(This year's Christmas Card)
Love, Kiwi
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Another contest!!
Here's a video I made for a Winter Jam contest! Thanks go to my brother, for helping with it. =) Go watch! Better post to come
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2JPnT4vHGw
~Kiwi~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2JPnT4vHGw
~Kiwi~
Monday, December 6, 2010
"Way Beyond Myself" Remix
Hey blogger reader peeps! I know, I haven't been on here in WAY too long, and I've got another post started, but in the mean time, could y'all go over to http://newsboys.heroku.com/ and vote for the "Move Me To My Knees" remix of the Newsboys' "Way Beyond Myself?" My friends worked long and hard to get it done, and now all they need are votes. So please, go vote for it! Voting lasts through tonight, at least, but I can't seem to find a definite day/time for voting to end.
So quit reading this and skedaddle on over there!
Thanks very muchly! I've already rustled up 2 votes for it, only ninety-million to go! ;-)
~Kiwifruit~
So quit reading this and skedaddle on over there!
Thanks very muchly! I've already rustled up 2 votes for it, only ninety-million to go! ;-)
~Kiwifruit~
Saturday, October 9, 2010
It's been a while...
Oh, goodness, it's been waaaay too long since I posted on here. =/ Plenty has been happening, but I don't really feel creative to write about it. But I'll try.
Three weeks ago I landed myself a job at Jo-Ann Fabrics! So I've been working away at that, mostly at the cash registers. I wasn't too great at first, and had to keep calling a coworker up to help me, but I think I'm getting better. I worked yesterday 9:00-1:00, and only had to call for help ONCE, and that was because the horrid computer suddenly quit working. My boss said she's going to start me on cutting counter soon, which I'm just a bit worried about, since there's so much more that can be done wrong there!! But I think (hope) I'll do okay there. =)
My parents and sister went to Las Vegas for a week! No, they weren't there for the reason most people go to Vegas. ;-D Sis had a gemology lab class there (Diamond Grading! She got to work with around 20 diamonds over the couse of the week. :), so they made it into a vacation, Mom and Dad sight-seeing around the area while she ran her fingers through piles of diamonds. ;) They went to a Ghost Town, Red Rock Canyon, and the pawn shop from The History Channel's "Pawn Stars."
While they were off doing that, I went to the church Barn Dance and started my job.
So that's what's been happening to me over the past three weeks.
And tonight, we're going to see PAUL COLMAN!!!! IN CONCERT!!!! =D I'm really excited about that. He's been in the general area three times over the past year & three months, and I had a chance to see him last summer that I was forced to pass up. He was in IL twice last month, and now he's doing two shows here in Wisconsin. True, it's about 2 hours away, but with seven of us chipping in for gas (AND it's a free show!), this won't cost us more than $5 each. =D =D =D
Well, I have some stuff to go get ready before we leave in 6 hours, so g'bye for now!
~Kiwifruit~
Three weeks ago I landed myself a job at Jo-Ann Fabrics! So I've been working away at that, mostly at the cash registers. I wasn't too great at first, and had to keep calling a coworker up to help me, but I think I'm getting better. I worked yesterday 9:00-1:00, and only had to call for help ONCE, and that was because the horrid computer suddenly quit working. My boss said she's going to start me on cutting counter soon, which I'm just a bit worried about, since there's so much more that can be done wrong there!! But I think (hope) I'll do okay there. =)
My parents and sister went to Las Vegas for a week! No, they weren't there for the reason most people go to Vegas. ;-D Sis had a gemology lab class there (Diamond Grading! She got to work with around 20 diamonds over the couse of the week. :), so they made it into a vacation, Mom and Dad sight-seeing around the area while she ran her fingers through piles of diamonds. ;) They went to a Ghost Town, Red Rock Canyon, and the pawn shop from The History Channel's "Pawn Stars."
While they were off doing that, I went to the church Barn Dance and started my job.
So that's what's been happening to me over the past three weeks.
And tonight, we're going to see PAUL COLMAN!!!! IN CONCERT!!!! =D I'm really excited about that. He's been in the general area three times over the past year & three months, and I had a chance to see him last summer that I was forced to pass up. He was in IL twice last month, and now he's doing two shows here in Wisconsin. True, it's about 2 hours away, but with seven of us chipping in for gas (AND it's a free show!), this won't cost us more than $5 each. =D =D =D
Well, I have some stuff to go get ready before we leave in 6 hours, so g'bye for now!
~Kiwifruit~
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
a "poem"
ho hum.
this is a poem
without punctuation
rhythm
or rhyme
And probably bad spelling
as well
Since I have nothing
else to do
or better to say
I figured this would do
The church barn dance
is coming up
this
Saturday
and I am
looking forward to it
very much
It is one of the
biggest
biggest
biggest
church events
of
the
year
and I am glad to be going
That is pretty much
all the news for now
please reply
with your
very
very
own
non-punctuated
non-rhythmic
non-rhyming
miss-spelled
poem
I'd like
to read it
very
very
much
=D
this is a poem
without punctuation
rhythm
or rhyme
And probably bad spelling
as well
Since I have nothing
else to do
or better to say
I figured this would do
The church barn dance
is coming up
this
Saturday
and I am
looking forward to it
very much
It is one of the
biggest
biggest
biggest
church events
of
the
year
and I am glad to be going
That is pretty much
all the news for now
please reply
with your
very
very
own
non-punctuated
non-rhythmic
non-rhyming
miss-spelled
poem
I'd like
to read it
very
very
much
=D
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Well, I went ahead and started reading The After House that night, and stayed up waaay too late so I could try and finish it! The story line is about this young man named Leslie, fresh out of medical school, who finds work on a yacht headed out to sea. On the boat is a wealthy man and his wife, her sister, and two friends of that family. Also there is a pair of maids, a valet/butler, and the boat crew. The yacht sails a few days out, then, in the dark of the night, a man is murdered! Leslie is the one who discovers him, and ends up being the one who has to take charge of the vessel and bring it back to shore. The scary part is....the murderer is still on board!
A very intriguing book. I stayed up an hour later than I meant to, trying to get to the end, to find out WHO did it, and finally had to just set it down because I had another 100 pages to go. =( Well worth the fifty cents spent on it.
Yesterday I looked up the author, Mary Roberts Rinehart, to see what else she wrote. According to Wikipedia, she lived a Really Interesting life! She lived from August 12th, 1876 to September 22nd, 1958, and wrote close to fifty books! She's the person who the phrase "The butler did it!" was inspired by, because in one of her murder mysteries, they find out at the end that.....the butler did it. Bob Kane accredited her supercriminal, The Bat, as one of the inspirations for Bat Man (although he obviously changed The Bat from criminal to good guy!).
Mary Roberts Rinehart also was the first female war correspondent during World War 1! AND she helped her sons start Farrar & Rinehart Publishers. This was one busy lady!
I reccomend her book The After House. I can't tell you to read any others, since I haven't read them myself, but that one is good!
~Kiwi~
Friday, August 20, 2010
=P
Oh, goodness, I didn't realize it's been son long since I blogged! I'll try to catch you up with what's been going on with three things I've done since I last blogged:
1. I spent a week at my friends' house in Illinois working at VBS. I helped with the 4th-6th graders this year, which was a bit different from what I was used to. Firstly, up until this year, VBS always went from 9:00-12:00, but this time they chose to try 5:30-7:30. I don't think it worked as well. The kids were more tired, the workers were more tired, and having it in the evening made it feel like VBS took up the whole day. That doesn't make much sense, but it's like we spent the whole day waiting for VBS to come along, and then we did VBS, and then it was time to eat and go to bed! Okay, it wasn't that sudden, and we did stay up late, it was just different.
But still a lot of fun!! We made tye-dye shirts one day.
The offerings the kids brought were collected and given to my friend, Miranda (whose house I stayed at), for her trip to Honduras. (She went to Honduras yesterday, and she will be living with a missionary family there, helping them educate their son, and also helping them with their various ministries. Miranda will be back in the U.S. in November, then return to Honduras come December.) The first day, over $100 was raised, the second we had over $200, but, of course, I can't remember the total amount collected. But it was pretty high.
2. The week after I returned from VBS, I stayed overnight at a friend's house. My friend, Queen Lucy, was in Mongolia with her father on a short-term missions trip, and so I spent some time at her house, helping with her younger siblings. That was a fun time! I am a little ashamed to say that it's so much easier to get along with OTHER people's younger siblings than my own! I guess it helped that at least three out of the five of them were absolutely thrilled to have me there. =) [Not sure if the older two were "thrilled" or not, since their older and their boys and so they don't come sit with me or give me hugs....I think that'd just be a little weird...lol]
So I was glad to be able to go and help Lucy's mom and give her a bit of a break.
3. Play Practice!! We've had two practices for our Talent Night Play so far, and then we'll be doing another one tomorrow at 1:00. The actual show is tomorrow at 6:30, but I don't know what order the acts will be in. So far it's all going relatively smoothly, although the third practice is very needed. We haven't gone through the whole thing without a stop yet, which Really Needs to be Done, since we can't very well just stop and start over again in front of the audience!
So that's most of what I've been doing lately. That and driving myself places, applying for jobs here & there, and making play props. What three interesting things have you done in the past week or two?
~Kiwi~
1. I spent a week at my friends' house in Illinois working at VBS. I helped with the 4th-6th graders this year, which was a bit different from what I was used to. Firstly, up until this year, VBS always went from 9:00-12:00, but this time they chose to try 5:30-7:30. I don't think it worked as well. The kids were more tired, the workers were more tired, and having it in the evening made it feel like VBS took up the whole day. That doesn't make much sense, but it's like we spent the whole day waiting for VBS to come along, and then we did VBS, and then it was time to eat and go to bed! Okay, it wasn't that sudden, and we did stay up late, it was just different.
But still a lot of fun!! We made tye-dye shirts one day.
The offerings the kids brought were collected and given to my friend, Miranda (whose house I stayed at), for her trip to Honduras. (She went to Honduras yesterday, and she will be living with a missionary family there, helping them educate their son, and also helping them with their various ministries. Miranda will be back in the U.S. in November, then return to Honduras come December.) The first day, over $100 was raised, the second we had over $200, but, of course, I can't remember the total amount collected. But it was pretty high.
2. The week after I returned from VBS, I stayed overnight at a friend's house. My friend, Queen Lucy, was in Mongolia with her father on a short-term missions trip, and so I spent some time at her house, helping with her younger siblings. That was a fun time! I am a little ashamed to say that it's so much easier to get along with OTHER people's younger siblings than my own! I guess it helped that at least three out of the five of them were absolutely thrilled to have me there. =) [Not sure if the older two were "thrilled" or not, since their older and their boys and so they don't come sit with me or give me hugs....I think that'd just be a little weird...lol]
So I was glad to be able to go and help Lucy's mom and give her a bit of a break.
3. Play Practice!! We've had two practices for our Talent Night Play so far, and then we'll be doing another one tomorrow at 1:00. The actual show is tomorrow at 6:30, but I don't know what order the acts will be in. So far it's all going relatively smoothly, although the third practice is very needed. We haven't gone through the whole thing without a stop yet, which Really Needs to be Done, since we can't very well just stop and start over again in front of the audience!
So that's most of what I've been doing lately. That and driving myself places, applying for jobs here & there, and making play props. What three interesting things have you done in the past week or two?
~Kiwi~
Friday, August 6, 2010
Oh, I don't know what to write about right now. I suppose I could write about VBS, but I don't really feel like doing that right now. I don't know why. I could write about my job search, but I haven't actually been searching yet, just applying at Culver's. I could write about my failed driver's test, but what's the fun in that?
Maybe I'll write about the driver's test I just passed a couple hours ago......=)
~Kiwi~
Maybe I'll write about the driver's test I just passed a couple hours ago......=)
~Kiwi~
Monday, July 26, 2010
200th post!!
Howdy! I am now posting from our Own Computer in my living room. =) We bought a new computer yesterday, and it's lots faster than the one I was using earlier this week. It hasn't been named yet, because I am unsure of its personality. Let's have a moment of silence for Fritz-Angus and Larry and Bob.
(I wrote that two years ago, when Bob and Larry originally died.) My brother revived both Bob and Larry temporarily, but then Larry crashed again. And Bob is sooooo slooooow that it almost isn't worth getting on there. Plus he doesn't blog.
I'll have to start writing a eulogy for Fritz-Angus next. What rhymes with Fritz or Angus??
'O hum. I'm sorry, I don't seem to have as much to say on here as I thought I did! I'm going to Illinois today for VBS again...=D So excited about that. I might be helping with/teaching tye-die, which ought to be...interesting, considering I've never done it before!! Nothing like a first time, is there?
I'm going to type up a quick post to auto-post on Wednesday or Thursday..
Oh! I just remembered! THIS is my TWO-HUNDREDTH POST!! Sorry, I'm not going to tell you 200 random things about myself. 100 was hard enough, but adding 100 to it...Not happening!
Thanks for reading my blog! =D
~Kiwi~
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.
(I wrote that two years ago, when Bob and Larry originally died.) My brother revived both Bob and Larry temporarily, but then Larry crashed again. And Bob is sooooo slooooow that it almost isn't worth getting on there. Plus he doesn't blog.
I'll have to start writing a eulogy for Fritz-Angus next. What rhymes with Fritz or Angus??
'O hum. I'm sorry, I don't seem to have as much to say on here as I thought I did! I'm going to Illinois today for VBS again...=D So excited about that. I might be helping with/teaching tye-die, which ought to be...interesting, considering I've never done it before!! Nothing like a first time, is there?
I'm going to type up a quick post to auto-post on Wednesday or Thursday..
Oh! I just remembered! THIS is my TWO-HUNDREDTH POST!! Sorry, I'm not going to tell you 200 random things about myself. 100 was hard enough, but adding 100 to it...Not happening!
Thanks for reading my blog! =D
~Kiwi~
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Grad party!
Okay, sorry for the dismal/depressing feel of the last post. =/ I was (obviously) in a rather dismal/depressed mood for it.
The good news is that yes, I did graduate!! =D With [a] flying color. ;) My great and wonderful friend, Bethany, helped me through the last few lessons of Government--if it wasn't for her, I don't know how long it would have taken me to finish!!
We had the party at a park just a few minutes from home, but sadly it was too windy to use most of the decorations I had worked on. =( So the decor consisted of tablecloths, three bunches of balloons, and flowerpot saucers of Skittles. Without the actual flowerpots, the saucers didn't make much sense, but I guess the tables looked okay. =/
TONS of friends showed up, all the way from Iowa and Illinois! My Aunt Jan and Uncle Steve win the prize for the longest drive to get here, I think--they came all the way from western Iowa!! (Thank you for coming!) Do you know how difficult it is to constantly switch from group to group, trying to talk to everyone and introduce people to other people and make sure you get some cake...? It's difficult. I tried to spend more time with the out-of-towners than the in-towners, since I see them every week. Hopefully none of you felt slighted!
Sorry for the shortness of this post! I'm at the library and my session is ending in a few minutes, so I've gotta cut it short. =/
Long story short, I had a great time and hope everyone who came did, too! And thank you for the encouraging comments on the last post! =) They were helpful.
~Kiwi~
p.s. Please pray for me tomorrow! I'm taking my road test for my license at 1:00. =O A leetle scary! I doubt I'll pass, just because I'm a bit pessimistic, but I might! Please pray I don't crash into anything, or pull out when I'm not s'posed to, and that I get the hang of Parallel Parking within the next 24 hours...Eeep. =)
The good news is that yes, I did graduate!! =D With [a] flying color. ;) My great and wonderful friend, Bethany, helped me through the last few lessons of Government--if it wasn't for her, I don't know how long it would have taken me to finish!!
We had the party at a park just a few minutes from home, but sadly it was too windy to use most of the decorations I had worked on. =( So the decor consisted of tablecloths, three bunches of balloons, and flowerpot saucers of Skittles. Without the actual flowerpots, the saucers didn't make much sense, but I guess the tables looked okay. =/
TONS of friends showed up, all the way from Iowa and Illinois! My Aunt Jan and Uncle Steve win the prize for the longest drive to get here, I think--they came all the way from western Iowa!! (Thank you for coming!) Do you know how difficult it is to constantly switch from group to group, trying to talk to everyone and introduce people to other people and make sure you get some cake...? It's difficult. I tried to spend more time with the out-of-towners than the in-towners, since I see them every week. Hopefully none of you felt slighted!
Sorry for the shortness of this post! I'm at the library and my session is ending in a few minutes, so I've gotta cut it short. =/
Long story short, I had a great time and hope everyone who came did, too! And thank you for the encouraging comments on the last post! =) They were helpful.
~Kiwi~
p.s. Please pray for me tomorrow! I'm taking my road test for my license at 1:00. =O A leetle scary! I doubt I'll pass, just because I'm a bit pessimistic, but I might! Please pray I don't crash into anything, or pull out when I'm not s'posed to, and that I get the hang of Parallel Parking within the next 24 hours...Eeep. =)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Today I Am...
unproductive. I haven't gotten through today's Government lesson, and I'm already four days behind.
Today I Am...
angry at myself for falling so far behind.
Today I Am...
wondering if I'll actually graduate? Or will I just stay in high school forever?
Today I Am...
depressed.
Today I Am...
not quite looking forward to tomorrow, because Tomorrow means that I am five days behind, instead of four.
Today I Am...
giving y'all a sad and depressing blogpost because I don't really have anything interesting to say. =P
Today I Am...
wishing our regular computer was working so that I could at least put a picture up on here.
Today I Am...
finishing this blogpost up quickly (it's my 198th, by the way), so that you guys don't have to read it anymore.
~Kiwi~
Today I Am...
angry at myself for falling so far behind.
Today I Am...
wondering if I'll actually graduate? Or will I just stay in high school forever?
Today I Am...
depressed.
Today I Am...
not quite looking forward to tomorrow, because Tomorrow means that I am five days behind, instead of four.
Today I Am...
giving y'all a sad and depressing blogpost because I don't really have anything interesting to say. =P
Today I Am...
wishing our regular computer was working so that I could at least put a picture up on here.
Today I Am...
finishing this blogpost up quickly (it's my 198th, by the way), so that you guys don't have to read it anymore.
~Kiwi~
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Freedom Fest!!
This past Saturday was Freedom Fest! It's a festival put on by a nearby church each year that's entirely free--free rides, free CONCERTs, free fireworks....I spent $3 total all afternoon. $1 for a slice of Pizza Hut pizza, $1 for lemonade, and $1 for a snow cone (snow cones are a bit over-rated, by the way. =/ ).
When we got there they had the "Larger Rides!!" going, larger rides consisting of a Pharaoh's Fury and The Sizzler. Not Very big, but big enough to be fun. =)
When we got there they had the "Larger Rides!!" going, larger rides consisting of a Pharaoh's Fury and The Sizzler. Not Very big, but big enough to be fun. =)
We sat at the very end of the ride the first time, and these are a few of the pictures I took before one of the workers said "No cameras!" He's the dude in the red shirt at the end of the ride.
There's the view from the top of the ride.
Note the "Jason Dolley" haircut the guy on the right with the blue shirt has. That haircut was allll over the place.
I found it fun wandering all over, seeing a few people I know and then recognizing lots of others from earlier in the day. There was The Justin Bieber Girl, who had a tee shirt saying "Justin Bieber Justin Bieber Justin Bieber Justin Bieber,*" the Sunburned To The Point That My Neck Felt Burned Guy, who sat in front of us the second time we rode the Fury. He must have been outside all day Saturday to get a burn like that! There were the Giggly Group O' Guys, who stood in line ahead of us for the Sizzler (Yes, they were giggly! They stood there, told each other a few jokes, and giggled!!).
Anyway, we wandered around for about four and a half to five hours (FIVE HOURS?!? It didn't seem THAT long!), until the concert started. I have to go through these pictures and edit them--some of 'em look like they'd be pretty awesome! But since you guys have been begging to see them (admit it, your subconscious is anxious to see these.), I'll put a few up now.
Jason Roy's guitar
Jesse Garcia, lead guitarist. If you look closely, you can see he's looking right at me and smiling for the picture. =D
You can see better in this edited version.
Well, I don't have time to put all these on here tonight. =( Just time for one more: This is for you, guitargirl. ;D
ELVIS LIVES!!!!
=D
~Kiwi~
*One of these days I want to print up a tee shirt with my name over and over on it. Why is it that Justin Bieber and the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana get shirts with their names all over it?
Monday, June 21, 2010
A Highly Entertaining Book
Okay, I have something to say now, and I feel like writing it, too! Yay! ;)
I just finished a highly entertaining book (hence the blog title) called The Season by Sarah MacLean. It is supposed to be a romantic drama, but it kinda turned out more of a sickly-romantic comedy. If you want to read it for yourself and not have me spoil it, please either skim over my summary or skip it. I plan to give away the whole plot, and include excerpts from the book itself, mingled with my commentary on it. =) This'll be fun.
And don't worry, you could still read it and enjoy it for the comedic side!
Okay. The Season takes place in 1815 England. The main character, Alex(andra), and her friends Vivi(an) and Ella (Eleanor), are the daughters of a duke, an earl, and a marquess, respectively. Alex has three brothers, Vivi has a twin brother mentioned by name at the beginning of the book and then never again, and Ella is the oldest in a family of girls. The three girls and Alex's brothers are good friends with Gavin So-and-so, [accidental] Earl of Blackmoor. I say 'accidental' because his father died unexpectedly in what appeared to be an accident several months before the opening of this book. Except, the author foolishly made it obvious that the former Earl was actually murdered by writing the first two pages from the murderer's point of view. [She shouldn't have done that. should have let us figure it out ourselves, but oh well.] Some other more prominent characters in the book are Gavin's uncle Lucien, the Baron Montgrave [he escaped from France during the revolution. Remember, this is while they're fighting Napoleon.], and Alex's parents.
The Season is the time of year when girls [about 17 or so] came out into society for the first time. Or, as Alex puts it [she's quite the feminist], a girl was "paraded like a piece of horseflesh in front of every unattached male in London who happened to have a sizable inheritance and an acceptable title. Her mother's goal was to have Alex married off by autumn."
Neither Alex nor her friends are excited by the whole marriage thing, but they must at least go along with their mothers.
At the first ball, Alex spots a guy who was so tall that he towered above the women around him. "The way he was positioned made him impossible to recognize, but Alex couldn't help but notice his broad shoulders and blond hair falling attractively over the collar of his waistcoat.....His shoulders were broader still than they had seemed when she was spying on him. ...She noted with appreciation the way his tailor had fitted his black jacket to them like a second skin....his hair...was a more golden shade of blond than she had first thought." A second skin?? Really? =P
I wish I had time to quote the entire book on here, or at least great big portions of it, since it is hilariously sappy, but I don't think the author would appreciate that. I mean, quoting chapters of the book would be one thing, but making fun of the chapters I quote? Somehow I doubt she would like that. But I'll give you one or two more portions.
Alex and Gavin fall in love. SURPRISE!!! Didn't see that one coming, did you? Well, they go to a ball together, him as her chaperone. Although technically they shouldn't have done that because he's not her brother, father, or trusted older male relative, like a chaperone was supposed to be.
ANYway, they have an argument at the ball because he was being to older-brother-ish and telling her to stay away from this one guy, so they went home early.
Later That Evening....
"'You have to stop thinking of me as your sister, Gavin.' [I think she meant, stop pretending you're in authority over me.]
"He offered her a half smile. 'That seems to be the singular problem.' Confusion clouded her emerald eyes as he continued, 'You see, I haven't been thinking of you as my sister. In fact, the way I've been thinking when it comes to you is the very opposite of brotherly.' [italics are in the book. "clouded emerald eyes." how very descriptive.]"
blah blah blah blah...
"'You needn't worry. I'm not going to act on my feelings.'
"'Why?' Alex asked the question without thinking."
blah blah blah sappy sappy sappy...
"'Instead of the feelings dissipating as I spent time in your company'--he slashed a hand through the air in frustration--'they only seemed to grow stronger.' [An example of 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', eh? Italics in that sentence are mine.]
"Alex looked up at him, meeting his frustrated grey eyes. [okay, so far we have 'clouded emerald eyes' and 'frustrated grey eyes...'] 'Not why are you feeling the way you are, Gavin. Why aren't you going to act on those feelings?'"
sappy sappy sappy...
"'There are a dozen reasons why I shouldn't act on them.' He lifted his hands to cradle her face between them. 'A hundred reasons why I should turn around and walk out of this room.' He leaned down until he was a hairbreadth away from her. 'But I'm through listening to them.' And, with that, he kissed her."
BLEAH!! It's not that I don't like romance: I don't mind romance one bit! Some romances are very sweet to read, or watch as movies. I like romances. IN MODERATION! This book is...
I expected it to be more adventurous than it was. I mean, the cover says "[Alex] manages to get entangled in her biggest scrape yet." And yes, the cover suggests teen romance novel, but the description sounded a bit better than that, and besides, my favorite series (The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale) was changed to have a teen romancey cover, but it's still a good book.
Oh, oh oh, at the end, Gavin is (of course) put in a tough spot by the villain *SPOILER ALERT!* who is his uncle. The uncle sticks a gun against Alex's neck and starts talking about how "Oh, your father had it sooo easy as Earl! And then he had a perfect family and he got everything that should have been mine, and then when he died his Earlship went to YOU, a mere child [about 20 or so], instead of me....oh poor me...I'll take from you the one thing you care about, since you don't deserve to be so happy!" Alex catches him monologuing!!! Isn't that the oldest thing in the book? He talks about how Gavin doesn't deserve to be happy, and about how he (the uncle) deserves more, and then looses his grip on Alex, who stomps hard on his foot, making him lose his balance and hop around the room, holding his toes.
Wow.
I know, I'm poking some fun at this book, but it's fun to poke fun, and it was also a very entertaining book. Sappy and sticky-sweet, but fun. =)
~Kiwi da Critic~ ;)
I just finished a highly entertaining book (hence the blog title) called The Season by Sarah MacLean. It is supposed to be a romantic drama, but it kinda turned out more of a sickly-romantic comedy. If you want to read it for yourself and not have me spoil it, please either skim over my summary or skip it. I plan to give away the whole plot, and include excerpts from the book itself, mingled with my commentary on it. =) This'll be fun.
And don't worry, you could still read it and enjoy it for the comedic side!
Okay. The Season takes place in 1815 England. The main character, Alex(andra), and her friends Vivi(an) and Ella (Eleanor), are the daughters of a duke, an earl, and a marquess, respectively. Alex has three brothers, Vivi has a twin brother mentioned by name at the beginning of the book and then never again, and Ella is the oldest in a family of girls. The three girls and Alex's brothers are good friends with Gavin So-and-so, [accidental] Earl of Blackmoor. I say 'accidental' because his father died unexpectedly in what appeared to be an accident several months before the opening of this book. Except, the author foolishly made it obvious that the former Earl was actually murdered by writing the first two pages from the murderer's point of view. [She shouldn't have done that. should have let us figure it out ourselves, but oh well.] Some other more prominent characters in the book are Gavin's uncle Lucien, the Baron Montgrave [he escaped from France during the revolution. Remember, this is while they're fighting Napoleon.], and Alex's parents.
The Season is the time of year when girls [about 17 or so] came out into society for the first time. Or, as Alex puts it [she's quite the feminist], a girl was "paraded like a piece of horseflesh in front of every unattached male in London who happened to have a sizable inheritance and an acceptable title. Her mother's goal was to have Alex married off by autumn."
Neither Alex nor her friends are excited by the whole marriage thing, but they must at least go along with their mothers.
At the first ball, Alex spots a guy who was so tall that he towered above the women around him. "The way he was positioned made him impossible to recognize, but Alex couldn't help but notice his broad shoulders and blond hair falling attractively over the collar of his waistcoat.....His shoulders were broader still than they had seemed when she was spying on him. ...She noted with appreciation the way his tailor had fitted his black jacket to them like a second skin....his hair...was a more golden shade of blond than she had first thought." A second skin?? Really? =P
I wish I had time to quote the entire book on here, or at least great big portions of it, since it is hilariously sappy, but I don't think the author would appreciate that. I mean, quoting chapters of the book would be one thing, but making fun of the chapters I quote? Somehow I doubt she would like that. But I'll give you one or two more portions.
Alex and Gavin fall in love. SURPRISE!!! Didn't see that one coming, did you? Well, they go to a ball together, him as her chaperone. Although technically they shouldn't have done that because he's not her brother, father, or trusted older male relative, like a chaperone was supposed to be.
ANYway, they have an argument at the ball because he was being to older-brother-ish and telling her to stay away from this one guy, so they went home early.
Later That Evening....
"'You have to stop thinking of me as your sister, Gavin.' [I think she meant, stop pretending you're in authority over me.]
"He offered her a half smile. 'That seems to be the singular problem.' Confusion clouded her emerald eyes as he continued, 'You see, I haven't been thinking of you as my sister. In fact, the way I've been thinking when it comes to you is the very opposite of brotherly.' [italics are in the book. "clouded emerald eyes." how very descriptive.]"
blah blah blah blah...
"'You needn't worry. I'm not going to act on my feelings.'
"'Why?' Alex asked the question without thinking."
blah blah blah sappy sappy sappy...
"'Instead of the feelings dissipating as I spent time in your company'--he slashed a hand through the air in frustration--'they only seemed to grow stronger.' [An example of 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', eh? Italics in that sentence are mine.]
"Alex looked up at him, meeting his frustrated grey eyes. [okay, so far we have 'clouded emerald eyes' and 'frustrated grey eyes...'] 'Not why are you feeling the way you are, Gavin. Why aren't you going to act on those feelings?'"
sappy sappy sappy...
"'There are a dozen reasons why I shouldn't act on them.' He lifted his hands to cradle her face between them. 'A hundred reasons why I should turn around and walk out of this room.' He leaned down until he was a hairbreadth away from her. 'But I'm through listening to them.' And, with that, he kissed her."
BLEAH!! It's not that I don't like romance: I don't mind romance one bit! Some romances are very sweet to read, or watch as movies. I like romances. IN MODERATION! This book is...
I expected it to be more adventurous than it was. I mean, the cover says "[Alex] manages to get entangled in her biggest scrape yet." And yes, the cover suggests teen romance novel, but the description sounded a bit better than that, and besides, my favorite series (The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale) was changed to have a teen romancey cover, but it's still a good book.
Oh, oh oh, at the end, Gavin is (of course) put in a tough spot by the villain *SPOILER ALERT!* who is his uncle. The uncle sticks a gun against Alex's neck and starts talking about how "Oh, your father had it sooo easy as Earl! And then he had a perfect family and he got everything that should have been mine, and then when he died his Earlship went to YOU, a mere child [about 20 or so], instead of me....oh poor me...I'll take from you the one thing you care about, since you don't deserve to be so happy!" Alex catches him monologuing!!! Isn't that the oldest thing in the book? He talks about how Gavin doesn't deserve to be happy, and about how he (the uncle) deserves more, and then looses his grip on Alex, who stomps hard on his foot, making him lose his balance and hop around the room, holding his toes.
Wow.
I know, I'm poking some fun at this book, but it's fun to poke fun, and it was also a very entertaining book. Sappy and sticky-sweet, but fun. =)
~Kiwi da Critic~ ;)
Thursday, June 17, 2010
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Friday, June 11, 2010
graduation photos
Um, I don't really know what to post about today. =/ I am uninspired. Earlier in the week I tried to load a video on here from my computer, but it wouldn't load so you won't be seeing it. (sorry, folks.)
So instead I'll show you a few of my grad photos. Mom and I just went to the Gardens and used my camera, then had Walgreens print them up.
So instead I'll show you a few of my grad photos. Mom and I just went to the Gardens and used my camera, then had Walgreens print them up.
This one might have been sent out, I don't remember for sure.
And this one I know we put in the cards.
For some reason I can't remember which one of the others we used! Oh well.
Anyway.
In an attempt to make this a little more informative & interesting, I'll tell you what we did this afternoon: painted the dining room! Now it's blue with a white ceiling and dark wood trim. My grad colors! ;) The walls still need a second coat, but it looks much better than it did before.
Sorry this one's so dull. =/ I'm kinda dull right now.
~Kiwi~
Monday, June 7, 2010
BREAKING NEWS!!! F-16 BLACKBIRD!!
One quite talented photographer, Kiwi D. Fruit, noticed an amazing picture in her portfolio earlier today. Although quite rare, she had managed to catch the first known photograph of the Wisconsin Giant Blackbird.
Here's the stunning picture.
"I was taking pictures at the local air show," says Fruit, "When this plane flew over, I remember thinking to myself that looks like the perfect angle for a picture. So I snapped the picture and moved on. I think I saw the bird, too, but in the heat of the moment (the planes were flying low and loud over my head at the moment) I thought it was just another airplane."
This picture has been checked out be the governments FPI (Fraudulent Photograph Investigating) because so many people thought it was a fake, but Dave Berghenstein, head of the FPI, said it all checked out.
"Just because this bird is so rare, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. People rarely see the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot, but those exist, too. Giant squid. Bill Waterson."
There may be some more investigation, but most people have been satisfied by the FPI's work.
We may do another article or two on this, as more research and investigation is done. For Lack of a Better Title makes no claims as to the authentication of this picture
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Man, I'm really neglecting Bloggerland. =/ i'm sorry, it's just a little....hard to write each week. I am, however, very close to my 200th post on here! i should reach 200 in about a month. =)
I'll try to make this post as worth your while as possible.
Yesterday, Mom & I went to the local Botanical Gardens so she could take pictures of me for my graduation announcements. =) My grin started feeling cheesy after a while, but even with the cheesyness, the last few pictures we took were the best. I'll go ahead and put them on here after we send out the announcements, okay?
While we were there we saw a pair of geese and a trio of goslings. So cute-n-fuzzy!!
Once we had the pictures we needed, we headed to Walgreens to have them printed. mom ordered 10 of one, 10 of another, and 5 of a third. 25 pictures, right? Uh..... I suggest reading all the specifications/small print/large-and-obvious-notices when you order things. We ordered 25 pages of four. Ooops.
Now I have 100 fabulous pictures of Moi! Maybe I'll have my room wallpapered with 'em.
Well, I hope that was worth your while! I don't think it was worth much, but then again, it shouldn't have taken much of your while, either. =)
~Kiwi~
I'll try to make this post as worth your while as possible.
Yesterday, Mom & I went to the local Botanical Gardens so she could take pictures of me for my graduation announcements. =) My grin started feeling cheesy after a while, but even with the cheesyness, the last few pictures we took were the best. I'll go ahead and put them on here after we send out the announcements, okay?
While we were there we saw a pair of geese and a trio of goslings. So cute-n-fuzzy!!
Once we had the pictures we needed, we headed to Walgreens to have them printed. mom ordered 10 of one, 10 of another, and 5 of a third. 25 pictures, right? Uh..... I suggest reading all the specifications/small print/large-and-obvious-notices when you order things. We ordered 25 pages of four. Ooops.
Now I have 100 fabulous pictures of Moi! Maybe I'll have my room wallpapered with 'em.
Well, I hope that was worth your while! I don't think it was worth much, but then again, it shouldn't have taken much of your while, either. =)
~Kiwi~
Saturday, May 29, 2010
SwairFest. =)
It's SwairFest time! No, no, don't worry, take a second look at the spelling. ;) South West Air Fest!! If you remember last year, the Blue Angels were here. This year we've got the Thunderbirds, Snowbirds, a pair of F-16's, two F-18's, some biplanes & stunt planes, and the Golden Knights (parachute team). =D I love SwairFest. I especially like telling people "My brother's volunteering at Swairfest this year." and hearing them go "He's volunteering where? At swear fest??" ;)
Bro and I went down to the place we were last year, where you can see everything that's happening there and have planes fly right over ya, but you don't have to pay. We watched the F-18 in our front yard for a while, then high-tailed it down there and arrived right after the Snowbirds took off.
If you want some REALLY good pictures of them, wait 'til Monday or so. Dad took pics with my camera last night, and some of them are amazing!
They made the biggest heart I've ever seen. =) Awwww...
Those are all Snowbirds. One waggled his wings at us. =) He was flying inverted behind another inverted plane, and my brother & I were waving at them. The first flipped right-side-up and kept on going nice an' smooth, but the second righted itself, wiggled his wings, and followed the first. =D My brother was so excited at that!! And my little brother waved at them once, and one did several barrel rolls right after he waved. Now he's convinced that the pilot made the plane do that because he waved....
Thunderbirds took off after we were there a while. They're cool. And fast. And loud. But not as fast and loud as the Blue Angels are. =)
Oh, and just out of curiosity, what would you say is the best home remedy for sunburn? Like for on your nose--the one place you forgot to put sunscreen on?
~Kiwi~
P.S. You'll have to come up here for this next year, Grandpa!
Bro and I went down to the place we were last year, where you can see everything that's happening there and have planes fly right over ya, but you don't have to pay. We watched the F-18 in our front yard for a while, then high-tailed it down there and arrived right after the Snowbirds took off.
Oh, and just out of curiosity, what would you say is the best home remedy for sunburn? Like for on your nose--the one place you forgot to put sunscreen on?
~Kiwi~
P.S. You'll have to come up here for this next year, Grandpa!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
I have declared today to be..
"Write A Random Poem That Doesn't Rhyme, Has No Meter, And Has About As Much Meaning To It As It Does Meter" Day. Please join me as I celebrate this wonderful local (VERY local) holiday. =)
I just noticed
No one's suggested
A good way for a pumpkin
To meet it's demise.
No one, that is
Except Kristen, my friend;
"Make it into
A Pumpcano!"
While a pumpcano,
I admit,
Would be a fine thing,
Could it totally obliterate this small, striped squash?
And also, I don't know
That I'd want to cut open this thing--
I've had it since September,
So it may be a bit ripe.
I'll give y'all another chance
To give me a good idea,
And then head on over to guitargirl's blog
'Cause she's doing a giveaway!
What's your poem today?
~Kiwi~
I just noticed
No one's suggested
A good way for a pumpkin
To meet it's demise.
No one, that is
Except Kristen, my friend;
"Make it into
A Pumpcano!"
While a pumpcano,
I admit,
Would be a fine thing,
Could it totally obliterate this small, striped squash?
And also, I don't know
That I'd want to cut open this thing--
I've had it since September,
So it may be a bit ripe.
I'll give y'all another chance
To give me a good idea,
And then head on over to guitargirl's blog
'Cause she's doing a giveaway!
What's your poem today?
~Kiwi~
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Happy Anniversary!/Pumpkin contest
Happy Anniversary to my grandparents! They were married 46 years ago today. =)
Okay, I'm havin' a contest today, ends sometime next week. You need to tell me the most creative way you can think of to get rid of a pumpkin.
As in "totally mangle and destroy" the pumpkin. I've had it for a while, and I keep meaning to get rid of it, but it would be a shame to just toss a perfectly good pumpkin in the trash! I have to do something Creative. Interesting. Epic.
Okay, I'm havin' a contest today, ends sometime next week. You need to tell me the most creative way you can think of to get rid of a pumpkin.
As in "totally mangle and destroy" the pumpkin. I've had it for a while, and I keep meaning to get rid of it, but it would be a shame to just toss a perfectly good pumpkin in the trash! I have to do something Creative. Interesting. Epic.
I will choose a method of destroying it proposed by one of you, and make a video showing its demise. That's what you win. =)
So, start thinking! Be creative & weird. Be unique. No pumpkin cannons or catapults--they've already been done. Oh, and please do it with common household items, I don't want to have to buy stuff just to get rid of a pumpkin! =D
~Kiwi~
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Ho-Hum. I'm behind my posting schedule on here, and my poor Old Movie Blog hasn't been visited by me in months! That and my posts on here apparently have not been the most interesting.
I hope you find this one more to your liking, and voice your opinion of it. I shall tell about a couple of mini-parties I've had, then at the end I shall tell a deep, dark secret.
But you have to read the entire post, don't just skip to the end!
A couple of weeks ago I had my dear friend Reba (Queen Lucy, please don't mention to her the fact that I called her "Reba." She may not like it much...) here for a sleepover, and it was one of the best times I've had in a while! We watched some old silent movies (Buster Keaton is officially a genius. Some of the effects he used look rather simple now, but at the time these were New and Innovative! No one else had used them yet! And you know how in the '30s, '40s, and '50s, if the people were shown in a car they were actually in front of a movie screen to make it look like they were really driving? Buster Keaton didn't do that! Back in the 'teens and early '20s, even, if he was shown driving he was actually driving the car outside. So admit it. He was pretty much the best silent actor.) watched some silent movies, played FARKLE and UNO, and talked.
One of the highlights was sitting in the kitchen with a candle, a pair of forks, and a bag of marshmallows. C= I've always wanted to roast shmallows over a candle, and now I have. It's a little different because there's so little flame--you have to burn it to get it melted. Oh, and we also roasted apple slices over the candle, too. They weren't spectacular. Just warmed. Kinda boring, really.
Reba left the next morning, but not until we talked more and placed some imaginary bets on the outcome of the Uno Tournament. Now I wish they hadn't been imaginary! (I beat her with me three zeros and one 48. :) Adn now she's in Florida until I-don't-know-when (do you know when they get back, Queen Lucy?), and I can't wait for her to return!
Then the Friday after that, Sis invited three friends over to watch "Arsenic and Old Lace," which is another one of the Best Movies Ever! (Cary Grant was the perfect person for Mortimer, and I loved Teddy and the aunts, and Priscilla Lane was perfect for her part, especially the last scene, and Peter Lorre as Dr. einstein was hilarious, and I loved all the jokes about Jonathan looking like Boris Karlof.) Poor Mr. Hoskins!
In addition to watching the movie, we consumed hundreds of gummy bears and had a deeply scientific discussion on pop, what makes it fizz, what makes it loose or keep its fizz, why raisins act funny in pop, why craisins are even more entertaining in pop, and the chemical make-up of pop. I don't remember even half of what was said & decided on, but it was a half-hour-long-deep-discussion!
That was another highlight of my recent life. =) I like old movies with friends.
And the deep, dark secret I was going to tell you? I like going into (some) caves.
Think about it.
~Kiwi~
I hope you find this one more to your liking, and voice your opinion of it. I shall tell about a couple of mini-parties I've had, then at the end I shall tell a deep, dark secret.
But you have to read the entire post, don't just skip to the end!
A couple of weeks ago I had my dear friend Reba (Queen Lucy, please don't mention to her the fact that I called her "Reba." She may not like it much...) here for a sleepover, and it was one of the best times I've had in a while! We watched some old silent movies (Buster Keaton is officially a genius. Some of the effects he used look rather simple now, but at the time these were New and Innovative! No one else had used them yet! And you know how in the '30s, '40s, and '50s, if the people were shown in a car they were actually in front of a movie screen to make it look like they were really driving? Buster Keaton didn't do that! Back in the 'teens and early '20s, even, if he was shown driving he was actually driving the car outside. So admit it. He was pretty much the best silent actor.) watched some silent movies, played FARKLE and UNO, and talked.
One of the highlights was sitting in the kitchen with a candle, a pair of forks, and a bag of marshmallows. C= I've always wanted to roast shmallows over a candle, and now I have. It's a little different because there's so little flame--you have to burn it to get it melted. Oh, and we also roasted apple slices over the candle, too. They weren't spectacular. Just warmed. Kinda boring, really.
Reba left the next morning, but not until we talked more and placed some imaginary bets on the outcome of the Uno Tournament. Now I wish they hadn't been imaginary! (I beat her with me three zeros and one 48. :) Adn now she's in Florida until I-don't-know-when (do you know when they get back, Queen Lucy?), and I can't wait for her to return!
Then the Friday after that, Sis invited three friends over to watch "Arsenic and Old Lace," which is another one of the Best Movies Ever! (Cary Grant was the perfect person for Mortimer, and I loved Teddy and the aunts, and Priscilla Lane was perfect for her part, especially the last scene, and Peter Lorre as Dr. einstein was hilarious, and I loved all the jokes about Jonathan looking like Boris Karlof.) Poor Mr. Hoskins!
In addition to watching the movie, we consumed hundreds of gummy bears and had a deeply scientific discussion on pop, what makes it fizz, what makes it loose or keep its fizz, why raisins act funny in pop, why craisins are even more entertaining in pop, and the chemical make-up of pop. I don't remember even half of what was said & decided on, but it was a half-hour-long-deep-discussion!
That was another highlight of my recent life. =) I like old movies with friends.
And the deep, dark secret I was going to tell you? I like going into (some) caves.
Think about it.
~Kiwi~
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Riddle
Force Koran Heaven Yea Sago Hour Force Feathers Brought Fourth Upon Cis Continent Anew Neigh Shun conceived in liberty and dedicated to the principle that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives so that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, [I cannot concentrate] we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here [yet I am supposed to memorize what they said there... :], but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to the cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
I had to memorize that, so I typed it from memory. I am now thoroughly tired of the Gettysburg Address! Yes, it's a very good speech, but after mumbling it at random times of day and night, I'd like to have a break from it.
I am now finishing week three (I think?) of fourteen for my government curriculum, which means I'm way behind. Again. I should be further. I don't really have time to take all fourteen weeks, so I'm smushing it into seven. Oh, and by week three I don't mean "I'm almost half-way done." By week three, I mean "following the 14 week lesson plan, I'm on week three, but according to my smushedintosevenweekslessonplan, I'm only 1 1/2 weeks in." >=P
Until we remembered I had a government course to do, I was laughing at the people who complain about how busy senior year is. I'm sorry for laughing now.
~Kiwi~
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives so that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, [I cannot concentrate] we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here [yet I am supposed to memorize what they said there... :], but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to the cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
I had to memorize that, so I typed it from memory. I am now thoroughly tired of the Gettysburg Address! Yes, it's a very good speech, but after mumbling it at random times of day and night, I'd like to have a break from it.
I am now finishing week three (I think?) of fourteen for my government curriculum, which means I'm way behind. Again. I should be further. I don't really have time to take all fourteen weeks, so I'm smushing it into seven. Oh, and by week three I don't mean "I'm almost half-way done." By week three, I mean "following the 14 week lesson plan, I'm on week three, but according to my smushedintosevenweekslessonplan, I'm only 1 1/2 weeks in." >=P
Until we remembered I had a government course to do, I was laughing at the people who complain about how busy senior year is. I'm sorry for laughing now.
~Kiwi~
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
A bunch of quotes
Hello, I had meant to blog Monday, but....it didn't happen. Therefore I shall blog today. =)
I just finished reading Emma by Jane Austen. It's a good book, with lots of interesting quotes in it, such as:
"'It is very pretty,' said Mr. Woodhouse.....'The only thing I do not thoroughly like is, that she seems to be sitting out of doors, with only a little shawl over her shoulders; and it makes one think she must catch cold.'
'But, my dear papa, it is supposed to be summer; a warm day in summer. Look at the tree.'
'But it is never safe to sit out of doors, my dear.'"
(Mr. Woodhouse is always mildly ill, has to sit by a fire even on sweltering days in summer, and is always afraid that his daughter, or "Poor Miss Taylor," or Someone is going to catch cold or get indigestion. He's sort of entertaining that way, but I don't know if I'd be able to handle living with someone that cautious!)
"It may be possible to do without dancing entirely. Instances have been known of young people passing many, many months successively without being at any ball of any description, and no material injury accrue either to body or mind: but when a beginning is made-when the felicities of rapid motion have once been, though slightly, felt-it must be a very heavy set that does not ask for more."
"She checked herself, however, and submitted quietly to a little more praise than she deserved."
Those are all from Emma, and this is something Jane Austen said in a letter to someone:
"I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal."
And this is from a wonderful movie called "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." (If you haven't seen it, go find it and watch. It's one of the best. =)
"Now Adam, you're my oldest brother. I always looked up to you, tried to ape you, but I just wouldn't feel right if I didn't tell you how I feel. *POW!!*
And lastly, Downhere has a new song!!!!
Isn't it a good one?!? I can't wait to hear more from them! =D
Goodbye for now, I must leave.
~Kiwi!~
Goodbye for now, I must leave.
~Kiwi!~
Monday, May 3, 2010
Do You Get It?
Force...........Sago...........Brought........Continent
Koran..........Hour...........Fourth..........Anew
Heaven........Force..........Upon............Neigh
Yea.............Feathers......Cis................Shun
Saturday, May 1, 2010
UNO TOURNAMENT!!!!
We had the church-wide Uno Tournament today! It was so much fun. Too bad it's only once a year.
I got...what, 19th place or something? But not bad, and most of the people ahead of me were boys or littler kids (with parents to help them. No, I was not beaten by a bunch of little helpless kids! I'm better than that!), so there were still some nice prizes left when I went up to pick one. I found a very pretty wooden bowl, one that used to be part of a church pew! Someone took the ends of the bench, with crosses carved into them, and made them into bowls with the cross on the bottom. Apparently there's one as a prize every year, and they're usually 'fought' over by the women. :) I'm happy to have gotten one! I'll stick a few pictures up once I get them loaded on.
I had the little kids scared of me by the end of the first round. I'm Ruthless. I piled card after card on a little 5 yr. old and won the first round (Don't worry, she didn't cry! She ended up with only 3 points from that one, even though I had given her so many cards!), then won the second in just a few plays. After that, no one wanted to sit by me. =( And I lost the second two. =( =(
But I still won two. And a nice prize. =)
Bible study the other night was fun. I brought 50 pieces of our Secret Family Recipe Fudge, and 25 were gone in the first 15 minutes, wolfed down by 8 people! If THAT isn't a record, I don't know WHAT is! But, of course, they shouldn't have wolfed them down. The proper way to eat SFR Fudge is slowly, bite by delectable bite, savouring the flavour. O well. =)
Now I'm going to watch a short movie or two, and head for the hay. Toodleoo.
~Kiwi~
I got...what, 19th place or something? But not bad, and most of the people ahead of me were boys or littler kids (with parents to help them. No, I was not beaten by a bunch of little helpless kids! I'm better than that!), so there were still some nice prizes left when I went up to pick one. I found a very pretty wooden bowl, one that used to be part of a church pew! Someone took the ends of the bench, with crosses carved into them, and made them into bowls with the cross on the bottom. Apparently there's one as a prize every year, and they're usually 'fought' over by the women. :) I'm happy to have gotten one! I'll stick a few pictures up once I get them loaded on.
I had the little kids scared of me by the end of the first round. I'm Ruthless. I piled card after card on a little 5 yr. old and won the first round (Don't worry, she didn't cry! She ended up with only 3 points from that one, even though I had given her so many cards!), then won the second in just a few plays. After that, no one wanted to sit by me. =( And I lost the second two. =( =(
But I still won two. And a nice prize. =)
Bible study the other night was fun. I brought 50 pieces of our Secret Family Recipe Fudge, and 25 were gone in the first 15 minutes, wolfed down by 8 people! If THAT isn't a record, I don't know WHAT is! But, of course, they shouldn't have wolfed them down. The proper way to eat SFR Fudge is slowly, bite by delectable bite, savouring the flavour. O well. =)
Now I'm going to watch a short movie or two, and head for the hay. Toodleoo.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Picitatures (aka "pictures")
Double hibiscus bloom
A birthday card I made for my friend....Guess what her name is! =D
Sorry, but that's all I've got time for. We've got bible study tonight, and I need to go eat. As delicious as the snacks I'm taking are (Secret Family Recipe Fudge and Dutch Apple Bread...Mmmmmmm...), I don't think anyone would approve of me eating ALL of it!
Toodle-oo
~Kiwi~
P.S. I stuck up some more pictures on my photoblog! Check it out:www.kiwi-and-her-pictures.blogspot.com
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Titleless in Blogland
My ACT scores arrived!!! And they're pretty decent, too! =) Not perfect. Not lousy. Just good. C= I was best in English, then came reading and science, and guess what I did poorly in! Math. Told y'all! But it was still okay, because I wasn't expecting to do exceedingly well. I think the paper said that I did better than seventy-odd percent of ACTers in math. Well then, I'm happy.
I drove down to my Grandma's house in Illinois and back today. =) I like driving. To some extent. "Okay, turn left." I turn left. Halfway through the turn: "And turn right right away." I'm thinking he means at the next road, because when someone says next right, they usually mean the next road so I continue towards the next road. "No, I said right away! I meant turn into [this little gravel drive that leads to] the coffee shop!" Blah blah blah. The trouble with driving with Dad is that I'm supposed to be able to drive, pay attention to speed, cars, and road, and read his mind. I can't do that.
But he did let me eat Twizzlers while I drove, which Mom might not....
Good day, all 'round. =)
~Kiwi~
I drove down to my Grandma's house in Illinois and back today. =) I like driving. To some extent. "Okay, turn left." I turn left. Halfway through the turn: "And turn right right away." I'm thinking he means at the next road, because when someone says next right, they usually mean the next road so I continue towards the next road. "No, I said right away! I meant turn into [this little gravel drive that leads to] the coffee shop!" Blah blah blah. The trouble with driving with Dad is that I'm supposed to be able to drive, pay attention to speed, cars, and road, and read his mind. I can't do that.
But he did let me eat Twizzlers while I drove, which Mom might not....
Good day, all 'round. =)
~Kiwi~
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wanted: Some Extra Oomph for Volleyball.
Sitting here on my bed at 10:00 Wednesday night and I realize I forgot to blog yesterday and today! I can't believe I did that!
So now I'm faced with choices. What to write about? My first volleyball game of the year? The baseball game I went to Saturday? The cd I'm listening to? Choices, choices, choices.
I'll choose the first and maybe the last as well.
Sunday afternoon was the second church volleyball game of the year, my first. I really need to get back into shape for volleyball! After all that jumping and leaping and stretching I was Worn Out. And my legs hurt the next day. Guess who needs to do jumping jacks?
Soem genious thought that boys vs girls was a good idea for the first two games. I use the word 'genious' losely, because it was a girl who suggested it, and it was the girls who lost both games. For some reason, we can talk and talk and talk when NOT playing volleyball, but once the game starts we all clam up! The first game was really bad in that respect, but the second was a little better. We remembered "got it!" sometimes, but there was still an awful lot of watching the ball go by and thinking someone else would get it.
The next two games were the best, because we mixed up the teams and remembered to talk to each other. My team won both. =)
Once half the people left and we were just hitting the ball around, I got so frustrated! I've been working on my overhand serves, but since I have no net to practice with I just have to hit it as hard and as high as I can. Sunday I practiced with a net. I can get the ball within an inch or two of the top of the net, but I can't give it that extra oomph to make the ball clear the net!! SO close! *sigh* I guess I'll have to find that extra oomph somewhere before Sunday. And then that other team better look out! Just you wait ('Enry 'Iggins, just you wait.. ;)!
Sorry, but I don't have time to tell about the cd! We're at the library, then headed home, then Mom's taking me out driving! (That's your warning)
~Kiwi~
So now I'm faced with choices. What to write about? My first volleyball game of the year? The baseball game I went to Saturday? The cd I'm listening to? Choices, choices, choices.
I'll choose the first and maybe the last as well.
Sunday afternoon was the second church volleyball game of the year, my first. I really need to get back into shape for volleyball! After all that jumping and leaping and stretching I was Worn Out. And my legs hurt the next day. Guess who needs to do jumping jacks?
Soem genious thought that boys vs girls was a good idea for the first two games. I use the word 'genious' losely, because it was a girl who suggested it, and it was the girls who lost both games. For some reason, we can talk and talk and talk when NOT playing volleyball, but once the game starts we all clam up! The first game was really bad in that respect, but the second was a little better. We remembered "got it!" sometimes, but there was still an awful lot of watching the ball go by and thinking someone else would get it.
The next two games were the best, because we mixed up the teams and remembered to talk to each other. My team won both. =)
Once half the people left and we were just hitting the ball around, I got so frustrated! I've been working on my overhand serves, but since I have no net to practice with I just have to hit it as hard and as high as I can. Sunday I practiced with a net. I can get the ball within an inch or two of the top of the net, but I can't give it that extra oomph to make the ball clear the net!! SO close! *sigh* I guess I'll have to find that extra oomph somewhere before Sunday. And then that other team better look out! Just you wait ('Enry 'Iggins, just you wait.. ;)!
Sorry, but I don't have time to tell about the cd! We're at the library, then headed home, then Mom's taking me out driving! (That's your warning)
~Kiwi~
Saturday, April 17, 2010
I've been awarded!
The Rules: if you choose to accept the award you must:
--Thank the person who nominated you, and link to their blog.
--Copy the award and paste it to your blog.
--Tell us seven interesting facts about yourself.
--Pass this award on to 15 fantastic bloggers you have discovered.
--Contact your nominations and let them know they've won.
Thank you, guitargirl, for the award! Now I've got two on my sidebar. =)
1. I'm not great at coming up with interesting facts about myself.
2. I love playing volleyball.
3. I haven't been to a baseball game since September '08! (but that'll change this afternoon)
4. I'm chatting with a friend on Facebook right now (fascinating, isn't this?)
5. I've made our family Christmas cards for....three years in a row.
6. I love wearing flip flops and sandals in the summer.
7. I spent my morning watching movies and picking up sticks in the yard and murdering thistles.
Okay, 15 bloggers. Let's see if I can do this.
Queen Lucy
Kristen
Judi
Skittles (if she's around anymore)
Samantha
Zoe
My cousin, Pookie's Girl
Heather
And the first 6 of you to claim it. Those are the blogs I read most frequently. I apologize to those of you who's blogs I haven't had a chance to look at! I'm on limited computer time, but I hope to check them out soon!
Enjoy!
~Kiwi~
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
We interrupt this story to bring you an Important Word from Kiwifruit:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
We now return you to the story, already in progress.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
(I'm headed to the ACT taking headquarters in 8 hours, 16 minutes. I'm not sure this whole 'test-taking thing' was a Good Idea.
First off, I don't feel quite prepared for anything but the English and [to a lesser extent] the Reading. I loathe the quadratic formula, trigonometry, semicolons, and full-sized colons!!
Secondly, isn't this intellectual segregation? These colleges are forcing me to take this test, and then if I'm not smart enough they'll send me packing! That's separating the "smart" from the "unsmart." Shouldn't be allowed in this day & age. They don't allow racism or sexism, why smartism? Un Fair! ;)
Third, I know I'll do 'fine.' Maybe even 'good.' EVERYbody keeps telling me that, and I'm beginning to believe it myself, but that doesn't stop these last minute jitters.
What would help me is going and reading the entire prep book again, instead of sitting here writing all this!
I think I'll sleep with it under my pillow, then eat it for breakfast in the morning. That's one way to get all its information in me!
~Kiwi~)
We now return you to the story, already in progress.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
More on Helga
(Read THIS POST first, if you haven't already.)
Helga wasn't entirely happy with living in a cabin in the woods. Back in Norway, her family had been well-off and lived in a two-story Victorian home (this was when Victorian homes were new). Her old home had been beautiful. This was just a cabin. How could you compare the two?
She decided that Something had to be Done about this. So she saved her money. Her plan was to buy something from Sears & Roebuck to make the house beautiful once a year with the money she had saved. The first time she paged through the Sears & Roebuck catalog, some blue checkered curtains caught her eye. The second year Helga saved and saved, and had enough money to buy a beautiful rocking chair. The third year, however, she didn't have enough money for what she wanted. Helga sighed and flipped through the catalog again. No, there was nothing else she wanted; nothing else that would do. She had to have this. So Helga ripped out the page and pinned it to the wall. THIS is what she would save for.
So for the next 5 years, Helga saved her money. Olaf put any extra money he made into the money jar, and so did Solvieg. Even little Elsa put in the few cents she got each week from her hens! The third year, little Lena was born, so the amount of money they were able to set aside decreased, but Helga still managed to save some.
Finally the day came when Helga had the money for her dream! Helga filled out the order form on the latest Sears & Roebuck catalog and sent it in. They had to wait five whole weeks, but what's five weeks when you've waited five years?
At last the railroad station sent them a message. "There's an abnormally large and heavy crate here for Helga and Olaf. Come get it!"
Olaf hitched their two oxen to the wagon, and borrowed two more from the neighbors, then they all piled in and drove to town for Helga's crate. It took several strong men to lift this thing into the wagon, and the oxen strained to pull the wagon over the hills! Once home, Olaf unhitched the oxen and took off one side of the wagon. Carefully, he tipped the wagon onto it's side, sliding the crate onto the ground right in front of the cabin's door. Helga could barely hold still, she was so excited! She helped Olaf pull the boards off, until they could see the contents of the crate.
Helga couldn't believe her eyes. There stood what she had wanted for five long years; there stood the item that would make this the finest cabin in the whole of Wisconsin...nay, the finest house in Wisconsin!
Concrete steps with wrought iron handrails! These were surely the finest handrails in the county, and they gave the little cabin a...dignified air. Helga was now fully satisfied with her beautiful home. It had become (in her eyes, at least) just as fine as her two-story Victorian house back in Norway!
Helga's steps, years later.
Helga's gorgeous handrails.
To Be Continued
Photos courtesy of Sven, Olaf & Helga's son.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Let me tell you a little story...
Lars and Solvieg lived and fell in love in Norway in the early 1860's, and when they were married they decided to move to the United States. The two of them packed up their meagre belongings and, after saying a tearful goodbye to their family and freinds, they left for the United States--Wisconsin, to be exact.
Lars and Solveig built themselves a good-sized log cabin a little ways out of a small town. There they lived for a long time.
After a few years they had a son, who Solvieg named Olaf. Olaf was a nice little boy who grew into a fine young man. When Olaf turned twenty Lars took him aside to talk to him.
"Son," Lars said, "you need to go back to your mother's town in Norway and find yourself a good Norwegian wife. Find yourself a fine wife, bring her back here to love with us in our cabin."
So Olaf obeyed his father and traversed the long journey to Norway for a wife. A few months later he returned to Wisconsin with Helga in tow, and Lars and Solvieg loved her from the start, and Helga loved Lars and Solvieg and the little cabin right back.
The two couples lived in the cabin happily, but Lars passed away several years later, soon after his first grandchild was born. Everyone was sad about Lars' death, but took comfort in caring for little Elsa.
Lars and Solveig built themselves a good-sized log cabin a little ways out of a small town. There they lived for a long time.
After a few years they had a son, who Solvieg named Olaf. Olaf was a nice little boy who grew into a fine young man. When Olaf turned twenty Lars took him aside to talk to him.
"Son," Lars said, "you need to go back to your mother's town in Norway and find yourself a good Norwegian wife. Find yourself a fine wife, bring her back here to love with us in our cabin."
So Olaf obeyed his father and traversed the long journey to Norway for a wife. A few months later he returned to Wisconsin with Helga in tow, and Lars and Solvieg loved her from the start, and Helga loved Lars and Solvieg and the little cabin right back.
The two couples lived in the cabin happily, but Lars passed away several years later, soon after his first grandchild was born. Everyone was sad about Lars' death, but took comfort in caring for little Elsa.
To Be Continued
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
C=
I got a volleyball for my birthday. =) I like volleyballs. It's a Wilson beach volleyball, "the official volleyball of the Olympic games" or something like that. I need to re-figure the way I hit it, though, because hitting with my
wrists is causing bruises to form. =/ I'll experiment with higher up the forearm, but I don't remember bumping the ball that high up... Hmm... In the meantime I've played a long game with my garage wall. The score so far is Garage Wall: 125, Kiwi: 5. My five were a few lucky overhand serves that were just out of Garage Wall's reach.
Mom and Dad found me a lovely hope chest off of Craig's List. It's from the 1930's, we think, from a company that has since gone extinct.
Right under the "L" in "Lady" is 1936 penciled in.
It's a little taller than most cedar chests, and it has a drawer at the bottom. Isn't it beautiful? =)
My brothers gave me a little, pink Swiss army knife to replace my flimsy, dull one. Aaand my sister gave me a camera case, so now I don't have to worry about my camera's screen getting scratched.
Aaaand my dear friend Kate gave me a chocolate bar. =) She's now well on her way to my top-friends list with that gift! ;)
Aaaand my other dear friend, Queen Lucy, gave me a hat she crocheted herself! It's so perty! I'd put a photo of that up, too, but I can't go get my camera right now.
Twas a very nice birthday, wot wot?
~Kiwi~
p.s. We watched a bit of "The Madness of King George" the other day, and he was constantly repeating "wot wot?" and "hey hey?" It must have rubbed off on me. =)
Friday, March 26, 2010
Chemistry Graduate
You are now reading the words of a self-taught chemistry graduate!! At about 12:00 today I officially completed my chemistry course, despite its best efforts to ensnare and kill me. (Yes, I'm sure it wanted to kill me. Probably with some HSbF6 hidden in my lemonade.)
I'm so glad to have it all over and done with! And this last test ended up a 94%, which I'm perfectly satisfied with! The one problem I got wrong was because I missed something in looking over the text one last time. =P Now my average is 90.6% or so, and an A- is great, considering all the pain and agony I went through to get it! What I think is funny, tho, is that Dr. Jay L. Wile says in the last paragraph that "If you get a C+ or B, you should be proud! You taught yourself chemistry! If you get an A, however, you should be quite proud, because you are obviously talented in this, and consider pursuing a career in chemistry." Ha! I think it's more "cram-cram-cram/memorize-memorize-memorize/pray pray pray" than talent! But oh well, he can say what he wants and I'll do what I want. =D
The important thing is that I'm DONE!
=D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D
~Kiwi da Joyous Proud Accomplished Fruit~
I'm so glad to have it all over and done with! And this last test ended up a 94%, which I'm perfectly satisfied with! The one problem I got wrong was because I missed something in looking over the text one last time. =P Now my average is 90.6% or so, and an A- is great, considering all the pain and agony I went through to get it! What I think is funny, tho, is that Dr. Jay L. Wile says in the last paragraph that "If you get a C+ or B, you should be proud! You taught yourself chemistry! If you get an A, however, you should be quite proud, because you are obviously talented in this, and consider pursuing a career in chemistry." Ha! I think it's more "cram-cram-cram/memorize-memorize-memorize/pray pray pray" than talent! But oh well, he can say what he wants and I'll do what I want. =D
The important thing is that I'm DONE!
=D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D
~Kiwi da Joyous Proud Accomplished Fruit~
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Reflections on 18 Years of Life
In the past 18 years of my life, I have learned many many things.
How to walk......how to talk...to tie my shoes....to ride a bike.....how to read.....how to avoid punishments....I've learned to do handstands (sorta) and cartwheels. I've learned to drive some, and how to fill up a gas tank (Dad: "You fill it and keep filling it until the gas pump shuts off. It shuts off by itself. The tank is FULL when the pump shuts off. It is not full until the pump shuts off. It is 9:20 on a Monday morning: when I ask you about it later I expect you to know that! Unlike your sister."). I can quote to you many many random quotes from random movies I've watched over these past 18 years. I've learned to play volleyball, softball, dodgeball, foosball, soccer, and (against my will) some football. I've made it through almost 12 years of schooling already!
I'd say I have a decent amount of accomplishments for 18 years! =)
Now to go find and open those Mysterious Packages that people have been trying to sneak into the house.....
And get some cake. It looks like a good cake! German Chocolate.... C=
~18 year old Kiwifruit
Friday, March 19, 2010
Are you tired of watching action movies and not being in on the adventure? Are you tired of watching the hero talk with and tell his suspicions to the bad guy himself? Do you wish you could get in the movie and get rid of the bad guy yourself??
Introducing..........The Action Hero Nerf Gun!!!
"For Lack of a Better Title" does not necessarily endorse Nerf guns. The opinions in this ad are not necessarily the opinions of the writers, editors, and/or producers of FLOABT. All names used in this ad are fictional, resemblance to people living or dead is purely intentional. Please do not shoot Nerf guns at faces or plasma screen TVs--damage may be irreparable. Nerf guns are not recommended for use by children 15 and under w/out adult supervision. Please do not shoot American Idol contestants. Please do not attept to deter actual terrorists with Nerf guns. It will not work. They would just laugh at you. FLOABT does not own any of the company or product names. Names used without permission.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Me In Motion
I won a cd from Centricity Music last Friday!! It's the self-titled debut album from Me In Motion, a band I'd never really heard of before. Then when I looked them up I found that their song "Losers" is played frequently on the radio.
My cd arrived yesterday in a lovely padded manila envelope (you have no idea how tempting it was to type Vanilla rather than Manila!) from Washington. (I thought it would be from Tennessee, but no, the return address says WA.) They are quite an interesting-looking bunch. Seth Mosley takes care of lead vocals, guitar, and keyboard, Tim Wilson does bass and vocals, and Brian Dexter plays drums and sings. That last guy also thanked "Southern Steel Tattoos" in his 'thank you' thing....rather an odd place to thank on a cd cover....
They remind me of Stellar Kart and a bit of Hawk Nelson in the vocals and a some of the tunes--more Stellar Kart than Hawk Nelson.
One thin I like about Centricity's music is that they seem to support musicians whose cds are more Christian than just alternative: Downhere, Jason Grey, Lanae Hale, Daniel Kirkley, and Matt Papa (who, I've heard, takes his lyrics directly from scripture). And now Me In Motion.
So far I've listened to the cd twice, and my favorite songs are "Losers," "Gotta Be Something," "Seek Justice, Love Mercy," "Leaving Here Someday," and "Here In The Middle." Basically I love half the cd and enjoy the other half. =)
What music are you listening to this week?
~Kiwi~
My cd arrived yesterday in a lovely padded manila envelope (you have no idea how tempting it was to type Vanilla rather than Manila!) from Washington. (I thought it would be from Tennessee, but no, the return address says WA.) They are quite an interesting-looking bunch. Seth Mosley takes care of lead vocals, guitar, and keyboard, Tim Wilson does bass and vocals, and Brian Dexter plays drums and sings. That last guy also thanked "Southern Steel Tattoos" in his 'thank you' thing....rather an odd place to thank on a cd cover....
They remind me of Stellar Kart and a bit of Hawk Nelson in the vocals and a some of the tunes--more Stellar Kart than Hawk Nelson.
One thin I like about Centricity's music is that they seem to support musicians whose cds are more Christian than just alternative: Downhere, Jason Grey, Lanae Hale, Daniel Kirkley, and Matt Papa (who, I've heard, takes his lyrics directly from scripture). And now Me In Motion.
So far I've listened to the cd twice, and my favorite songs are "Losers," "Gotta Be Something," "Seek Justice, Love Mercy," "Leaving Here Someday," and "Here In The Middle." Basically I love half the cd and enjoy the other half. =)
What music are you listening to this week?
~Kiwi~
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Spring Fever
It's Spring! It's Spring
The bird is on the wing!
Now isn't that a funny thing?
I thought the wing was on the bird!
(stolen from the back cover of a magazine.)
I have a serious, possibly deadly case of Spring/Cabin Fever. I want to leave this house for a looooong time (like, all day, or something. ;) because I'm sick of it, and I want Spring weather so that I CAN get away from the house. I want to take a bike trip--and entire day; sun-up to sun-down. I want to perfect (or at least improve) my volleyball skills. I want flowers, sunshine, and green maple trees! I want short sleeves and flip flops.
I know, I know, this is sounding like a selfish rant (I want, I want I WANT!), but it's not. Yes, it's a rant, but I'm wanting Spring for you guys. I want you to have lovely weather, I want you to have the pleasure of playing volleyball with me!
I was looking at pictures of me from this past Summer and now feel like a ghost. I was so dark compared to now! Not saying that I 'need' to go tan, I'm just surprised at the difference between now and a few months ago.
I'm trying to decide what to look forward to the most this Spring/Summer. Graduating? Volleyball and softball games? Getting my driver's license (finally)? Hmm.....I think it's close to a three-way tie.
What are you looking forward to this spring?
~Kiwi~
Monday, March 8, 2010
Essay
There I was, sitting alone in the corner, watching everyone else laughing together. Watching everyone else choose between sitting with the weird girl (me) and the others. They always chose the others. I could practically read their minds! "Hm. Should I sit with one dull, boring person or all these bright, colorful, interesting people? Ha! Why ask?" Maybe this little 'experiment' of mine wasn't as brilliant as I had originally thought. All it did was make it even easier for them to shun me.
When you have been shunned, ignored, and avoided, you feel like an unwanted outsider. Some people don't seem to realize that you're being left out. Or if they do, they don't understand that just a little bit of friendliness can make an 'outsider' feel so much better!
When I attended the Sunday night youth group at my old church, I was an Outsider. Sure, I had two or three friends that I always sat with, but I wanted so badly for some of the others to accept me! I sat with them, but was ignored, I tried to join conversations, but got weird looks and turned backs instead of replies. Due to this, I was lonely, annoyed, and unhappy most Sunday nights.
But one Sunday sticks out in my memory, because I came home happy. It had started out even lonelier than most, because my handful of friends weren't there. I played the game and was knocked down numerous times. I sat by The Clique during song time. I endured a lonely seat by the rest through the lesson. then I managed to get 3rd place in the snack line. Here, I deviated from my normal routine. Instead of simply existing by the Popular group, I walked over to the last table. And sat alone. Would anyone come sit with me, or would they just ignore my presence? My bet was placed on the latter option.
Person after person left the line, glanced once 'round the room, and placed their plates at the Popular Table. Maybe this wasn't such a hot idea after all.
Two people left in line. Ethan picked up his drink and let his eyes wander the room. They stopped at my lonely table. Happiness swept over me as I realized I was not doomed to eat alone this time! Ethan took a seat, then Blake, the last person in line, didn't even glance at the Popular Table, but marched over and joined us.
The three of us ate and talked together, deciding that the game we had played (broomball) was the best game in the last few weeks. We also agreed that dodgeball, even though we were all better the dodging part than the throwing, should be played next, and that the brownies were tasty. I returned home in higher spirits than the past weeks, happy that I was not invisible.
Ethan may not have known it, but him coming over and sitting with me, even though it was such a little thing, made a lasting impression on me.
Now, when I see an Outsider sitting alone, I try to go say 'hi' and sit with them, or invite them to join us. Because I know what it's like to be alone, and I know how much a little thing can help.
When you have been shunned, ignored, and avoided, you feel like an unwanted outsider. Some people don't seem to realize that you're being left out. Or if they do, they don't understand that just a little bit of friendliness can make an 'outsider' feel so much better!
When I attended the Sunday night youth group at my old church, I was an Outsider. Sure, I had two or three friends that I always sat with, but I wanted so badly for some of the others to accept me! I sat with them, but was ignored, I tried to join conversations, but got weird looks and turned backs instead of replies. Due to this, I was lonely, annoyed, and unhappy most Sunday nights.
But one Sunday sticks out in my memory, because I came home happy. It had started out even lonelier than most, because my handful of friends weren't there. I played the game and was knocked down numerous times. I sat by The Clique during song time. I endured a lonely seat by the rest through the lesson. then I managed to get 3rd place in the snack line. Here, I deviated from my normal routine. Instead of simply existing by the Popular group, I walked over to the last table. And sat alone. Would anyone come sit with me, or would they just ignore my presence? My bet was placed on the latter option.
Person after person left the line, glanced once 'round the room, and placed their plates at the Popular Table. Maybe this wasn't such a hot idea after all.
Two people left in line. Ethan picked up his drink and let his eyes wander the room. They stopped at my lonely table. Happiness swept over me as I realized I was not doomed to eat alone this time! Ethan took a seat, then Blake, the last person in line, didn't even glance at the Popular Table, but marched over and joined us.
The three of us ate and talked together, deciding that the game we had played (broomball) was the best game in the last few weeks. We also agreed that dodgeball, even though we were all better the dodging part than the throwing, should be played next, and that the brownies were tasty. I returned home in higher spirits than the past weeks, happy that I was not invisible.
Ethan may not have known it, but him coming over and sitting with me, even though it was such a little thing, made a lasting impression on me.
Now, when I see an Outsider sitting alone, I try to go say 'hi' and sit with them, or invite them to join us. Because I know what it's like to be alone, and I know how much a little thing can help.
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