when I woke up this morning. So I picked her up and she was freezing cold!
I held her, trying to warm her up. She didn't protest or try to move around.
She just.. sat there.
It made me sad.
And worried!
I stuck her inbetween one of my shirt layers to try to keep her warm.
It worked.
She still felt cold to me, though.
Before I went to school, she started moving around a bit.
Good sign!
She even ate a little something.
By the time I got to school, she was moving around quite a bit, though she wasn't completely herself yet.
In fact, hours later, she still isn't completely herself.
But she's almost there.
Now my question is... what happened?


Early night tonight.
I got everything done but math.
Forget math.
I'll do it tomorrow.
Taekwondo tomorrow.
Daly will be there.
Matthew will not.

Nope.

Oh yeah.
I don't think Scott recognized me.
It's been, what, four days?
NO CONTACT FROM HIM.
He didn't recognize me!

It's an amazing feeling being able to hide in your own town from people you don't want to interact with.

A white belt... yes.

All right, all right.
So I didn't post last night.
SORRY.
I was going to sleep early, see.
And since I usually write at night, it would've prolonged my sleep time.
Which was to be 8:30pm.
To catch up from getting five hours of sleep on average the past four days in a row.
So yes. I got my sleep.
And it was well worth it.
I could've technically slept in a little later than I did... But that's because it ended up snowing (A HALF INCH!) and the gave school a two hour delay.
RIDICULOUS, I SAY.
MUY.... RIDICULOUS.
*sigh*
I do not know that word in Spanish yet...

But yes. Two hour delay. I still got my one hour break in. And Matthew wasn't there! I suppose he didn't feel the need to go early to his class at 11.

He was at Taekwondo, though...
WHICH, BY THE WAY.
I got my white belt today. :D
And I learned that "Meditation" in Korean is "Myung Sung."
I think I like Korean. I should learn it someday.
But yes.
And I have decided that... yes... Matthew is still "interested" in me.
I was the only one he wished "good luck" before the testing for the belts went on (we took turns getting tested).
And he kept looking back at me when we were practicing our side and roundhouse kicks...
Bah.

Youthgroup was tonight.
I snuck into Daly's group.
Nobody said anything.
Not even Andy.
So I guess I won't have to come up with a good argument or construct a petition after all!
I actually enjoyed the night. Which is quite a change from the previous three weeks.
They said they'd have hot water for tea next week.
!

Hana, dol, set,

I am so tired...
My exhaustion is worth it, though!
I am caught up in algebra. I have all my work done that I needed to get done. I have done my exercises (which accounts for my sore arms and shoulders).

Tomorrow should be an easy day.
We're supposedly watching a movie in my Human Values and Meaning class.


Oh, and by the way...
DALY IS GOING TO TAKE TAE KWON DO WITH ME.
It makes me happy. :)

It's amazing because.. he's already gotten his uniform and signed up and everything. He just got the idea yesterday.

But yes, excitement!
And now... I sleep.
Good Night!

An Official Petition!

Troy and Daly both came with me to church today. It was a nice day.
Church,
Jason's Deli,
Barnes & Noble,
Southpoint Mall,
Petsmart,
Highlife,
McDonald's,
Troy's home,
Daly's home,
My home.
And here I am.

I do admit it was a tad difficult trying to make sure both felt included and comfortable.
But it wasn't so bad.
Like I said, it was a nice day.

Daly is working on a petition for me to go in a certain "small group" thing at the Brick City youthgroup.
Maybe if we get enough people to sign it, I will be able to get into it...

OH!

I almost forgot to tell you.

I saw Scott today.
Went to the grocery store. (He wasn't there when I first got there, though.)
I saw him. He saw me.
EYE CONTACT.

...BUT!
There is a good chance he didn't recognize me.
Yes.
Because...
He hasn't seen me in at least six months.
And I have changed a LOT in appearance during that time.
Example:

If you only knew me as this,





Would you recognize me as this? 6-7 months later?


I was talking on the phone with my sister when I saw Scott. I walked to the end of an aisle, and there he was, at the closest register, ringing someone's groceries up. He looked up. I looked over. Eyes met.
I lifted two of my fingers that were holding onto my phone in casual greeting, then turned back around before I could give away any emotion I might have (the second time in one day that I started hyperventilating, nearly).

Now, as I re-think the incident, I don't remember seeing any sign of recognition cross his face.
But at the same time... I am the only Caucasion female with dreadlocks in my town. I'm pretty sure he knows that.
I did "wave"...
He probably wouldn't expect me to wave...
I didn't smile, either. My face remained nearly emotionless as I talked to my sister.
It is usually my smile that gives me away in my old pictures...
He hasn't texted, messaged, or called me since then.
If he'd realized it was me, he might've tried to contact me to talk.

So I'm assuming he didn't recognize me after all!
I love being able to hide in my own town.

*cough*

I helped put out an almost-forest fire today.
In our backyard.
The wind was blowing it past the goat fence and into the woods.
I WAS SCARED.
Hyperventilating.
Which is very bad with smoke.
We called the fire department but managed to put it all out before they got there.
It was like a nightmare come true...
I had a childhood fear of uncontrolled fire.
That fear visited me today.
I wouldn't be surprised if it affected my dreams tonight..
I'm still coughing from the smoke...

The remainder of the day was spent cleaning.
And now doing algebra.
I DOAN LIKE ALGEBRA.
Word problems are bad.

I need tomorrow for cleaning..

I have a headset thingy now!
From Daly. It's his old-new one.
New, because he just got it.
Old, because he was given a wireless one for Christmas.
So...
He gave his older one to me. :D
And I am using it to do my online Spanish homework that I need to record my answers for.
I want to finish all my homework tonight, though.
A difficult task, since there is so much of it...

Kett is remodeling her cage again.

Dormir is sleeping as usual.

I am talking to Daly.

And trying to finish up this homework...
Bah.
So much to do.

Soir de Fete

I did not post anything last night because my computer was making me sad. Internet was not working properly. So I spent my evening making a floor plan of the first floor of my house on Paint.

It took a good few hours. And it's all nearly perfectly proportionate, except for the living room (piano room). I made something the wrong size... Furniture, probably.


I'm trying to get Kett and Dormir used to each other. I hear rodents of different species can be quite aggressive towards each other...
But when I had Pocket Mouse, Dormir got along with her just fine.
Kett is frightened of Dormir, but perhaps that will change after a while...
I don't know. It's all worth a try, in my opinion.

Lovely.

I've been spending the past few hours on algebra.
Yes. Algebra.
It is... fun.
In a very sad, sarcastic way.
*sigh*
I'm having Daly help me, since I can't figure it all out on my own.
I really wish I had been able to get that one math class at CCCC. It would've been so much nicer than this.

Tomorrow, Daly and I are going to try to hide from Matthew, since we sat with him (it was torturous, really) on Monday.
I'll end up seeing him in Taekwondo anyhow, though.
Hopefully he'll get paired up with Lara again. Even though their heights are terribly different.

Tomorrow is going to be a pretty busy day. School, Taekwondo, youthgroup, sleep. And I've got to fit in my homework somewhere between school and sleep.

Bahhhhh

Matthew... I am starting to really, really not enjoy time spent around and with him.

But not because he's annoying.
No, not at all.
It's more because he's awkward.
And also because he likes me.
Yes.
That's bad.
How do I know he likes me?
Well, that's simple.
When a fellow tells you before Christmas holiday that he's going to be bored the next few weeks because there's no school, and he'd go to the movies, except he's not dating anyone and it would be really lonely to go alone, does that mean he doesn't like you?
And when he asks you questions about your interests fairly often. Does that mean he doesn't like you?
What about when he roller blades close to you at the skating rink when you just happen to be there at the same time as he?
And what about if he follows you or your best friend in hopes of spending an hour inbetween two classes with you?
What about when he asks your best friend how long you and your best friend have been dating?
Hmm?
Does that mean he doesn't like you and has absolutely no interest in you whatsoever?

DON'T THINK SO.


Today he asked Daly that.
"So, how long have you been dating Star?"
"Uhhh...."
*awkard silence*
*continued awkward silence*
"Uh, none."
"Oh," says Matthew and laughs his Matthew laugh.
"That was awkward.." mutters Daly.

This all happened when Matthew was following Daly and I was hiding in the Science Building from him. Daly tried to get away from him.
It didn't work.
So I eventually just met them in the Student Center.
When Matthew asked Daly that "dating" question, Daly didn't want to answer (we both figure it would have probably been better if he was assuming we were dating, that way he would leave me alone), so that's why there was that awkward silence..

Wednesday we will *maybe* try to avoid Matthew..
I don't want it to seem too suspicious.
I don't want him to know that we are avoiding him.
I'd hate for him to feel rejected like that.
But at the same time, I really don't want to spend any time with him.
(WHY does he have to be in my Taekwondo class, TOO??)


So yes.
That was my Matthew rant.
*ends here*

Bother...

WHY.
WHY DID I HAVE TO SIGN ONTO AIM.
WHYYY.


Scott (9:42:40 PM): hey
Scott (9:42:59 PM): its been too long.
Me (9:43:08 PM): It has been a long time, yes.
Me (9:43:15 PM): How are you?
Scott (9:43:28 PM): in recovery
Scott (9:43:48 PM): todays like my climax, I can't belive you caught me today
Me (9:43:56 PM): :o
Scott (9:44:10 PM): well I've been under so much anxiety and stress
Scott (9:44:14 PM): it hurts
Scott (9:44:29 PM): its pressure on your chest....I now know what its like to be under anxiety
Scott (9:44:41 PM): how are you?
Me (9:45:30 PM): I'm well. I've been well. Enjoying life. Learning. Living. Dancing.
And learning Taekwondo. Haha.
Scott (9:45:39 PM): wow
Scott (9:45:42 PM): thats awesome
Me (9:46:46 PM): Yes. In fact, tomorrow I'll have a Taekwondo class. It's really a neat martial art, what I've learned so far.
Scott (9:47:34 PM): nice, it seems like a cool hobbie
Me (9:48:53 PM): Yes. : ) Though I'm learning it more to know the art, not just for a hobby.
I really don't have much spare time for many hobbies. Haha.
Scott (9:49:13 PM): hmmm
Scott (9:49:29 PM): you don't really laugh lout loud do you?
Scott (9:49:37 PM): like when you said "Haha"
Me (9:51:03 PM): A sign that I'm laughing out loud, really, is if I exaggerate the "haha." Like, "Hahahaha"
Something like that.
However, when I insert a "haha" into ordinary conversation, if it were real life talk, I would probably be laughing. :o
Either that or smiling.
Scott (9:51:20 PM): I trust you
Scott (9:51:27 PM): i just wanted you to know that I've always trusted you.
Scott (9:51:42 PM): I really miss talking to you.
Me (9:51:58 PM): It really has been a long time...
Me (9:52:14 PM): You were working at Lowes tomorrow, weren't you?
Scott (9:52:25 PM): you mean today?
Me (9:52:29 PM): Yesterday.
Me (9:52:31 PM): My bad.
Scott (9:52:37 PM): yes i belive I was
Me (9:52:48 PM): I came quite close to seeing you. :o
Scott (9:52:55 PM): that would of been nice.
Me (9:53:34 PM): Yes, but my Mom wasn't feeling well so I drove her back home. :/
Scott (9:53:42 PM): oh
Scott (9:53:57 PM): remember this time last year?
Scott (9:54:04 PM): that was our prime.
Scott (9:54:07 PM): hehehe.
Me (9:54:11 PM): I do remember.
Scott (9:55:13 PM):

Friday, January 25, 2008
Me (12:02:14 AM):When you look out the
window while riding in the car, you see the scenery going by. But if you're
looking at a huge field, it seems to take forever to go by. What you're looking
at is so far in the distance, it seems like you're not moving at all. But
really, you never come to a standstill in life. You're always moving. Always
growing. It may not seem like it, though. You're looking too far into the
distance.
Scott (12:02:34 AM):I KNOW
Scott (12:02:51 AM):before I know it will be old and gray
Scott (12:02:53 AM):yes I know
Scott (12:03:03 AM):still, right now in my life
Scott (12:03:07 AM):I want to do something fun exciting
Scott (12:03:11 AM):something ill never forget
Me (12:03:24 AM):Spend time with me. (:
Scott (12:03:33 AM):thats what I was thinking
Scott (12:03:38 AM):but its hard too.....
Scott (12:03:43 AM):you know that.
Me (12:03:43 AM):This Sunday..
Scott (12:03:47 AM):uhh yeah
Me (12:03:50 AM):It's the start.
Me (12:03:51 AM): :)
Scott (12:03:52 AM):then ill have to wait 3 mor weeks
Me (12:04:00 AM):Nah, I don't think so. (:

Me (9:56:32 PM): I remember that.
Scott (9:56:44 PM): me too
Me (9:56:56 PM): It makes me sad.
Scott (9:56:59 PM): why
Me (9:57:31 PM): Those were good memories. And the things that I hoped and dreamed, that we hoped and dreamed, never came to be.
It makes them bittersweet.
Scott (9:57:52 PM): yeah your right
Scott (9:57:58 PM): bittersweet.
Scott (9:58:47 PM): alright well I'm going to hit the hay
Scott (9:58:51 PM): goodnight
Me (9:59:01 PM): All right, good night.
Scott (9:59:19 PM): don't be afraid to call ;)
Scott signed off at 9:59:24 PM.
Scott is offline and will receive your IMs when signing back in.




Why did I ever sign on to AIM....

Kettricken!

I got my gerbil today!!

It's a she.

She is Kettricken.

Kett for short.

Yes.


Here is a picture of her:


She seems to like the cardboard tube I put in her cage..
Not only for running through, but for.. chewing on.

She's sleeping in my desk on a book right now.
After getting her, I realized just how tame Dormir is...
Kett is quite wild.
But she's a lot calmer than when I first got her.

Charyeot.

Today was my first day learning Tae Kwon Do.
It is a Korean martial art.
Which I did not know until today.
I learned a lot of things today, actually.
About 60% of them, I cannot quite remember.
However, I do remember the 10 Step (1?) we learned.
I shall practice it and get the movements easier.


Going to Grandma's house tonight for supper.
Working of my list until then.
Tomorrow is gerbil day!

Yes.

It's been a good day.

OH AND DID I TELL YOU I'M GETTING A GERBIL ON SATURDAY????

La Valse d'Amelie

Shnow is melting!
Yes, 'shnow.'
It's sad to see it go... Really. I miss it.
Even though most of the snow is already gone, they'll have a 2 hour delay at CCCC tomorrow. Which I find kind of funny. But it won't affect me, since my first class doesn't start 'til 11am.

I've been using time that I should be using for sleep, watching Amelie from Montmartre. I'm nearly halfway done with it. I have to keep pausing it when I talk to people (Skype) because the movie is in French and there are English subtitles that I have to pay close attention to..
A quote I just heard that I found thought-provoking is:

"We pass the time of day to forget how time passes."


I really ought to be sleeping...
7am wake time for me tomorrow.

Bah.

Oh yeah. CCCC is closed tomorrow, too.

White Is in the Winter Day

Today was a nice day.
What am I talking about?
It snowed! It was a Great day!
We actually got about 7 inches of snow.
Definitely something not seen often around here.

Gate to the blanketed forest.

Tree branches can be magical, too.

Beauty.

Anybody home?

Icicles!

Magic fills the cold, crisp air.

It is snowing! I see it!
It is... small. Slightly anti-climatic.
For now.
I'm sure we will have more, and it will fall heavier in the next few hours.


I painted a picture. I also drew a picture.
Painted me. A sort of.. self potrait, I suppose?
And drew a mouse. Any mouse. Probably a grey mouse.
It took one hour to paint the picture.
Nearly two hours to draw the mouse.
And now it's quite late.
But it's snowing!

Rue des Cascades

Tonight is bound to be a fairly eventful night.
It is going to snow!

Now, it is not often we get snow where I live.
In fact, if we get snow at all, it is usually only a few short flurries, hardly enough to give the ground a tint of white color.

But tonight, after midnight, it is going to snow well into tomorrow. The weather report calls for 2-4 inches. More or less in certain areas. I live right in the middle of where the snow is expected to fall most.

Tomorrow, CCCC will be closed. I will be home all day. "Snowed in."
Yes, 2-4 inches is a big deal here. Everything is closed. Everyone stays home.
I am looking forward to it.
I plan to take a camera out into the woods while my siblings sled down our hill behind the house.
I want to capture the magic of winter.
The mystical aura of first snow.

But tonight, as I await the arrival of the white magic, I will use last night's inspiration in a few potential paintings. Maybe drawings.
I'm not too sure yet.
But it will be beautiful. If not to me, to somebody else.

I have not listened to any music since this morning when I woke to Rue des Cascades by Yann Tiersen, but I have had a song by Yann in my head all day. J'y Suis Jamais Allé is the name of the song. Absolutely beautiful.

NAH-BLAH

I did not like today.
Well, most of it.
It had one good part.
I talked about gerbils with my parents. They don't seem to be completely dismissing the idea with a "no."
In fact, they asked questions...
So maybe I have a chance with getting one.

I did not like the rest of today because, #1, Troy did not show up. I learned later today the he forgot to set his alarm clock last night and didn't wake up until 11:30am.
#2, We ate at Moe's after church. I'm beginning to not like that restaurant very much.
#3, We went straight home; no crickets.
#4, We watched television with and after supper (something I strongly dislike doing).
#5, Tomorrow is going to be used as a "school day" instead of a holiday. Which means I can make no plans of my own.

And I do not like tomorrow at all. Not at all.
I am planning to go to sleep early tonight (something I ended up not accomplishing last night...) so I can wake at a reasonable time tomorrow without being tired.

Bah.
I am not looking forward to this week.
Not at all.

D:

I want a mouse again.
I am really missing Pocket Mouse.




Officially saved money: $100.

$4 worth of dollar stars.
$7 in my wallet.

*yawns*

My cleaning day may have to permanently move to Saturdays.
Though I do think I'll try to at least start on Thursdays and get a good amount done before the weekend.
I believe I have made $32 today.

I did hardly anything besides cleaning, really..
I made a list. Marked everything off.

I want to take a shower...
I should probably do that and reply to that message before supper. Then, after supper, I'll be free to watch some Monk and go to sleep early.
Sound like a plan?

Uhm...

DORMIR BIT MY NOSE.

>.>

I drank Daly's tea.


Accidentally. I set my tea down and since we have the same kind of cup (they look exactly the same), I didn't realize it was his until I drank it and tasted that it was not my tea.
He had Zen tea.
I had Green Tea Kombucha.
They definitely taste differently.

I don't think he drank his tea after I did.
But I didn't expect him to.

I still burst out laughing or at least smile fairly largely when I think of it.

Best friends.

Something has been officially established this evening.
Daly and I,
we are best friends.

And he has spent the past hour or two giving me pretty much his life story (it started with me asking about his first car, which he had a collision with from running a red light after getting about two hours of sleep the night before).
He's still telling the story, actually.
But we're getting closer to the present.

I do believe this is the first time I've officially had a best friend (or a person I could consider a best friend, really) since the 2nd grade.
With changing schools as much as I did, it was hard for me to know and keep in touch with the same people for more than two years.


I made two bracelets today. For Ryan and Leesha. Even made spiffy little tags that explain quite clearly that they are not only tags, but what the bracelets are (Anti-Water Pipe Fairy bracelets, actually..)
I also made Daly a new one.
His old one is getting a bit... old.
I'm honestly surprised it's lasted this long, since I didn't really spend much time on it in the first place(which I feel a bit bad for, but it was back when I first met him and I randomly made a bracelet and gave it to him since I was walking with him at the time). But it has lasted about five months...

A bit of a disguise.

I went to school today.
Just like any other day.
When I got there, I looked for Daly in the Fitness Building.
Didn't see him.
In fact, the only person in sight was someone with their back leaning against the wall next to the elevator, head down, with a hood hanging over their face, concealing their countenance.
It was an orange sweatshirt-ish type hoodie/jacket. The person wore blue jeans and comfortable looking green shoes.
I walked past him.
Slowly.
Looked down at the shoes.
They looked somewhat familiar..
Then I remembered Daly's text from earlier this morning.
"I feel like a different person today."

As I rounded the corner out of his sight (peripheral vision, rather), I whipped out my cell phone and texted Daly with "Different person, huh?"
Then I walked quickly around to another corner where I could see the person in the orange hoodie clearly.
Sure enough, he got out a cell phone from his pocket and in mid-text, looked up and saw me.
"Thought so." I said to him and smiled.

"What is another Value?"

First day of Human Values and Meaning was today.
It was... actually... boring.
But hey, it was the first day.
I'll certainly give it another chance.
A girl spotted my hamster before class began. She remarked how it was neat or cool or something. She seems like a nice girl.
We got out of class early, and my Dad came early, so it worked out okay.

Tomorrow is Grandma's birthday. She'll be 76 years old. It's amazing. She doesn't look that old at all.

Bother.

You'll never believe what happened today.
I was kicked out of the Student Center at CCCC.
For having a hamster (the lady probably thought it was a mouse, though).

The story:
Daly, Amy, and I were sitting at a table in the Student Center. Daly and I were having tea. Amy was "reading" her Literature homework and eating a cereal bar.
After a little while, I noticed a lady at a table across me, staring at me.
I looked up, felt uncomfortable, looked away.
And repeated the process once or twice.
I told Daly, eventually.
Amy agreed that the lady was clearly staring at me.
(This lady, she had shoulder length, straight, gray hair. She looked older. And she looked quite disgruntled.)
Well, it wasn't long after Amy, Daly, and I were discussing that, that the lady got up and walked over to me.
She said, "You cannot have that in a restaurant."
I said, "Okay."
"You're going to have to leave."
"Okay."
So we packed up our bookbags and tea and walked semi-quickly out the back door.
Let me say a few things, first, though.
The Student Center is technically not a restaurant. A Subway just opened in there, yes, but the chairs and tables that surround the area are not only for the occasional snack or meal, but for studying and socializing at.
Also, I have talked to the security guards in there. The New Zealand security guard asked about Dormir while we were in there just the other day and I told her that I had him in my sleeve.
She had no problem with him. If there was a rule that I was breaking, she would be the first to tell me.
Amy, Daly, and I ended up walking around for the next 20 minutes or so. In the freezing cold. Matthew saw us and joined us (WHY IS HE EVERYWHERE).
At one point, Rocky, the other security guard, drove over to us on his golf cart and said to me, "Don't bring your friends in the cafeteria, please."
"Oh, you heard about that, huh?"
"Yeah,"
"Who was that, anyway?" I had never seen her before.
"That's Janet. She works in the mailroom. She's worked here for quite a few years."
"Ah..."
After a few more words, he drove away.
Daly said, "I can't believe she complained to a security guard..."

When I got home, later, I took one rock out of the basket.


So I have decided there are three people I avoid.
Scott.
Matthew.
That lady.

But hey. That's only three.
I'm sure there are a lot of people with more than three on their "Avoid" list.

Sunday....

I made a video with my brother today.
About last week's Sunday.

Very sad.

Lady Dragon.
She died today.
In her sleep.
I half expected it. She's not been eating lately. Been sleeping excessively. Not really moving about very much.
And I have to say, I am very sad to see her go.
I think she missed Dragon. She's not acted herself since Dragon died about two months ago.

Here they are, the Dragon pair.
The closer one is Lady Dragon. She's got her arm around Dragon (not sure if that was intentional or accidental).
Perhaps that's what they look like now in dragon heaven.
Together.
Forever.

Huh?

I saw Mrs. Miller and two of her kids at Lowes Foods today. She asked about Daly and if he and I were "an item" or just friends.
I said "just friends."
I do believe he is my best friend, though.

I think that's the first time I've heard an adult use the term "an item."

First Day!

Ah, the first day of the semester...
It's actually one of my favorite days. New classes, new people, new teachers (good if you didn't like your teachers last semester, bad if you did (I guess it was bad for me, then, because I'm going to miss Mr. Stumpf.))
I've always liked the whole "new" part. I switched schools so many times in the past, I got to meet new people all over again every two years or so. It was nice.

Of course, knowing a few people in your new classes is nice, too.
Amy was in two of my classes today. Jason was in one. (a few random other people that I recognized were in them too, but no one that I actually knew)
First days are almost always the same. The teacher goes through the syllabus. There are introductions (sometimes). You may or may not get homework.
In Literature-Based Research, I learned my teacher, Larry Hamilton, is quite a character. I notice that he can be easily misunderstood. He is funny (some people think he "tries too hard") and intelligent. He also likes the Wizard of Oz character (says it's his favorite character of all time, and that if he could have, he would've loved to play the part of the Wizard).
He likes names (though he said nothing of mine (he quoted Shakespeare's "What's in a name?")) And he also gave us homework on the first day... Assignment: Read pages 1-54 in the textbook. (By the way, the Literature textbook is the thickest book in the picture. 2004 pages long) I sat in the back of the classroom with Amy. On the other side of me was a girl named Jordan.... I am NEVER sitting next to her again. She was smoking marijuana during class! She was using occasional profanity (something I don't particularly right (I'll post a blog someday explaining my reasons, probably)) and when she talked, she talked LOUDLY. She was very annoying. Like I said, NEVER sitting next to (or even NEAR) her again. EVER.
In Spanish II, I already knew my teacher. She's a nice lady (some people can't understand her, because of her Spanish accent, though). Her name is Begoña Buxens. Because about half of the people in the classroom were in her class last semester, she didn't really do formal introductions. She called the ones she knew by name and had us each take turns reading paragraphs of the syllabus. The only homework she assigned was to go over the present tense verbs from last semester.
Daly's classes (I wasn't in any of his today) apparently went fairly well. Nothing too terribly bad happened.
I won't know how Human Values and Meaning will be until Tuesday. I'm hoping it will be my easiest class, since I have a feeling Literature and Spanish are going to be a bit challenging...