Monday, December 7, 2009

A Touching Book

It has been snowing here since Saturday night, and is predicted to continue through Wednesday. Of course, this only matters, because, wait for it, I got a snow day! So being the serious slacker that I am, I did some more Spanish homework. I know, it's kinda sad, right?

Anyway, yesterday was cool, because we all went sledding. I wasn't in total abandon and screaming mode, because my head and neck and shoulders and whatnot are still quite bad from the procedure (on Tuesday!), but I still managed to have some good snowy fun.

The road right next to our house is actually a pretty decent sledding hill, as long as we go out before too many cars go over it. And as long as we don't get run over by any cars. There is the added danger of trees lining the road, and a very un-steer-able sled.

We got a few good runs in, and then I came inside while my parents shoveled and swept. Then they came inside because it was really snowing. Hard. All day. It was cool. So I sat inside and did homework and watched football and beat my parents at Wizard. (Because I am a wizard. Or witch. I'm magical.)

*****

One of the prompts for the Best of 2009 Blogger Challenge (I am so far off the dates, so I'm just writing on whatever prompt I want to) is to write about a book that touched you. I have read, and re-read, several excellent books this year, and to my surprise, one actually came to mind when I saw this prompt. 

It was one that I picked off the library shelf because it looked interesting, and it turned out to be a really good book. It was Shift by Jennifer Bradbury. I think it was well written, had good character development, good plot, and in other words, had all the elements that make a good book, but it also fit what I was going through personally at the time.

Two best friends decide to ride their bikes cross-country after graduation, just because. Near the end of the journey, one disappears, with no warning, leaving the other friend hanging. The book switches back and forth between the friend who got left behind and where he is in the present, and the ride.

It certainly struck a cord with me, and while it didn't make what I was going through (still am, as a matter of fact) any easier, it showed the acceptance, the moving on, and the ability to remember the good times.

And now I'm welling up and getting very sentimental, so I'm going to leave it there. But it was a great book, and I would most certainly recommend it.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Cartoons and Articles and Things

So....for today, I am prompted to talk about a favorite article. I don't have one individual one that sticks out in my mind. I read most of my news from the headlines, which isn't very exciting, and is certainly not very good writing.

My parents read The Economist, which is a British magazine that is sort of left-leaning, but is really good at reporting the news, instead of writing an opinion column on it. But my favorite part is always the cartoon.

It usually has something to do with the main cover story, and some of them are actually really funny. And then of course, I think its funny, but I don't know why, so I end up reading half the magazine to understand the one cartoon. But it keeps me entertained.


Thinking about those cartoons made me want to go read Calvin and Hobbes, so I'm off to go dig out those books.

Any favorite articles? Or cartoons, for that matter?

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Eating Out

In terms of my headache, not much has changed, but I am still going around chanting "Keep an open mind, open open mind, an open mind." But that's sort of hard when the door to my head is pretty much closed from all the banging around that is going on in there.

In happier news, it is still cold, but at least we have snow. It isn't likely to effect my tutor getting here, which is sort of unfortunate, because it would have been nice to have another day off.

Today the prompt is "Best Restaurant Moment". I was surprised that I could come up with one, because we so rarely go out.  There is a Vietnamese place about 10 minutes from our house that is very good, and has lots of vegetarian options. We ate there several times over the summer when our floors were being re-done.

What makes that particular time stand out is that we met a really nice waitress who works there most of the time (it's a really small place). Every time we come in she greets us with a big smile, and we always laugh, because she remembers our names perfectly, but we cannot, for the life of us, pronounce her name correctly.

I love getting to know people,and where they are from. She works in a Vietnamese restaurant, speaks with a flawless American accent, and was born in Taiwan. She gives great food recommendations and sometimes sneaks us an extra chocolate with the bill.

I remember laughing a lot, and feeling very cozy, and I think we ran into some neighbors. I love little hole-in-the-wall places that only locals seem to know about.

Do you have a favorite restaurant, or a specific memory from when you ate out?

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

A Blah Day with Good Memories

Today is a very cold, sort of nasty day in that it is below freezing and very windy, but snow-less. I have been reading other blogs all morning and am now very jealous of all the pretty snow. It makes the cold a little more bearable because it is just so fun and pretty to look at.

Yesterday I had a procedure done that is supposed to help with my headaches. I got about 40 shots in my head, neck, and shoulders that will block the nerves and get the muscles to relax, which should in turn help with my headache. So far I am not impressed, but the doctor said it could take up to a week for it to take effect, so I am trying to remain open-minded.

*****

This year I thought it might be fun to participate in The Best of 2009 Blogger Challenge. So today I get to discuss my best vacation from this year. Now, I didn't actually take any vacations, unless you count driving to doctors, so I am going to sort of cheat and do one that my dad took.

He taught a college course in Argentina in October/November. He took students down, and they learned all about the ecology and biology of the area for about a month. He was very missed back here, but he had a wonderful time, and came back very tan and full of life.

He has taught this course in previous years, and my mom and I went for a few weeks one of the earlier times. It was great; we got to see spectacular views:

swim in ridiculously cold glacier water:


and see penguins in a desert:

My dad was pretty happy too, what with all the new, interesting plants. (He's a plant guy.)

So this year, I guess I lived vicariously through others.

What about you? What was your favorite trip this year, or any year?

Monday, November 30, 2009

Christmas?!

I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that the Christmas season is upon us once again. I am usually the one pushing for the tree to go up, and waiting with baited breath for presents to start appearing. This year, I don't know. I just feel like it has crept up on me really fast. I don't know where the year has gone.

I started school really late, because the whole tutor situation took so long to work out. So maybe half-way through January I'll start singing Christmas carols.

I am just going to take it small little steps at a time, and not, you know, attack everyone with tinsel. (Isn't that a great image?)

We had a good Thanksgiving, although not as quiet as I was envisioning. But isn't that how it always turns out. We had several people over on the weekend, although the actual day was just the three of us. And I had lots of time to eat food AND give thanks. yay.

Do you put up your Christmas tree now, or later, right before Christmas? Or do you celebrate a different holiday?

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

It's Been a While....

So, uh, its been a while. Sorry about that. I don't really have any excuses (besides really lame ones about school work and being sick), so on I go.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I just helped my mom make an apple pie, and stuck it in the oven. I am looking forward to smelling all the ymmuy smells drifting in from the kitchen-that's when it feels like Thanksgiving to me. It is just going to be the three of us tomorrow for dinner, but my mom is being very brave and doing the whole thing: turkey, potatoes, cranberries, pies. But I am sure my dad and I will pitch in and help. (Or else be in danger of going hungry.) I look forward to it, because it all is good food that I enjoy, and makes for excellent leftovers.

I can't believe I just wrote that whole paragraph about food. I know for a lot of people; that is all that Thanksgiving is, the feeling like you can't move because you ate too much. Don't get me wrong, I love the food. For me, though, Thanksgiving should be taken at face value. It is, after all, called Thanksgiving.

I think it is a wonderful time to be with the people who are important to you, and to give thanks to everything that you have. By the grace of God, or luck, or whatever you believe. As corny as it is, I love the tradition of going around the table and having everyone say one thing (at least!) that they are thankful for. It always amazes and touches me what small things help people the most, and how much I have.

So, have a wonderful Thanksgiving, enjoy your break, and I would love to hear about your favorite traditions!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Acts of Kindness

I had a great thing happen to me, which is great for this blog too. I was going to write about not feeling very good, and my parents going away for a night (they had a good time!) and how much homework I had. But I knew that probably wouldn't help my mood or the fact that I am feeling pretty overwhelmed with schoolwork.

But then, my dad came in from outside, holding a painting. He said our neighbor had just given me a painting and that I should come outside to say thank you.

I should say here that she moved in a few months ago (rental), and that she is very private. I see her almost every day sitting on the porch, or outside walking, but I haven't really talked to her. She has fibromyalgia as well, and my mom told her at one point that I have fibromyalgia as well. She told us one evening that she is a painter, but she is just getting back into it after a while off because of the fibromyalgia.

My dad was holding the painting, which, I should say, is amazing! I showered her with thanks; she seemed pretty embarrassed. She just said she thinks about me a lot, and wanted to give me hope. I am so touched, and I smile every time I look at it.(That's me on the left, Eileen, the painter, on the right. I just realized this is the first picture you've seen of me...)

Whenever I see someone do something for someone else so selflessly, I am just floored. The ability to touch people so deeply can be very easy, sometimes all it takes is a kind word or a hug. Granted, this probably took a few more hours, but I am very grateful. And it reminds me to look for opportunities in my life when I can help someone.

Have you reached out to anyone recently?

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Quick Update

I just wanted to quickly say how I have been doing before I head off to bed and hopefully get some good sleep. (I've had trouble with that the past two nights.)

A friend came over today; it was great to see her! I might see her again later this week for my birthday, depending on how I am feeling.

My dad is sick with a cold and cough, so both of us are wearing maks, don't they look awesome!?


(That's not actually me, our software stuff is still broken.)

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow that is about an 1 1/2 drive away. Unfortunately, my mom is working, so my dad and I are going to be in the car together for a while. Let's hope I don't get sick!

Gotta go!

Sleep well

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Snow!

This isn't the first snow, but in my book, it counts as the first snow. It is sticking, and according to my mom, the roads are icy, so to me, that means snow. And winter. Which is weird, because it is mid-October.

Okay, so this is seriously wishful thinking.....but two ski areas have opened in the state!

For some odd reason I decided today would be the day I would go outside and walk around. After not going outside for three days. Maybe I have cabin-fever. I wore long underwear, a winter jacket, gloves, a scarf, everything, and I was still cold. I even had a red clown nose to show for it. But I feel a little better; less cabin-fever-ish.

Following up from yesterday post: My neck is still stiff and I feel a little off and shaky, but overall, much better. Which is very good. I hope I didn't freak anybody out with my last post. But let me just re-iterate this: I am fine. I only went to the ER to be safe, and everything they did was to make me comfortable; I was never in serious danger.

I can now say that all the medical shows are for the most part highly inaccurate. There is not that much rushing around and yelling and screaming. Although there was someone whose house had burned down, everyone seemed pretty calm.

I think we are going to start a fire (in our wood stove, I realized that sounded a little odd) later, because it is so cold. Everyone is freaking out about the cold weather only because it is the first day of true coldness. Smokey, our cat, is not happy. She is sort of stalking around the house glaring, and curled up in tiny balls on the heaters.

Over the summer we replaced our carpet with hardwood floors, so she doesn't like not being able to curl up on the warm carpet.

Any plans for the weekend? What is your weather like?
I hope you have a warm, healthy weekend.

Friday, October 9, 2009

A Full Week

 I wrote this yesterday at around 2 pm.

It has been a surprisingly busy week. Well, at least it feels that way. I typed that, and then I had to stop and think and make sure it really has been busy. I'm still not sure, but that should tell you how (not) fast my brain is working which I think answers the question.

Last night for about three hours we were considering homeschooling me. Because my dad talked to a lady at the school who said basically what we were doing was illegal because my parents aren't certified teachers. So we could either do that and hope we didn't get caught or do homeschool. I was strangely excited; my dad, I don't know, and my mom kind of flipped out. To be fair to her I should say she had just gotten home from a long day and had to call lots of insurance companies and then I told her she had to be my teacher so....not the smartest move on my part....

For about two seconds I got really excited and had everything planned out: I would be homeschooled this year, and then next year I turn 16, which means I can legally drop out of school without having to take state mandated exams, and then I would get my GED. Then my mom pointed out that colleges sort of look down on that. Talk about bursting my bubble. But she's right.

But I think we might have something worked out with the tutor. So that's good. Have no fear, I won't give you more unnecessary details.

Something must be wrong with my Netflix qeue because it keeps spitting Star Trek at me. (Not really spitting, just sending them to me the normal way, in the mail. And not that there is anything wrong with Star Trek. I think I am really going to like it. But I am reserving judgment for a few more episodes.) Can you tell I'm a little hyper, or bored, or something? My fingers are really burned, but that doesn't seem to be slowing me down.

My parents like to joke (and yes, they really are joking) that I'm a pyromaniac. I love staring at candles. And playing with the warm wax. And well, sometimes the warm wax turns out to be hot wax. So my fingers aren't too happy with me.

And now an update from today:

It turned out I was so hyper because my head really hurt. So I tried this new medicine. And then I had an "unusual adverse reaction". Again, I will spare you the details. My mom and I were in the ER for about four hours this morning, but I am okay. I will never, ever, ever, be going near that medicine again. 

Here's my hospital bracelet:
Okay, so that's not my bracelet, or hand for that matter. But our picture downloading software died again, so that's all you're going to get.

The tutor just left, and she talked a lot, and I stared at her a lot. But it was good. So I am going to stop and go watch Friends.

Here's hoping you have a much less eventful weekend! Enjoy.

I will tell you more about the hospital visit if you want to know, but I didn't want to dump it on everyone, and I didn't really know what to say, so that was my easy way of sidestepping that issue.

Friday, October 2, 2009

The Beginning of Fall

I am still in shock that is it already October. It has all flown by so fast! I have that feeling where so much has happened, but at the same time, nothing has happened. Every get that? It's weird, and really messes with my sense of time.

It froze for the first time last night. I don't know if that is unusual, but it feels really early. Yesterday I picked all the strawberries and raspberries that were out there, and a few tomatoes. I think my mom and I are going to make a green tomato salsa with all the tinny ones that are left. If we leave them to freeze again, they'll just get weird and mushy.

I also picked most of the flowers that were still blooming on our property. Most of them had really short stems, so I was stuck making these teeny-tinny arrangements. I think they turned out quite well, despite the fact that most of them look like the belong in a much smaller house, with much smaller people.

 
They remind me much more of spring than fall, except for all the yellow leaves that were around them! I love watching all the transitions, and the promise of a new season with new weather. I could never live (just watch, twenty years from now, I'll be choking on these words) somewhere with just two seasons.

While my mom and I have been making dinner together (and adding way too much garlic to the salsa), I asked her about TV shows she watched. The only one she and my dad ever followed was Star Trek. I now have a good understanding of most of the characters and the basic plot. It sounds really fun, and now we both want to snuggle up and watch some Star Trek.

I wish you a good dinner and a relaxing weekend, as I look forward to adding Star Trek to my Netflix list.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Pictures of Paint

The past few days have been pretty uneventful. I started a new medicine that's supposed to help with headaches. So far, I'm not impressed. It dissolves on my tongue, and tastes awful. It's peppermint flavored, so I won't be able to go near anything minty for a while. I still hate all cherry flavored things from when I was a kid and I had to take cold meds, before I was old enough to swallow pills. Do you have any flavors like that? Some people have a strong aversion to grape, or orange. I think it just depends what kind was easiest for our parents to force-feed us.

We have a big exercise ball that my doctor told me to sit on, because it improves posture. (Which has to do with my tongue being in the right place, which is really complicated. Take my word for it: you don't want to know all the details.) I have found it is quite challenging to do anything while staying on the thing. And the landing on hard-wood floor is just that: hard. I am determined to continue trying, but maybe not with anything valuable on my lap. Like this computer, for example.

Last night I slept in the hobbit hole for the first time in over a year. It is very cozy, and confined, which I like. My cat isn't a big fan; she must be claustrophobic. I love it! It feels great to have accomplished something and have such a tangible final project. Here are some pictures (Sorry about all the weird angles; it is a very small space!):
The view from the door

The floor (Most of this is covered up, but I knew that would happen, and I think that's why I was able to be so free with it, and not worry what it would look like.)

Underwater

Flags

Flowers

(Inspirational) words

Palm trees

Ceiling

 

And the door (I sleep facing this way, so this is what I see when I'm in bed.)



I really loved painting it, and I am sure I will love being able to spend time in there.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

A Lazy Weekend

Both computers are now up and running. The laptop was having issues connecting to the internet, but that got figured out. The big problem was that we had the wrong password. An anti-virus software might also have been causing some problems. We think it was slowing down the processes so much, that the computers just locked up. Anyway, we're all good now.

I have managed to get another cold, so I haven't been feeling so hot the last three days. The tutor came on Thursday for the first time, and came again yesterday. She is very nice, and more importantly, a good teacher. I think we are just going to try it, and I'm going to do what I can for a while. There are definitely still kinks to work out, but hopefully they will solve themselves.

Yesterday was the yearly check-up for our furnace, which meant I had to get up earlier than usual. I live on the bottom floor, and the entrance to the crawlspace (where the furnace lives) is through my room. It wasn't too horrible, and it actually worked out pretty well because I got most of my homework done super early. That always makes me feel good about myself!

Today has been a very relaxed, lazy day. It is finally sunny and warm, so my parents have been busy doing yard work. We have all split up now, and are doing our seperate things. I finished the math worksheet from yesterday, and it was surprisingly painless! I guess it's not too surprising that I remember most of the material;  I worked through the summer, so everything is pretty fresh in my mind.

Even Smokey looks relaxed. (And very tolerant of the camera!)


I wasn't too excited about doing house-related tasks, so I came inside and started flipping through cookbooks. We have an international cookbook that tends to be forgotten behind the other cookbooks. I found two yummy looking recipes for Pineapple Upside-Down Cake and Tikki Chicken. The cake came out pretty well, considering it had to be flipped over. The chicken is marinating; we will cook it closer to dinner time.

My dad is watching two football games. I usually like to watch with him, but today I just couldn't settle down. (Don't ask me why I can settle down to write this, though.) Neither game is close, which makes them pretty boring for me. And seeing as I don't follow or root for any teams, I guess it isn't that surprising that I don't feel like watching.

The Divison of Wildlife called today, with an update on the hawk we had in our backyard. Remember him?

He is doing well, and yesterday was the first day he was put in an outdoor cage. He flew the length of it twice, which is excellent news. (Both of his wings were broken.) When he is ready to be released back into the wild, we will get to help. I will keep you updated on his progress.

As I write this, my parents are plotting something (I would say something evil, but I'm almost positive it's for my birthday, and that's definitely not evil). I am very curious as to what they are doing. This morning my mom was doing something secret on the computer....

Any plans for the weekend? Do you have anything special you are looking forward to?

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Crash! Boom Bang

Yesterday, there was a message from my dad (who had already left for work) telling me to make sure everything on the computer was backed up. I promptly freaked out, because, like a good child of the electronic age, almost everything of mine is on the computer. And only about half is backed up. I spent a good portion of the morning grinding my teeth and yelling at the computer.

I was able to recover everything except some of my music, that I hadn't already transferred to my ipod. I guess it was probably a good thing I had to go through all my files, because now I am mostly organized, and I have sworn to myself I will be better at backing things up in the future. (You know I'm going to break that promise.)

I am writing this from our other computer, which is painfully slow. Something to do with an older hard drive that is very full. It also doesn't have the ability to do pictures, so until the other one is up and running, there will be a lot of Google images.

You might have noticed, I made a few changes to my blog. You can now feed my fishies by clicking anywhere in the water. Hopefully they will stay alive longer than my real ones tend to. (Who are not looking so good today.) I also put up a banner in support of Iranians getting their votes counted and their voices heard. It is a very worthy cause, but the president was sworn in for a second term a few weeks ago, so I don't know that anything will change. At least for another four years.

I am going to have a tutor for at least the rest of the semester, since my doctor doesn't want me in school around all my germ-y classmates. I talked with my tutor today, who sounds really nice and  a little hyper. It looks like she will start later this week. I have been doing my best to stay up in two of my classes, but communication with teachers has been hard. My parents have taught me for the past year or so; it will be sort of strange to have someone else. But hopefully good because it will all be one-on-one time.

My hobbit hole painting is going really quickly. I am working on the flag wall, and after that, I'll be pretty much done. I had some serious issues with the Canadian flag. Who knew a maple leaf could be so hard? My straight lines are getting straighter, and some are actually recognizable as flags! (My mom wanted me to add that she convinced me to start painting, not the other way around, like I previously mistakenly stated.)

My mom's birthday is less than a month away, so I am making plans for that. Our two birthdays are only five days apart (I was due on her birthday), so we will celebrate hers the week after. Maybe go out to a new restaurant with some live entertainment?

Any ideas? What do you like to do for your birthday?

Friday, September 18, 2009

A Mish-Mosh With Some Twilight

The book I just finished was....interesting. It was good writing, with good characters, but something was off. It was realistic fiction (this could happen to you), but it was almost like the author got so carried away with telling the story that it became totally unrealistic. If that's how it really worked when you gambled and dropped out of high school, there wouldn't be any teachers left.

I am finally getting over my most recent cold (knock on wood). Today I had a little busrt of energy, but I used it all up and then some. We went to the library, the bank, and the doctor. I love going to the library, though. Libraries have always been my happy place and it is worth any amount of energy to go. (Well, it's worth more energy than a lot of other things.) The best is when the librarians recognize you and pick out books they think you'll like.
I also got a few movies; we'll see how scratched they are. I love watching good movies that I've seen before. It's really relaxing because you don't have to pay as much attention to the plot, just enjoy the movie as a whole.

Speaking of movies, the holiday release season is coming up (yay!). So, I'm trying to track down some good movies to see. Or for my parents to see on a date. You know, same thing, right?

I know the release of the second Twilight movie is coming up. Honestly, I'm not too impressed with the books or the movie(s). Please walk away now if this is going to horribly offend you. I'm much more excited that they are releasing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in time for Christmas!

I have read the four Twilight books and seen the first movie. I liked the first book; I was actually impressed and excited for the rest of the series. I was, however, deeply disappointed. The plot is dull and seems to repeat itself, and at the end, we have a perfectly happy, married, mother, (vampire) 17 year old! Really? (And the writing wasn't even that good.)

Okay, so that's my rant, and I'm sorry if you were offended, but now you can go back to drooling over Robert Pattinson.
What movies have you seen recently? Any you would reccommend?

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Rain, Really?

It has been raining here like crazy, which is really strange. Good though; all the plants are loving it, and it is surprisingly green for this time of year. Some things are turning, which is sad, but there's something so peaceful about it. Maybe I just like that it's so predictable. Anyway, it makes for lots of pretty colors.

 
  
 
On Monday coming back from the doctor (who is conveniently located across town) it was pouring, and for a while you could barely see the lines on the road. But we got home just fine, and only saw one accident.

My doctor has recommended that I not go to school for a while, at least until flu season is over. Apparently everyone has been unusually sick this year, not to mention the swine flu.

Down in my room there is a little storage space we call the hobbit hole (that's a Tolkien reference, for all of you non-Lord of the Rings people out there). Last summer I convinced my parents to let me paint it. It is still a work in progress, but I think I'm ready to wrap it up soon. Even before I painted, it was a really cozy space where I could sleep and read. I'm missing being able to do that, so I hope to be done (ish) by my birthday (Oct 15). I will definitely post some pictures once I'm done.

My parents think I won't be able to sleep with all the crazy colors and different things, but I think it'll be great. I'm normally not an artsy person, but this has been really fun and relaxing for me. It's a lot of abstract shapes, with some flags (which are very square) and very simple fish (made with ovals and triangles).

I hope the weather treats you well.

Do you like to paint? Is there somewhere special you go to relax?

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Mountain Climbing and Peach Eating

It's been a pretty low-key week. I'm on my third cold since the start of the school year (impressive, I know), but my spirits are pretty good. I'm not going to school most of the time, which has been very confusing to my school. I feel like it might finally be getting worked out, and that everyone sort of knows what's going on.

My mom climbed a mountain with two friends today. She is already in bed, exhausted. It was pretty bad weather to do anything, let alone climb a mountain over 14,000 feet.

My dad and I had fun while she was gone; football season has started (!), so we got to watch a few games while she was away. My dad played in high school, so he explains all the many, many rules to me. I still don't really know what's going on, but I know it's big when they say something like "92 yard punt return".

My mom bought a huge box of peaches on Friday and we've already eaten our way through a peach cobbler and about 10 plain ones. They're wonderful!

Tomorrow we are having a few families over for a potluck dinner. We meet every few months at a different house, and just catch up and play. It's at our house, so everything is sort of creepy-clean. (Well, my room is.) Several of them have the sniffles, which is kind of scary with my immune system being so low. I think I'll attack them with hand sanitizer before they walk in the house.

Any big plans for the weekend?

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

A Celebration and....

On Sunday my parents and I attended my mom's friend's daughter's wedding. (Or you could say my dad's friend's step-daughter's wedding.) Anyway, a nice wedding here in town. It was a good excuse to get all dressed up and feel pretty, which everyone should at least once a month. I got around to painting my nails which really needed to be done. I ended up not really liking my toenail color, but being too lazy to change it.

I just stayed for the ceremony a little bit of the reception. My parents brought me home and then went back for a few hours. They came back three hours later having just finished the main course! I'm glad I didn't stay that whole time; I am tired enough as it is.

 
Monday we had no school because of Labor Day (I have never gotten what that holiday actually is, but if I have no school, it's cool with me). Today I have another cold of some sort, so I stayed home. It doesn't sound like I have the H1N1 virus, but that's definitely on my (mom's) mind.

I think it is pretty safe to say that every room in our house has an instant hand sanitizer dispenser in it. We have become a little obsessed. Well, given that so far every time I dare to step out of the house I get sick, I guess it makes sense.

I did some homework, and realized I am really very messy. I was just working on chemistry. We have our first test/quiz Thursday, so I was getting ready for that. The first test of the year is always the worst, because I never know how hard it is going to be. I usually stay up half the night studying, and then get really irritated when it turns out to be really easy. You can tell I haven't changed:


I also filled my pill case, which is always a rather big task. I should really write all my meds down, but I still haven't, so I have to double and triple check everything. But I haven't made a mistake yet. (That I know of.)

 
Before getting too freaked out, please remember that most of these are supplement/nutrient sort of things.

What did you do for the long weekend? Do you have an obsessed that rivals mine with hand sanitizer?

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Bird Rescue

We had something exciting happen yesterday; a hawk with a broken wing was in our backyard. It's unclear exactly what happened, but it was under our plum trees for about an hour before the rescue people got here. Two volunteers from the Department of Wildlife came by to get it. They took it to a bird rescue center where they will eventually release it back into the wild. 
The birds and squirrels in our yard were going nuts. They sat above it and were making a huge racket. 
Here are some pictures I took. We couldn't get very close; every time we opened the door or went outside it moved further away.
 

Smokey was fascinated:
 

And then the rescue people came:
  
 

Grandparents

 
This picture of my mom has nothing to do with my post. I just really like it, she looks so happy. (Even though she's going off to work.)

Over the weekend my grandparents spent a few hours at our house. They both have Alzheimers disease, so we have gotten really good at answering the same questions over and over, and over.

My grandfather really enjoyed seeing pictures of one of my dad's trips. My grandfather was in the second world war and loves talking about anything to do with that. He wasn't in direct combat, so he actually has really good memories of that time. It's amazing all the details he remembers from then, but he doesn't know anything about the present.

My mom got my grandmother to help her cook some dinner. They made peach cobbler and scalloped potatoes. She kept saying stuff like, "I don't remember" and "I don't know what I'm doing", but here hands seemed to remember just fine.

 
They just moved here from Massachusetts in the spring, so we're still getting used to them being here, but it's great to be able to see them more often. I feel so lucky that I get to spend time with them. They still remember me, (although they know me as "Junior"), which is great. 
Do you have grandparents? Do you get to see them?

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Catch-up Day

Some homework was on the agenda for today. I read about the early settlements of the US and what the people's lives were like. It's interesting stuff, but makes for really dense reading.

I finally got around to cleaning my fish tank. It really needed it. Today was a weird day weather wise; overcast and threatening to rain earlier, and now sunshine and no clouds. So a water fight was off the table. I did manage to get myself pretty wet, not even trying. The tank looks much better now, and so far none of my fish have died from the shock. That's always a good thing!

My cat has been meowing all day because she has been locked down in my room. We (I should say my parents) are in the final stages of varnishing the new windows. All the screens were off, and somehow I think she knew escape was close by. I have been spending as much time as I can with her, to keep her from getting too lonely. (Cats are so high maintenance! But I love them.)

Tonight for dinner, my mom is grilling some salmon:
veggies:
and sweet potatoes (which were already on the grill by the time I got the camera out).

On the salmon packaging I found this great-looking recipe for fruit salsa. We had a ripe mango, so I decided to go for it. It was fun to make, because I got to use green onions and cilantro from the garden. Anyway, it turned out great!  Do you have a favorite recipe? Or things you grow that you like to eat?