Hi!

Just saying 'hi' really quick! We've got the computer back, and he's working fine!
I have a very limited time on here today, which is why this is so short.
So I'm not dead and regular posts shall return shortly!
'bye.
~Kiwi~

Easter/First day of Vacation (Monday)

Here is my long over-due post about vacation.
On Easter I got to wear a new outfit, which was nice. (We're watching Mike Rowe in Dirty Jobs. Please excuse me while I go KILL him, or at least the TV. He's disgusting.) I would describe it to you, but there's no describing that skirt. It's bright, it's colorful, it's......it needs a picture.
Late in the afternoon, Rapunzel and I went for a walk and I took my camera (Lotsa pictures coming soon). We found a Dinosaur, we found Ducks, we found Gooses, we found broken cds, we found beer & vodka bottles, we found a Turkey....This is starting to sound like an "I Spy" book! We ended up walking for two hours and going 3 1/2 miles or so. There'll be a lot of pictures later.

Monday we woke up early and drove to Baraboo and the Circus World Museum, which is the Barnum & Bailey/Ringling Brothers' Summer headquarters. It was very interesting, but rather cool. They had a lot of old circus posters dating back to the early 1800's in the first building. There were also some floats from the '70s. Some of the other buildings had a scale model of the circus setting up, the box stall where Silver King (the greatest circus horse in history, according to the signs) resided, clowns, statues of some of the curiosities they had, etc. Plus two or three sheds full of circus wagons.
I got tons of pictures here. Now I just have to go through them and pick out a few to show.

Also on Monday, we drove north of Baraboo a ways to Castle Rock. Here's part of the Official Marker:
"You are standing on what was once the bottom of a glacial lake in which Castle Rock, the formation rising before you, was an island. Thousands of years of erosion by water, ice, and wind created the surface features you see in this area."
Y'know what I find odd? The fact that sandstone which is easily scraped and dented has lasted 'thousands of years'!! It's covered in graffiti, which is easily scraped in with a simple rock (not that I would know.... ;). How does that stand up for so long? At least they're not trying to say 'millions of years'.

Hopefully that satisfied your need to read something new on here! I'll continue posting later!
'bye!
~Kiwi~

Hullo.

Hullo. I would do a long post today, because I've been up to quite a bit in the past few days, but.....for some reason I don't feel like typing much right now. I'm sorry that my posts have been a bit sporadic lately! I don't know why I'm feeling like this. :(
My Green Bike was picked up from the bike shop today and I love riding it! It's taking a bit of getting used to, though, because the handlebars are so narrow.
Well, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is coming on now, so I'm going to go watch that! Sorry for this horribly boring post.
~Kiwi~
p.s. Fritz shall be going into the shop next week, so sometime after that y'all'll get some photos from vacation!

bad news/good news

Mom is taking Fritz in to the shop today to get repaired (good news), so I'm not sure when I'll be able to post again (bad news)! I wish we had some way of knowing exactly how long it'll take. So in the meantime, I'll be gazing at a blank computer desk or (trying to do) posting on the library computers.
In other news, my green bike was taken into the shop on Friday and the guy said it'll be ready on Wednesday!! It's going to be rather expensive, though. But then again, how much does a brand-new Schwinn cost?
Dad has taken this week off of work. We went on a day-trip up to Baraboo (Baaaaraboooo-oo-ooo :D ) and the Circus World Museum up there, which was interesting. We also drove through the Dells, saw the "World's Largest Culvers," and clambered around on an interesting rock formation. I got some pretty cool photos of it all, which I'll post when Fritz is fixed up.

G'bye, Fritz!
G'bye, all the rest of you!
~Kiwi~

This was supposed to be posted on Friday. I don't know what happened to the auto-post.
Phooey. I can't get the video to imbed in here. Watch it HERE or see the top of my blog.
And then watch THIS one there or at the top.
Have a wonderful Easter, all y'all! I'll show you pictures tomorrow.
~Kiwi da Fruit~

CONTEST!!

My friend, Heather, is having a contest on her blog. She makes and sells modest swimsuits at www.stylishmodesty.com and from now through the 14th she is giving away coupons. Here is a link to her post.
Go over and comment, saying that Kiwi sent you, then email her to get your $3.00 off coupon. If I get the most people to enter, I get another $20.00 off coupon!
So please head on over and tell her I sent you.
Thanks!
~Kiwi~
p.s. check out the post below this one, too.

A Tag from Blueh

Okay, I'm just doing a quick little post today so I can keep up with my 100-posts-in-1-year goal. It's a "How Girly are You?" tag.


[X] My fingernails/toenails are almost always painted (Mostly because I never get 'round to taking it back off!)
[X] During the summer the only shoes I wear are flip flops (flip flops are so much more versatile.)
[ ]my favorite toys as a child were barbies
[ ] My favorite color is pink or purple
[ ] I did Gymnastics (I learned cartwheels and bridges from watching others. That count?)
[X] I love skirts
[ ] Hollister is one of my favorite places to shop
[ ] Tight jeans are the only jeans I'll wear
[X] I love chocolate (well, very few people don't!)
[X] I've never had a real job (Hinthint, Mom&Dad, Hinthint)
TOTAL: 5

[ ] My hair is almost always straightened (Not choosing this one because I don't think it counts if your hair is naturally straight.)
[ ] I have a myspace/facebook
[ ] I love to hang out at the mall with friends (I mostly do that to get out of the house, not to shop, like many teen girls.)
[ ] I have a real diamond ring or diamond necklace or earrings
[ ] I've gone to a tanning salon
[ ] I've gone to the beach to tan - not to swim (Why not swim and tan......at the same time!?! Whow, never thought of that before! ;-)
[ ] I have at least 10 pairs of shoes (don't I wish..)
[ ] I watch either the OC or Laguna Beach
[ ] I change my icon weekly (which icon, blogger-picture-icon-thing or 'my idol' icon? No, and no.)
[ ] I wear a shower cap (I quote Blueh when I say "Wimps!"
TOTAL: 5



[ ]I love hot topic!! (huh?)
[ ] My cell phone might as well become a part of me
[ ] I wear mascara everyday.
[ ] I've been or am on a diet
[X] Bathing suits are adorable (it depends a lot on the bathing suit. I love most of the prints!)
[ ] I don't know the difference between a sheep and a goat. (How DUMB do you think I am????)
[ ] Big sunglasses are hot! (Oh, I hate big sunglasses!)
[ ] I have gotten my nails done before
[ ] I own over 10 purses
[ ] MTV is one of my favorite channels (eeew.)
TOTAL: 6


[ ] All I want to do at sleepovers is talk about boys. (That's not all I do! We talk about....um....well....things like.......well, I don't just talk about boys! [please note the 'slight' tinge of sarcasm!])
[X] I love to have people do my hair (if they don't pull it.)
[X] I give and receive hugs from all my friends (not all, but quite a few)
[X] I hate bugs (not all, but most. It depends on how creepy-looking/how loud/how foul-smelling/how annoying they are.)
[ ] Carnivals are so fun!
[X] Summer is THE Bomb!!!!!! YEAHH!!! (I luuuuuuve summer. :)
[X] my swimsuit has 2 pieces (Not the kind of two-piece the writers of this were thinking of...)
[X] I'm waiting for my knight in shining armor (yeah! Of course! I just hope he's handsome when I lift the visor.....;-D )
[ ] Musicians are so hot (#1: I don't use the word 'hot' for that kind of thing. #2: I cannot make such a broad generalization. A considerable amount of musicians are weeeiiiird.)
TOTAL: 12



[ ] I am self-conscious (not so much anymore)
[ ] I cry often
[ ] My car smells like vanilla or cherry (My car?? I have a CAR?? WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?!?!)
[X] My dishes get washed more than once a week (like Blueh: Not my decision!)
[ ] I don't do sports (I love sports! except for football and watching basketball.)
[ ] I HATE to run (Ha! you're funny.)
[ ] I squeal when I am SURPRISED or angry
[ ] I eat dried fruit as a snack
[ ] I love romance novels (soap-operas-on-paper: EEEW! NO! sweet, adventure stories with romances in them: Yeah.)
[ ] Drew Barrymore is so cute (What does she look like?)
TOTAL: 13



[X] I dance a lot.
[ ] I usually spend an hour or more to get ready to leave my house
[ ] I only have like 5 billion hair products
[X] I love to get dressed up. (guilty)
[ ] every part of my outfit needs to match (depends on what you mean by 'match')
[ ] I talk on the phone at least once a day
[X] I would love to have a photo shoot (sounds like fun!)
[ ] I apply lip stuff 50 times a day
[X] I wish I looked like a model (Hey, why not? just not a skinny-stick-of-a-person.)
TOTAL: 17



[ ] I wish I could meet Paris Hilton
[X] I have been to something that was semi-formal (weddings, funerals)
[ ] I own Uggs (huh?)
[ ] Hip Hop is the best music
[ ] I pop my colla
[ ] I like to be the center of attention
[ ] Guys with Mohawks are weird
[X] Horses are beautiful
[ ] I'd rather not pay attention in school
[X] Cats are adorable
TOTAL: 20



[ ] I write my own music
[X] I'd love to visit Hawaii (Why not?? It's summer all the time there! Ah, summer....)
[ ] Valentine's day is cute
[ ] White is better than black
[ ] I would not be caught dead in all black (I would like an entirely black outfit. Probably just one, though, and no silver chains or skulls, etc.)
[ ] My closet is STOCK FULL of clothes (I wish)
[ ] I hate the grunge look
[ ] I like to read magazines
TOTAL: 21



[X] I love to talk (guilty)
[X] I had Lisa Frank folders/posters/notebooks as a kid (actually, I did. AND I have a folder now. But it doesn't have the animals all over it, just brightly-colored hearts. :)
[ ] I love Celine Dion (I had to ask 'Punzel who C.D. was. does that answer the question?)
[ ] My bubble baths are 1-2hrs long
[X] I have or still do plan ahead for my wedding
[ ] My friends and I are in a strict group.
[X] I like little kids
[ ] Diet drinks are the best
[ ] I'm all about being vegetarian (I could never go vegetarian. Never.)
[ ] I refuse to eat at McDonalds
TOTAL: 25



[ ] I check my facebook everyday
[X] I love life sometimes
[X] I have a lot of jewelry
[ ] my screen name(s) have x's in them
[ ] I have a friend named Ashley
[ ] I would never want to be the opposite sex
[ ] Its not what they said, it's the way they said it
[ ] I have more than 3 pillows on my bed
TOTAL: 27

How girly am I? I am approximately....27% girly. Only 27%? Lemme go look at this again.
Nope, there aren't any other ones I can check. Who wrote this thing?

I can't believe they didn't include a shopping question! Speaking of shopping, we went shopping several times in the past week for clothes for Rapunzel. And got one outfit. After countless hours of shopping. Maybe the score I got is too high, 'cos I detest clothes shopping! It seems like wherever we go the clothes are either ugly, don't fit, or are too expensive. Hmph.
I looks like I have another tag to do from Queen Lucy (Friend o' Narnia), so I'll do that now really quick.

Growing up/now
[X] Own/have owned a denim jumper
[ ] You were at least 13 when you got your first "trendy" haircut
[X] Everything in your closet at some time was referred to as modest (pretty much all of them, although there is a family rule 'no tank tops by themselves')
[ ] You do/have tucked things in that shouldn't be tucked in
[ ] You have been a member of at least 3 co-ops (two, I think)
[X] You were a true 16 and never been kissed
[X] Your mom drives a van of some sort
[X] You have at least one childhood picture where you, your mom, and all your siblings matched (not the boys, but mom, 'Punzel, and me, yes.)
[ ] You are/were/will be a PSEO Student
[ ] At some point in your life you were more comfortable with adults than kids your own age
[ ] Have studied ways to defend your beliefs, debate, and/or create laws
[ ] Used super conservative Abeka curriculum.
Total: 5

[X] You use big words that most adults could not use in conversation. (Sometimes, although I'm not always sure I'm using them correctly!)
[ ] You can use the words sublime, epiphany correctly
[ ] You have a favorite word.
[ ] You have an understanding of Latin root words and how to use them
[X] People from the outside world are referred to as "public schoolers"
[X] You or one of your siblings knits. (me)
[ ] You laugh at the decline in literacy in America. (not a laughing matter)
[ ] You score constantly higher than "public schoolers" on standardized tests.
[X] You have no concept of cafeteria food
[ ] Family vacations are/ can be referred to as "Field Trips"
[X] Traveling on said vacations have included stopping at historical site markers along the way
[X] You have never been in a public elementary school, middle school, or high school during regular school hours
[ ] You have gone to or been involved in a homeschool convention
Total so far: 11

[XXXXX] You read books on a regular basis (duh! What else is there for me to do while I'm "sitting at home alone and not socializing" :)
[ ] You have taken part in a political protest
[ ] You were a Pride and Prejudice fan before the movie
[ ] You were a Lord of the Rings fan prior to the movie
[X] You were a Chronicles of Narnia fan before the movie.
[X] You speak a language other than English. (Pig Latin!)
[x] You dream of dating characters from books instead of celebrities.
Total so far: 15 (19 if you count the extra X's)

It has been assumed that you:
[ ] Have won many spelling bees
[XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX] Have no social life (Oh, how I hate, hate, HATE that question! I found the best way to answer is to play along. "Me? Getting out and seeing....people?? I..I could never just go out and socialize! I just sit at home with big, thick, educational books, and wonder what the author is talking about when the mention friends.")
[ ] Have no friends of the opposite gender
[ ] Are outstandingly smart
[ ] Are extremely inept
[ ] Only listen to classical music
[ ] Play piano or the violin
[ ] Do not own a pair of trendy jeans.
[ ] Have no knowledge of drugs or alcohol
[X] Don't date, only court.
[ ] Have never been to a "party"
[ ] Know no other beliefs other than what your family believes
Total so far: 21 (39 if you count the extras)

You have been asked several times:
[XXXXXXXX] If you wear pajamas to school (What is the insane fascination with some people of going to school with pajamas or bare feet??)
[X] If you get perfect grades because your mom grades you
[ ] If your mom teaches you or if somebody else's mom does
[XXXXXXXX]How do you meet people (see my comment on socialization)
[X] Why you aren't in school
[X] If you get days off whenever you want
[ ] If you're going to be homeschooled through college
[ ] If you have a big family
[X] What your parents are protecting you from
[ ] To quote something famous
[ ] For the answer, because supposedly homeschoolers always have all the answers
Total so far: 27 (59)

You have rebelled by:
[ ] Listening to "worldly music"
[ ] Wearing black fingernail polish.
[ ] Wearing tight clothes
[ ] Watching a *gasp* PG-13 movie (I'm allowed to, but most PG-13s aren't worth watching!)
[ ]Breaking dress code (The only 'dress code' we have is skirts/dresses to church for us girls. Some times I used to want to break it, but I never actually got away with it!)
[ ] Listening to music with a beat
Total: 27 (59)

1-10 You're not really a homeschooler...you just do school at home
11-21 You're a homeschooler, but not what the world expects
22-32 You're a homeschooler
33-? You probably wouldn't have a blog to begin with...but congrats you're the stereotypical homeschooler

I am a HOMESCHOOLER! Woohoo! And (if we go by the extra X's on the questions I've been asked multiple times), I probably shouldn't have a blog. :D

Well, now I should get off. Mom wants me to cook up some hamburger meat. Vote on the poll I put up, please!

See ya!
~Kiwi~

Recycled Post #1

Here is a post from 'way back in my first few months of blogging. It was originally posted on Sunday, June 15th, 2008, and was my third post. Enjoy!

A Eulogy, For Bob and Larry
By Kiwifruit

There's a lonely place in our house,
An empty space in my heart
Left by my dear old friends
Who last night did depart.

Better pals none could wish;
We had times together quite merry
Just the three of us
(Their names were Bob and Larry).

They were not simple folk,
Rather complicated instead
Not always complying to my wishes
When something else was in their head.

Sadly, the end came soon
On the day Larry met his fate
My brother wanted to play with him
And we got there too late.

A new fan was needed,
One we could not procure
We had to let Larry go that day
His death could neither be nobler nor truer.

Three days after Larry,
Bob bit the dust
A broken heart is suspected
I know I heard it bust.

Now when the office is entered
Two empty spaces meet my eyes
The spaces our computers filled
I hate all these goodbyes.


No new painting news, except that I painted a background for my poem. I mixed up enough grey-green paint to cover the paper (or so I thought). It gave out after I had painted one brush-width stroke across the top and another down the side. So I whipped up another batch of the same color and put a stroke down the other side and bottom, then used what was left to do some wispy cross hatching in the middle where the poem would be written. Once that dried I neatly wrote the poem on it in black ink.
S. and K. are fully recovered now, and the rest of us have avoided getting the bug. I don't want them sick all of the time, but there were some nice things when they were. On the morning of my first post they both slept until nearly 8:00, which is a record for them. Usually they're up and making noise by 6:30.
Did anyone else get some of those big storms on Thursday? They came through our area around 9:45 that night. The tornado sirens went off and the five of us rushed down to the basement and huddled there for a while, then Mom went up to check the TV. When she came back, she said that we could go back to bed, since the sirens were off and the weather maps showed it mostly south of us. About ten minutes later we heard the sirens start up again, so we trooped back down and sat around for a while. It was nearly ten-thirty before we went back up for good. Cedar Rapids got around 6 inches of rain, which is now working its way downstream towards us. That's a Lot of water!
Well, I'm going to go now. We're at my grandparents' house again and a slice of cheesecake is on the table, calling my name. A new computer should be entering our household within the next day or two, so I'll be writing more regularly.
Adios!
~Kiwifruit

HERE's a link to the original post so you can see the comments.
I hope you enjoy recycled posts! Not only do I like saving the web, it's interesting to me to see my old posts.

Adios!
~Kiwi~da~Fruit~

p.s. no song title in here. I'm having a hard time coming up with them. I'll take suggestions, but if I use yours you can't guess. :D Sorry, it'd make it too easy.

My Important Announcement:

We hear about Global Warming almost every day, and its negative effects on Planet Earth. What is rarely mentioned, however, is what scientists are calling "Cyber Warming."
The Internet is a delicately balanced web, which was disturbed by Homo Sapien's arrival back in 1973. Since then, we have not been content to live harmoniously within the Web. Instead, we have invaded with "Internet Search Engines" and the like. Search engines are not cybervironmentally friendly--rather, they drink up the web's natural resources and leaving behind virtual clouds of thick smog and large carbon mouseprints. Those, in turn, create warming in the webmosphere.
Can you imagine the detrimental effect of this climate change? The cyber ice caps are melting, virtual polar bears are drowning, and the ocean is creeping up to our Internet communities.
"Surely," you say, "Surely there must be a way to fix this!" I know not how to fix it entirely, but we can keep it from getting worse.

Step 1. Recycle!
Bloggers write a post, it's read a few times, and then they leave it to rot or toss it on the garbage heap. Same with older games and outdated Internet pages. Re-use your old posts! Update the games and Internet pages!

Step 2. Use Hybrid Search Engines!
Those old engines like Yahoo! and Google pollute our webmosphere. Use hybrids, such as Google Civic and Hybridized Amazon, which use only a fraction of the natural web resources as old ones, and shall soon run completely on electricity or solar power!

Step 3. Donate!
Donate your time and/or money to save the world!
"Wait a minute, it's not the world, it's just the Internet!" critics exclaim. Ah, you're correct, it's not the whole world, but the Internet is as solidly a part of it as America, New Zealand, or the Pacific Ocean! By rescuing the Internet from certain doom, you're helping Mother Earth.
Click the button on the side of my blog to donate. Proceeds will go towards refreezing the cyber ice caps and research for hybrid search engines.

Congratulations! Just by following those three easy steps, you have helped the Cybervironmental Cause!
Check back here occasionally to see recycling in action as I reuse old posts. I will also be giving you helpful tips on you can Save the World!

Go Green, Folks!
~Kiwi da Cybervironmental Fruit~