where the wild things abide sometimes

Well... that was fun.

2009-12-16T09:51:00.002-05:00

Through my own silly fault I was ten minutes late to my Elements of Music final, so, sadly, twenty minutes later I was not the first one done. I tied with another girl. *Sigh.* I'd been so hopeful.

100+ books in 2010!

2009-12-10T20:47:00.002-05:00

Seriously, I'm going to remember this year. Or, at least, I'm going to remember for at least two months. Yay feasible goals!

ENTER
READ(!!!)
WIN*

*It's like NaNoWriMo, except I don't think you get a badge. Just bragging rights.

MAGGIE'S BOOKS

SNOW

2009-12-07T12:17:00.001-05:00

HAPPY EMOTICON, GUYS

iojiefnvweicnwenwep

2009-11-23T22:52:00.002-05:00

You know those signs where you have letters you can arrange? And how it's amazing fun to rearrange them to say something witty? I was playing with one and some extra letters (A, A, D, E, E, E, G, N, N, N, N, S, T, and U) at Anna's old church and managed to spell

ANAN NEED GUTS

with only two letters left over. I'm still fairly proud of myself.

THIS is how much I don't want to do my homework.

2009-11-23T22:04:00.003-05:00

This came with our bath mat and it was funny. Also I'm procrastinating.

3D Bath Mat
DIRECTIONS FOR USE

The mat is made of vinyl meaning it will remain soft, pliable and luxurious to the touch. It is easy to keep clean because it is machine washable.

DIRECTIONS:

Unroll mat and allow it to lay flat for 24 hours before using. Re-rolling mat on the reverse side may help mat to lay flat. It is recommended soaking the mat in a tub of warm water for 10 minutes prior to your first use.
The bathtub or shower floor must be clean and free of any dirt or oils. Do not use mat on a textured bathtub surface or textured shower floor since suction cups will not hold properly.
Before filling the tub, center mat carefully in tub or shower floor with suction cups on underside.
Fill the tub to the desired level of water. Firmly press on the entire mat surface with your hands by kneeling outside of tub on a clean surface.
Step carefully on the mat while holding a grab bar, edge of tub or a secure object.
Step firmly on at least 8 to 10 places for proper vacuum hold.
Your weight should firmly anchor the mat. If the mat is not firmly anchored, repeat the instructions.
After use, lift mat at one corner and peel back. Rinse mat thoroughly, hang to dry. Do not dry with hair dryer or over a radiator.

CAUTION: Not recommended for use on textured surfaces. Keep tub surface clean. Bath oils may reduce the Bath Mat's safety. Please be sure to use all safety precautions when entering and exiting tub/shower as well as when in the tub/shower. The mat is designed to help prevent sipping, but the effectiveness of mat depends on your use and care.

If I really wanted to go into it, "DIRECTIONS FOR USE" was underlined except between "FOR" and "USE" and on the list, "5" was italicized… but I don't know how to do that here.

SO I WAS WRONG, GUYS.

2009-11-18T15:06:00.002-05:00

Dancing is actually NOT ALLOWED AT BETHEL.

NOT ALLOWED.

Not that I particularly FEEL like dancing when I'm at Bethel, but NOT ALLOWED! ARE YOU FOR SERIOUS??

This makes me wonder what we're going to do in Spanish class on Friday. We'd been scheduled to salsa, and I bet you can imagine how much I'm looking forward to that--awkward time with people I barely tolerate. At least I'm tall; then I can volunteer to dance the gentleman's part (since we're very low on guys in our block) and that will make things ever-so-slightly better. But can I get out of it altogether by saying it's unBethical? (Holly taught me that word today.)

This makes me want to start line-dancing or something right in the middle of campus to see what would happen. Would half a dozen security guards emerge from nowhere and tackle me? (This is what I've been envisioning. It's what I'd like to think would happen.) Something to contemplate when I feel like screaming.

I don't know if this is a happy or a sad day, Sis-'n. I know you'd count it as a reason to rejoice, but I don't like them infringing my freedom. If I want to kick my heels a bit, let me.

Siblinginess.

2009-11-14T20:19:00.002-05:00

Going to make a quick Taco Bell run a few weeks ago, Nat and I went through the regular ritual of finding our shoes, coats, and hats. I reflected to myself on how funny it was that we seemed to be getting dressed up to go to a fast food establishment; I don't remember what we were wearing, but it was our usual nicish attire that contrasts us against our classmates.

"Margaret," he said. I looked at him and he smiled a bit, which (obvious to me) meant laughter over what I had just been thinking.

"I know." Agreement and a little smile of my own were all that was needed.

Does it take as long as we've lived together to be able to speak without speaking? Or perhaps the last two or three years we've grown closer? How many such exchanges have gone by without my taking notice?

I love you, Nathaniel.

AURGHNESS

2009-11-13T23:22:00.002-05:00

I was very content with silently losing NaNoWriMo this year until I remembered my promise. Why did I have to predict myself so well?

If you look at my NaNoWriMo page and are worried about my word count, it's true: at this moment I have 3,091 words. It is now actually impossible for me to win NaNoWriMo, and I don't know when (if ever) I'm going to round up FIFTY THOUSAND WORDS. I really just CAN'T. *Kicks floor.*

D:!!

2009-11-03T15:12:00.002-05:00

I MISS YOU. (You know who you are. The ones that I just saw this weekend. Who live at least four hours away.)

SPARKLE.

Shut up, Zeke.

Shut up, Ethan and Aaron. I'm not.

DON'T, Elizabeth!

I danced with Edward, you guys.

I need my waif and my orphan.

I hate you.

*innocent face*

Skirt.

*hug*

THESE ARE SAD TIMES.

Lala!

2009-11-03T15:10:00.002-05:00

For those who don't read Pasto's blog, I guess.

Lala! You can listen to music for free (or for fee*)!

*HAHAHA

FOR SERIOUS, GUYS

2009-10-28T22:44:00.004-04:00

WRITE A NOVEL
also for kids

50,000 words
30 days
Happy emoticon!

what if i don't finish it?
YOU'LL HAVE A NOVEL STARTED!
(nobody finishes everything. it's okay.)

what if it's not very good?
YOU'LL BE BETTER AFTERWARD!
(you don't have to show anybody. it's okay.)

what if this is a wonderful opportunity and i don't know how to thank you for telling me about this?
YOU'LL HAVE A NOVEL STARTED!
(thank you, thank you, maggie! you're so amazing! <-- like that.)

Happy emoticon!

2009-10-15T01:04:00.003-04:00

yesterday
Spanish class ≠ entirely awful
!!!

I think this may have something to do with me sitting in a different place… one where my classmates don't pretend I don't exist. Of course, it would take some figuring to make this more permanent, because I was technically sitting in someone else's place. (My usual place had no chair.) She came over anyway so she could have her chat with the other girls, in English (not allowed), about shopping/clothes, and every time the teacher came near she would say a variant on "We're talking about Spanish, I swear." But I digress.

Could it be———is it getting better??

P. S. In Elements of Music, multiple girls now ask me directly about the homework. E. g. "Did I do this right?" "What does this mean?"

Bea

2009-10-13T21:33:00.002-04:00

In Elements of Music, the one who chose a song from Once for that first assignment. She also wears awesome skirts all the time. Well, yesterday we both came to class in trench coats and hats. I complimented her hat, explaining it was my favorite color. (Mine was sort of reddish and could not be called straight-out orange, unfortunately.)
Her favorite color is orange, too.
:O

Unfortunately, her bag sports an Obama button, so unless she has an excellent explanation, our friendship is not meant to be. (No offense, Amanda. You don't count; I love you no matter how wrong you are. Emoticon.)

Question.

2009-10-13T20:58:00.001-04:00

PHONE is to RING what BOOK is to ?

More bragging!

2009-10-13T20:42:00.002-04:00

I now have both Thaxted from Jupiter from The Planets by Gustav Holst and Sabre Dance from Gayaneh by Aram Khachaturian memorized. (Note: This does not mean they are without mistakes. It merely means I don't strictly need the book to practice.) They both are arranged for solo piano by Christopher Norton, as was Montagues and Capulets. (And in my opinion, he needed better editing on Thaxted. It was written more confusing than it could have been.)

Next: Romance from Lieutenant Kijé by Serge Prokofieff*.

Oh, 20th century classics. You are so insane. I love you.

*This is how it was spelled in the book. The alternate version is Sergei Prokofiev, and I don't know which is considered a closer translation or whatever.

No, I keep a blog because I DON'T want attention.

2009-10-12T23:37:00.002-04:00

(Title pretty much unrelated. From an imaginary conversation.)

Sorry for all this linkage, but it's in the rules for entering this giveaway that I must link it:

How Much Fabric? Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Anyway, it looks cool.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon

2009-10-11T15:04:00.006-04:00

I can't decide if I'll participate or not. I mean, if I'm actually going to take the risks that come with losing that much sleep and all. I will be reading, of course.

The picture is a link.

Tip of the Day

2009-10-10T10:57:00.001-04:00

In Life……….

Shortcomings, Loss & Setbacks are INEVITABLE….

but…..

Suffering, Worry & Sadness are all OPTIONAL.

Be cheerful & happy always!!! Just take care of your health & family -

happiness will follow you wherever you go or be !!!

To all Star Wars fans!!

2009-10-08T19:59:00.001-04:00

Imagine that A New Hope was split into fifteen-second increments, and each increment was given to a different person to recreate IN THEIR OWN STYLE. Then these new clips are put together to make a fantastic new version of the original movie.

Absurd!

I present Star Wars: Uncut http://starwarsuncut.com/

At the time I am posting this, there are 157 clips free for the taking, and one person can take as many as three clips. Go!

Thank you, thank you, Vati.

2009-09-27T20:31:00.002-04:00

Did you know we have not only Katharine Hepburn's signature, but also a signed copy of Fahrenheit 451?

the road 'more traveled' by

2009-09-25T09:37:00.002-04:00

I was walking from Spanish to Elements of music and the path split. I considered, for a moment, whether I should take the path everybody was taking, or the slightly wigglier and less direct one that passed by the gazebo. As usual, I avoided the gazebo (empty gazebos make me sad) with the excuse that twice I've gotten compliments when walking the way I walk.

As I've never taken the path by the gazebo, I didn't know how many compliments I could be receiving, and was wondering about that when a passing girl said, "I like your hat."

Win.

That is now Compliment Corner. (OFHP's Kompliment Korner? Oh wait...) Next time I pass someone there, I'm spreading the happiness. Like germs, only not!

If you wonder why I'm blogging when I should be in Elements of Music, we had a test today. I was out in fifteen minutes--and if I wasn't a slowpoke [lastname], I bet would've been first out. Of course, if I wasn't a [lastname], I wouldn't know all the answers so well. (See, I'm arrogant too. Laughing emoticon.)

Things I should remember when biking in the humid, humid midwest:

2009-09-23T22:02:00.003-04:00

Do not bike when even a little tired; tired + sweaty + worn out + thick air = not paying attention = not good.
Be prepared to seriously need a shower; sweat abounds when there's too much water in the air.
Keep your mouth closed; gnats are gross. (Learned yesterday.)

me in the morning

2009-09-21T07:22:00.000-04:00

shut up
you stupid crickets

Mythical Creatures

2009-09-11T15:31:00.003-04:00

Blogger is annoying sometimes. Anyway, I think if you click on it you might see it better.

Pride.

2009-09-09T11:06:00.002-04:00

After 6-7 hours of practice spanning 5 days, I can play the simplified piano arrangement of Serge Prokofieff's Montagues and Capulets from Romeo and Juliet at the desired tempo with virtually no mistakes, when I'm alone.