Books

I went out today with my parents just for a fun "family date". We picked up my framed picture (this one.), I looked for a birthday present for my dad (no luck), and went to a bookstore/cafe. I got a couple of books that probably fall more under the self-help category than anything else, but still not really.

I adore bookstores. And libraries. And really anywhere that is quiet and peaceful and full of books. There are so many choices out there, so many people writing about so many things. Sometimes I feel like it's just for me. It's easy to get lost between all the shelves and in all the stories people have to tell. I feel loved and safe (And just a little vindicated. Harry Potter had a whole shelf, and Twilight had half a shelf. So there!)

My dad and I shared an amazing pizza; avacado slices and fresh mint-who knew! If we weren't having chile for dinner I would have more pizza.

Now it's back to homework. I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird for English. I actually chose the book, because I read it forever ago and I thought it would be fun to read it now from an analytic viewpoint. Yah, great idea. Each chapter has about ten questions for me to answer and there are 31 chapters. I can barely do that math.

Well, I might be exaggerating a little bit, but that was me complaining, and this is me leaving to go do the homework that isn't nearly as bad as I make it out to be.

One of Those Days

Today has been one of those days. Where I discovered hair in my cereal, after eating it. Where I needed to do research on the computer and the internet decided to die. Last night, as part of my homework, I wrote a sentence using the word auspicious: It is not an auspicious start to the day by oversleeping. And my alarm was apparently mad at me, so I overslept by about an hour and a half.

We've all had them.

I was wishing I could go to art class, because it seems like that really calms me down and puts me in a better, more peaceful mood. But no art class today, so I made some hot and sour soup and watched a movie.

And thought I'd tell you this story.

On Monday I had to go to a doctor's appointment I was really not looking forward to. It's about an hour and a half away, and she is the doctor who gave me steroid shots that I had a bad (understatement!) reaction to. So I went, but I wore my crabby socks.

They are literally crabby, but they make me happy. They're my way of being passive aggressive without anyone knowing. They are colorful and stripey and have crabs on them, and the crabs have googly eyes!

Fun socks make me happy. Today I am wearing little blue ones with birdies on them. At least, I think they're birdies.

Exciting! News!

My day just got made. I've been having a pretty hard time the past few days, lots of muscles acting up and such, but.....I got my first comment from a non-related person! (This doesn't mean I don't love you if you are related.) I think I screamed for two minutes. And now my cat is mad at me, and my head is not happy with me either.

Lots of love to Ally B over here!

Happy blogging.

Past Few Days

Today...

I ate my salad with a spoon.

I walked so fast I got a stitch in my side.

Yesterday...

I changed my email password.

I did lots and lots of homework.

I watched TV with my parents.

A few days ago...

I took these pictures:

 

 

Right now...

I am listening to Rob Thomas.

I am wearing these socks:

Top Ten Reasons Not to Learn a Foreign Language

1. Conjugating verbs
2. You have to learn a new accent
3. All your mistakes make you feel really stupid
4. Lots of worksheets
5. All the verb tenses you never knew existed
6. You will really never be fluent
7. All the grammar rules you never knew
8. You can't understand the natives speaking the language, because they speak so fast
9. It is really easy to forget when you are around all English speakers
10. After years of complaining about the English language, you learn that it is actually a very easy and simple language

Stop Being a Lurker!

appy De-Lurker Day to everyone. Today is the day to make yourself heard. Today is the day you start commenting and saying HI. I admit, I am totally guilting of reading and reading and rarely saying anything. I have tried to start commenting more since I started my own blog. Because I realized it can be a little depressing to write and write and only get a comment every once in a while.

I also tried to make it as easy as possible to comment, so you don't have to do word verification even. So please, I'd love to hear from you. Even bossy constructive comments are welcome. Anyways, I think you get the point.

Onward I go....

with my somewhat useless, but nonetheless appreciated, comments.

I should be doing homework.....

I totally should be doing history right now. But I figure that if I tell you, it counts. Right? I just took a break from doing work to eat some lunch. I had some quinoa while sitting on the exercise ball attempting to balance. The balancing went okay, just not the keeping the food in my mouth part.

Quinoa is very tiny, and surprisingly hard to clean up. It can't be swept, so I ended up picking up each piece. Long story short-don't follow my example. Never eat quinoa on the exercise ball. In fact, it would probably be safe to say never eat on the exercise ball at all.

Not much going on. I am looking forward to the weekend, mostly because there is football on, and that has become my way to relax. In addition to reading a good book. But I haven't been able to find a really good book for a while. Suggestions? It always amazes me how many truly awful books are published, let alone read. Or maybe I'm just really picky. I have very clear ideas of what makes a good book, and it can be hard for someone who has never met me (ie the author) to get all those parts in one book that is a length I can actually tolerate.

So I listen to music, and knit, and listen to the Inheritance series on CD, and watch football, and play with my parents. We are currently going through a "Catan phase". It's this boardgame we get out every once in a while, and then play non-stop for several weeks until we get tired of it. Then it gets put away until I cave to my parents' begging and we repeat the process.

We are all qutie competitive, so it can get kind of tense. Yet we still keep coming back for more. I guess it's just really addictive, or we might be really obsessed.

Back to Normal Weekends

I feel very accomplished for today, because I did all of my weekend's math before noon today. And I read some history. The Civil War, again. But knowing the material certainly makes the reading go a lot faster.

My parents went for a long walk this morning, and now I am looking forward to watch the NFL playoffs with my dad.

We took down the Christmas tree and the last of the decorations. It was kind of sad, but I also feel like Christmas was a really long time ago, and that it was time for the tree to come down. We have a lot of Christmas stuff! I thought I'd show you what our tree looked like, because I thought it looked quite nice this year. (Especially with all the lights turned on. We used colored lights this year, because all the white ones up and died on us.)

I saw Avatar over break, and was very impressed; especially the quality of the picture and the amazing 3-D! I've been hearing each day as it passes more and more all-time grossing movie records. It is now the second of all time, second only to....Titanic. I thought it was a great movie, but I don't want it to become the number one. Titanic is just such a classic, and is so well-done and is a well-told story, and I didn't think that Avatar was quite at that level, story-telling wise.

Any big plans for today, or is it just going to be a lazy weekend day?

Scarf Pics

My first attempt at a multi-colored scarf:

And playing with the kitty:

Clearly not too happy about being the subject of my picture, nor the subject of loving and holding.

The Last Days of Vacation

I have been going outside everyday for about a week. It is really pretty-there is still snow on the ground and ice on the road. The ice is starting to melt, so I am taking full advantage of the mini "skating rinks". It is sunny and blue sky weather, but still enough of a chill to make it feel like winter.

My tutor ended up not coming on Monday because she was sick, so she will start coming regularly again tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to it, but not dreading it either. The extra three days of vacation helped. I know I did some work that I didn't have to do, so that makes me feel more prepared.

I went shopping with my mom yesterday. I haven't been out like that for a long time. It was fun, but I was really tired by the end, and making very....slow....decisions.

We bought a frame for the picture my neighbor painted for me, and looked at frames for a picture I just finished. (My first!) I'd love feedback, just don't tear into it too much. I'm not completely satisfied with it, so I may go back and try to do something else with it; I'm just wary of making it too busy.

I have also been knitting quite a bit. Just simple scarves, with fuzzy wool that covers up all my mistakes. I tried a wider one with different colors for my mom; it worked okay. I'll see if I can get her to model with it. I'm thinking my next project will be a hat, although I need to learn more before I try it, because my other attempts have mostly ended in failure, with me taking out all the stiches.

Oh, and I rearranged my clothes in my dresser. It was good to do, and get all organized and throw some things out, but now, I cannot find ANYTHING. Anything, at all. I think I should make myself a little map, and color code it, and...kididng.

Smokey was being cute:

I hope everyone's first week back is going well.

Year in Review

My parents and I were talking on New Year's Eve about 2009. A lot of it has been me being sick, and them working. We found good doctors this year who are really great, working at my pace and keeping in contact with us and all my other docs.

My dad went to Argentina, and was very missed for the month. He is teaching another month long course over the summer in Namibia. I thought it would be fun to stay in South Africa for the World Cup, but he is coming back to be with us. Smile.

Let's see, my mom did lots of chauffeuring of me back and forth across town. And she worked. Now she is going to move her office a few blocks, which doesn't sound like a big deal, but it will be. Last time she moved the movers broke all her stuff and didn't pay for it. Fun, fun, fun.

She and a friend are going to France and Spain in April. She has relatives in France, and then they are going to go exploring for about a week along the border. I am super jealous. Tonight we are having friends over to talk about their own experiences in Barcelona, so we are making lots of tapas.

It's a little sad just being at home and doing school while my parents are off having lots of adventures. I used to travel a lot too; that used to be our thing as a family. But it's okay, I know I'm getting better, and that this is where I am right now, and this is where I need to be.

That doesn't stop me from salivating over the pictures.

This was my mom's big Christmas present from me. I did it in the art class I am taking, with a woman who lives down the street.

She also gave me sort of the basic idea for my dad's present, which was a book with pictures and memories of the two of us.

I got that hat for Christmas-it might just be my favorite present. It is very warm and fuzzy. 

Smokey's present was a laser light and she just goes nuts over it. And skids everywhere on the floors. I keep thinking I need to take a video, because she is very cute. She looks like a dog chasing its tail.

Every year JibJab does a year in review; I didn't think this one was as good, but check it out. (And while you're at it watch the other ones, especially It's Time for Some Campaigin'.)

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Does anyone know what the original song is? I've never heard it before, not that it's particularly catchy....

Hello to a Better Year

A very happy new year to everyone!

I stayed up by myself, after a nice day with my parents. We wrote thank you cards to lots of friends and family, before heading to the movies to see Sherlock Holmes. We got to Skype with some of my cousins, which was really great because we haven't seen them since their wedding.

I knitted and played on the computer until about quarter till, then I watched Dick Clark's New Year Rockin Eve until the ball dropped. And I also saw fireworks that were set off here in town.

I'm saying good-bye to a tough year. A really tough year. But I do have hope for the future, for the coming this decade, and for this year. You gotta have hope.